Next-gen iPhone: Here's what we know already

 

Next-gen iPhone: Here's what we know already

The next iPhone is hotly tipped to launch on September 10, but what can we expect to see? The rumour mill has gone into overdrive of late, with leak after leak showing off what purports to be Apple’s next handset in a variety of guises. There could even be more than one model about to launch. So strap yourself in, we’re about to run down what we’ll see from Apple’s next mobile.

A budget model

This is one of the most persistent rumours of recent months. Apple is said to be readying a cut-price version of its best-selling handset, to compete with the likes of the Google Nexus 4. The budget blower could be named the iPhone 5C. You might think this would be a bit of a departure for Apple, which usually makes high-end devices for monied customers, but the company has had a finger in the budget pie for a while now. Whenever it announces a new model of handset, it reduces the price of an older one, keeping a cheaper, lower-specced variant on sale. You can still buy the iPhone 4, for example. So would a dedicated lower-priced iPhone really be that unexpected?

Two models will launch

This isn’t to say Apple will abandon the high end altogether. Not so. Rumours say the Cupertino company will launch an iPhone 5S alongside the 5C. The 5S should be the standard upgrade, with slightly enhanced specs. But one feature could make it stand out from previous models – it could come in a gold colour option. Don’t worry, it won’t be too bling. It’ll be a subtle champagne gold, the rumours say. And it’s not the only new colour we might see…

More colours

The iPhone 5C should be available in a range of colours, with numerous leaks showing its casing in red, green, blue, and more. So far, Apple has only offered the iPhone in muted tones, but its iPod range comes in a selection of bright colours. Its new operating system iOS 7 also went to town on the colour, so we could well see a brighter selection of products from Apple.Double the storage

The iPhone 5S will come with a beefy 128GB of storage, according to one analyst. Think that’s unheard of? Well the iPad currently comes with that much space. And it would make up for the lack of an SD card slot. The iPhone 5 comes in a 64GB variant, and most of us would welcome double the storage. Just maybe not the price tag that’ll come with it.

Fingerprint scanner

A few leaks have hinted we’ll see a fingerprint scanner on the next iPhone. This would be more secure than a PIN code, meaning no one else can access your handset. The feature has been used on laptops for a few years now, but has so far failed to become standard on mobiles. But where Apple goes, the rest usually follow…

It’ll run iOS 7

A given, this one. Apple unveiled its colourful new operating system a couple of months ago, but so far only developers have been able to get their hands on it. It’s sure to launch alongside the new handset(s), and will be available for the iPad, too. There’s a host of new features, like 3D, new messaging options, smart multitasking, and AirDrop. You can even control your device by moving your head. Now that’s what we call handsfree.

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Five amazing iOS 7 secrets Apple forgot to mention

 

Five amazing iOS 7 secrets Apple forgot to mention

You may have seen iOS 7’s snazzy new look and natty new features, but chances are you haven’t seen all it can do. Apple didn’t demo all its new skills at the announcement, and it’s made developers sign a lip-buttoning non-disclosure agreement that swears them to secrecy. Well, it does in theory, anyway.

Plenty of developers have been only too happy to spill the beans, it seems, because since they got their hands on it, we know a lot more than Apple originally let on. So let’s take a look at what else Apple’s next operating system can do.

1 It can controlled hands-free

That’s right, using iOS 7, you’ll be able to control your iPhone or iPad using just your head. You can set functions to activate when you move your head to the left or the right. So a jerk to the left could be set to act as a touch on an icon, while one to the right can be used as the Home button. Switch on the option in the Settings menu, and the software will cycle through every icon on screen, highlighting each in turn. Just move your head to select whichever is highlighted, and there you go, hands-free controls!

2 The icons are alive

This one might remind you of Windows Phone 8’s Live Tiles, but that’s no bad thing. The icons on the home screen are animated, meaning you can see certain info at a glance. Need to check the time? The clock app ticks away right there on the home screen, so you don’t need to open the app. This also has the added bonus of making the home screen seem more alive, and less static than iOS 6.

3 It’s easier to find that crucial email

Apple has been hard at work adding colour to iOS 7. In fact, some might say it’s been a little heavy-handed with the paintbrushes. But in this case, the colour comes into its own. Every email in a conversation shows up in a different colour font to the last, so if you’re scrolling through a long email chain, it’s easy to see when someone new chips in. Which will make finding that crucial email easier than ever.

4 Maps acts as more of a satnav

Apple’s Maps was an unmitigated disaster when it launched, prompting Apple to publish an apology admitting it wasn’t up to scratch. But it’s gradually getting better. And with iOS 7, Apple has added some new satnav features to make it more useful than ever. You’ll be able to set your direction type to driving or walking, just like Google Maps. There’s no option for public transport yet, which Google Maps offers, but Apple could add it before iOS 7’s official launch.

5 It can zoom in while recording video

Fancy getting in closer to the action while you’re videoing? Now you can, with iOS 7. Despite the fact iOS products lack an optical zoom, you can still bring the action closer by just pinching the screen while you’re videoing. And there you go, you’re zooming in. Anyone using Vine or Instagram’s video service will no doubt find some creative uses for it.

iOS 7: Massive iPhone software revamp and iTunes Radio announced

 

Apple promised us iOS 7 would be on show at WWDC this week, and it made good on that pledge today, with CEO Tim Cook revealing the latest version of its iPhone software on stage at its opening keynote – it’s the biggest change to iOS, ever. Read on for the details.

You can’t miss it: the big news in iOS 7 is the all-new look. After six very samey visual iterations, iOS 7 sports a slick new lick of paint. Everything looks brand new, including a new slide-to-unlock, flat and redesigned icons, a new slide-up control panel, brand new fonts across the board and a whole different palette of colours. There’s a heavy use of translucency across the OS, and each icon has been redesigned from the ground up – it all looks very, very pretty.

The whole home screen interface responds to the phone’s movements with a sliding parallax background. As you move the device in your hand, it tracks your motion.

All the core apps have been redesigned too: gone is the wood and green felt from apps like Game Center, and that carries across the whole system from clocks to fonts and even the calculator. Mail has been given a facelift and includes a new gesture where you can swipe messages straight to the trash.

But it’s functional too – the Notification Center is now available on the lockscreen too, and there’s a handy new accompanying feature, Control Center, which packs easy to access toggles for your most used settings such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and orientation lock.

Multitasking too has been given a shake-up too, as iOS 7 lets you multitask with all your apps without a drop in your battery life, and your phone quietly makes use of your uptime to intelligently update apps in the background.

Apple is also taking on Instagram with its update to the camera app. There’s a couple of new options stacked next to the video and photo modes, including square and panoramic, the former which takes Instagram-style square photos while the latter lets you stitch together photos right on the fly. You can also organise your images by Moments, sorted by location, month or year.

Siri meanwhile gets a new look, and a few IQ points too: the internet assistant has been given an all-new facelift. You can tweak your settings across the phone right with Siri, as well as search Twitter and Wikipedia.

Lastly, there’s iTunes Radio, baked right into iOS 7, iTunes on PC and Mac, and Apple TV. Apple is touting the service as a whole new way to discover music, and it’s built right into the music app on your phone. Just like Pandora, it sports a bunch of featured stations, including what’s trending on Twitter, and once you’ve found a station you like, you can also share it with a friend or even start a new one based on that song – or even buy it, if you like. The service is ad-supported, but if you’re an iTunes Match subscriber, it’s completely free. It’s US only to start with, but heading elsewhere in the near future.

Want a taste of it? It’s available as a developer beta for iPhone today, with support for iPad on the way – it’ll work on every iPhone from the fourth generation on, and should be out later this year.

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