My honest take on ios7 Beta

Ok,
been playing with the beta for a day on my iphone 5, here is what i think.

- Overall, it is a big improvement FOR iOS users like me. I think it'll be a huge success, and coupled with Mavericks an exceptional user experience. To be honest on my "track record" when i saw the iPad i thought "idiots, it's just a big iphone, who's gonna buy it?"

- The main feature updates are taken from things we have already seen in other OS, there's no point in denying this, but do i really care? No. What i care is that finally i have a way to easily access all the most useful setting in one elegant swipe, or that multitasking is done in a way better and elegant way. The photo organization is a life changer. Did Apple invent it? No. Do i care? No: i care about having the best phone for my needs, and it looks like it is. Apple sometimes radically invents (=iphone 1) , most of the times implement other's ideas in a better way (=ipod, certainly not the first mp3 player on the market). What matters in the end is only the user experience, and my take when confronting to the other best in class competitors is that Apple is ahead again.

- I think that the true iOS7 potential, as often happens with Apple devices, is unleashed when you are a "100% Apple user". If you have a Mac with Mavericks installed, maybe throw in an Apple TV, honestly, there's nothing out there in the market that even comes close to the overall experience that you (will) have. I think this is a fact and is not subjective, as it's a fact that you are paying dollars for this.

- The icons, look, etc. is obviously very subjective: there's no point in saying "i like it " / "i hate it", it's a matter of taste. I think it's fair to say, as it has already been pointed out, that there is a slight lack of consistency. This is true, but no-one is talking about what 100% consistency means: you can't distinguish anything. Things need to be colored differently, so that you can click at a glance without having to read. This is something done for design, for usability, it's very easy to have icons which are like "all black, same text". 100% consistency, 0% usability.

- I thought i would install the beta out of curiosity and then revert back. I'm not. Again, this is subjective, i don't have any app which is vital for me which is crashing, etc. The battery to me is decreasing faster, but again, for the way i use it, it's ok. I don't think it would for the majority of people. I obviously expect this to be fixed in the coming months. Battery life is still below average to me, i'll never get why Apple gives so much importance to battery life on their Notebooks and iPads and not on their phones, which are by definition what you are taking out of home the most. If battery life is crucial to you, iphone can't be your phone in my opinion. Certainly not the ios7 Beta.

- Net, it will get better over the next months, but i'm already very happy: what i really am looking forward is the total integration with my MacBook Air with Mavericks and the iPhone and iPad (keychain, photos, bookmarks, directions, etc. etc. etc.). That to me is where the true Apple advantage is. Phone vs. Phone, probably we can debate forever on which one is the best.

- I really don't get all the "if Steve was here": you'll never know, the man has done some beautiful things and some ugly things, i think it's very fair to say that Apple is still willing to risk and innovate. Like it or not, ios7 and the new MacPro are very different from the Apple status quo, maybe you don't like them, but in my opinion it's a good sign.

Don't flame too much, there's no right or wrong here, just opinions and a few facts, i just wanted to share perspective especially for prospective Beta users.

Vanni

 

That's why i don't earn money as a journalist.