Inside iOS 7: Apple's Weather app gets animated
One of the most significant aesthetic changes in iOS 7 is found in the iPhone's native Weather application, which has been redesigned with moving three-dimensional graphics that illustrate the current conditions.
Before opening the Weather application, testers of the first iOS 7 beta will notice that the icon no longer has a static indicator of 73 degrees. That potentially confusing decision, which lasted for years on the iPhone home screen, has been removed, and the new icon simply shows a cartoonish sun partly covered by a cloud.
Upon opening the application, the changes are immediately apparent: The entire background is an animation mimicking the current weather conditions. On a mostly sunny day, clouds will slowly drift by, while thunderstorms will bring down strikes of lightning from the virtual sky.
The animations even reflect the current time, with darker nighttime animations and brighter conditions during the daylight as clouds float or snow falls.
Tapping on the city and current temperature up top flips the display to a more detailed view. There, humidity, chance of rain, wind speed, and a "feels like" temperature can also be viewed.
Below that, an hour-by-hour breakdown of weather conditions can be viewed. This information can be scrolled to the left to view projected weather further into the future, including temperature and likelihood of rain.
At the bottom of the Weather display is a forecast for the coming days. Projected conditions and temperatures are listed for the next five days.
As it has been since the first iPhone launched in 2007, the weather data is provided by Yahoo, and a link to its website resides in the bottom left. An "i" button in the bottom right allows users to view all of the favorite cities they have saved in the Weather app, and add new locations.
When viewing favorite locations, users can view local times and current temperatures, while the familiar animations for respective conditions also play in the background. On a 4-inch iPhone 5 display, a total of six and a half cities can be viewed at once at this screen.
The weather "widget" included in the pull-down Notification Center menu has also been overhauled. Weather is now presented in a screen that offers users what is essentially a summary of their day, including any calendar appointments and relevant traffic data.
The Notification Center no longer shows a graphic with current and future weather conditions. Instead, the information is simply a sentence that briefly summarizes the weather.
Currently available for developer testing, iOS 7 is scheduled to arrive for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch this fall. For more on Apple's next mobile operating system, see AppleInsider's ongoing Inside iOS 7 series.
Before opening the Weather application, testers of the first iOS 7 beta will notice that the icon no longer has a static indicator of 73 degrees. That potentially confusing decision, which lasted for years on the iPhone home screen, has been removed, and the new icon simply shows a cartoonish sun partly covered by a cloud.
Upon opening the application, the changes are immediately apparent: The entire background is an animation mimicking the current weather conditions. On a mostly sunny day, clouds will slowly drift by, while thunderstorms will bring down strikes of lightning from the virtual sky.
The animations even reflect the current time, with darker nighttime animations and brighter conditions during the daylight as clouds float or snow falls.
Tapping on the city and current temperature up top flips the display to a more detailed view. There, humidity, chance of rain, wind speed, and a "feels like" temperature can also be viewed.
Below that, an hour-by-hour breakdown of weather conditions can be viewed. This information can be scrolled to the left to view projected weather further into the future, including temperature and likelihood of rain.
At the bottom of the Weather display is a forecast for the coming days. Projected conditions and temperatures are listed for the next five days.
As it has been since the first iPhone launched in 2007, the weather data is provided by Yahoo, and a link to its website resides in the bottom left. An "i" button in the bottom right allows users to view all of the favorite cities they have saved in the Weather app, and add new locations.
When viewing favorite locations, users can view local times and current temperatures, while the familiar animations for respective conditions also play in the background. On a 4-inch iPhone 5 display, a total of six and a half cities can be viewed at once at this screen.
The weather "widget" included in the pull-down Notification Center menu has also been overhauled. Weather is now presented in a screen that offers users what is essentially a summary of their day, including any calendar appointments and relevant traffic data.
The Notification Center no longer shows a graphic with current and future weather conditions. Instead, the information is simply a sentence that briefly summarizes the weather.
Currently available for developer testing, iOS 7 is scheduled to arrive for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch this fall. For more on Apple's next mobile operating system, see AppleInsider's ongoing Inside iOS 7 series.
Comments
i've been an enthusiastic apple evangelist all my life, and am an apple shareholder. but i'm thinking that if one of the most significant things about ios 7 is a weather app with a moving graphic representing the current conditions then we're all in for a big letdown. either that or appleinsider doesn't really get what it means to provide an analysis.
It's a great app. It's just a shame that the icon on the homescreen doesn't change too.
But they STILL didn't update the icon. For God's sake, why can't the icon reflect the current weather conditions?!?!?!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crowley
Makes you wonder how much input Yahoo had into it.
You can check the current Yahoo weather app for iOS by yourself, its pretty much the same apps already.
It's odd that the Yahoo app looks VERY similar but seems to be powered by Weather Underground.
Just like the clock app actually will tell the time in iOS 7 ...all the apps should some helpful tidbit of information on the face of the app icon.
Stocks could have your stock of choice with an up or down arrow.
Mail could have an envelope with a number on it. (I know a badge does this buit why not inside the app icon?)
There's a lot of room for stuff like this and the weather icon should show rain, or snow and should change with the weather.
I know battery is an issue I don't see why apple could achieve this type of structure.
Either way I'm ready for the change.
you should send a feedback request asking for a change to the notification system allowing you to specify where the center of the badge is relative to the icon, that should satisfy your requirement there, no?
I can't believe that Apple actually showcased this feature when WWDC time was at a premium. In fact, this app would make great Apple-mocking material for the next round of Microsoft Windows phone commercials.
What will Ives come up with next for the weather app? Sound effects? Water droplets that appear to be hitting the display? How about a weather forecaster with radar maps that steps into the picture (male or female by user preferences, of course).
Sorry, but the weather app is the antithesis of what Apple seems to be doing with the rest of the iOS 7 user interface.
Quote:
Originally Posted by drblank
I wish the actual app icon would display the current local temperature all of the time.
I want this too
Yahoo was supplying, and probably still is, the weather data.
The Yahoo app is quite nice.
So it's really comes down to the source of info and no one wants to be screwed up when it below -40C temp here as every single digit matters. Yahoo weather is not accurate at all for northern Candian winters. The only reliable source is the official weather office. If Apple's new weather app is taking the data from Weather Office Canada, I will be more than happy to use it, otherwise, I'm sticking with my current app.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pooch
i've been an enthusiastic apple evangelist all my life, and am an apple shareholder. but i'm thinking that if one of the most significant things about ios 7 is a weather app with a moving graphic representing the current conditions then we're all in for a big letdown. either that or appleinsider doesn't really get what it means to provide an analysis.
Well, before "Mapgate" I'd have NEVER even considered the map app anything to be concerned about, yet the damn press never lets go.... so details about these provided apps has significance beyond the actual utility of the thing. (I mean just load ones you like and move on already...)
But they STILL didn't update the icon. For God's sake, why can't the icon reflect the current weather conditions?!?!?!
Because an ever changing icon would be confusing to the eye and brain. People get used to what their icons look like.Quote:
Originally Posted by drblank
I wish the actual app icon would display the current local temperature all of the time.
The "Fahrenheit" and "Celsius" apps do this, using the notification badge. You have to buy separate apps for F and C because the API doesn't let developers update the icon dynamically.
Another very nice addition: if you click the temperature, it will show you the wind speed, the chance (in %) for rain, humidity and such. I'm not a huge fan of the current icon, but the interface itself is a great improvement for me