The update to iOS 7 has not been smooth sailing for all.
Many users onTwitter, as well as on Apple'ssupport siteare reporting issues when attempting to install the update, which went out earlier today.
Affected users are reporting that the downloads will stop, with a warning error pop-up that says the "software update failed." Others are saying they cannot connect to theiTunesStore to update apps.
The likely culprit is that Apple's servers, which are pushing out the update over the air as well as through iTunes, are being hit by many users attempting to get the download. Nonetheless, according toApple's services page, all its various services are up and running.
Worth noting is that the update is larger than most Apple has put out in the past. It can range in the mid-600MB range for older iPhone andiPadusers, and go up to 935MB for users on Apple's fourth-generation iPad. Users also need to have lots of free space available for the downloaded update to install, which can top 3GB in some cases.
CNET has reached out to Apple for comment, and we'll update this post when we know more.
Update at 12:23 p.m. PT:In addition to the issues surroundingiOS 7installation and app updates, some users are alsoreportingissues with Apple's activation servers. It's unclear how widespread this is.
In the biggest change to Apple's smartphones and tablets, the system has been rebuilt with a totally different design, created by Brit Sir Jonathan Ive and his team
iPad iOS 7
Apple's iOS 7 operating software foriPhone, iPad and iPod touch becomes available to download tomorrow - bringing a whole new look to the company's mobile devices.
In the biggest change to Apple's smartphones and tablets, the system has been rebuilt with a totally different design, created by Brit Sir Jonathan Ive and his team.
Anyone else can download iOS 7 to their device, but before you do, here are 10 things you need to know about iOS 7.
Apple Launch
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1.iOS 7 is FREE. You don't need to pay a penny to get it but you may find you need to wait a while in a download queue if you try to access it as soon as it goes live, along with a few million others desperately doing the same.
You can update it directly from your device, there's no need to connect it to a computer.
But it won't work on some older Apple products such as an iPhone 3G, 3GS or the original iPad and it is only compatible with the fifth generation of iPod touch devices onwards.
People walk under an iOS7 sign at the 2013 Apple WWDC at the Moscone Center
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2.The design and layout of iOS 7 is a dramatic departure from what Apple fans have been used to.
It uses a new colour palette, has a flatter look and different fonts, which are meant to give it a 'cleaner' look.
There are also lots of translucent effects and on the 5C, the colour of the device you buy will dictate the colour of the wallpaper and icons.
Jony Ive, says of his creation: "True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation - it's about bringing order to complexity."
New Apple iOS 7 features are displayed on screen during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference
Reuters
3.The new iOS system has been created to take advantage of the 64-bit processor in the latest iPhone 5S.
This provides more power for applications and games. But some older apps may not be able to match up to this and also some older devices may not work so well with any updated apps.
To counter this, it's been reported that Apple is to introduce a pop-up pointing users to older versions of apps that would work better with their specific device.
Apple Launch
4.Not updating to iOS 7 right now though, could be a good move.
As well as saving yourself time waiting in a download queue, you could prevent issues with security, compatibility with apps and features not working.
As with previous releases of iOS and any other new software, there can be problems on day one. These are then solved with an update a couple of weeks later.
Often it pays not to jump in with two feet to be among the first who has it, and to wait until the first updated release has ironed out all the issues.
Or until at least wait until you know whether there are problems and what they may be.
Apple Launch
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5.iOS 7 is offering 200+ changes to the operating system according to Apple but while many of these will just be minor tweaks, some are much more major and noticeable.
For a start Notification Center can now be accessed with a swipe down even when the phone is locked.
The Control Center can also be opened with a swipe up from the bottom of the screen and contains icons for some of the most-used features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, display brightness, calculator, camera and even a torch.
There is also a new Today feature showing a summary of items such as weather, traffic, meetings and events
Apple.com
6.In a bid to prevent iPhones and iPads being stolen, Apple has introduced an extra security feature alongside the new fingerprint reader in the iPhone 5S.
While not everyone will have the luxury of that, they will be able to prevent muggers from turning off the Find My iPhone feature.
In iOS 7 it comes with an Activation Lock, requiring your Apple ID and password before you can turn it off, erase data or re-activate a device after it has been remotely erased.
CEO Tim Cook speaks during an Apple event in San Francisco
Reuters
7.If you've not yet been sold on Siri then iOS 7 at least gives you a few more reasons to try out the virtual personal assistant hiding inside your device.
For a start it comes with new softer voices - both male and female - and allows you to use your voice to look through Twitter, Wikipedia and the Bing search engine.
Eddy Cue, Apple senior vice president of internet software and services, displays the new iTunes interface
Reuters
8.Additions to the camera in iOS 7 do not include the Burst and Slo Mo modes, which are only found on the iPhone 5S for now.
But you do get new real-time photo effects and a square camera option to add to video, photo and panorama. It's also easier to switch between all four.
Your pictures are all displayed for more intuitively and better organised in the Photos app, showing them based on the time they were taken and the location they were taken at.
There's also a new way to share files and content between iOS 7 devices using AirDrop and a Wi-Fi network, a system already familiar to Mac owners.
Apple Launch the iOS7
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9.Safari web browsing has been improved with a redesigned interfaced for full-screen surfing along with a new smart search field to better recommend options.
And in a big departure that could be one of the most popular, there are new ringtones, alarms, alerts and system sounds so you can try and separate yourself from the millions of others using the same tones.
Apple Launch
Reuters
10.iTunes Radio is one of the biggest additions.
It's a free Internet radio service with more than 200 stations but for now will only be available in America.
Popular Apps Near Me in the App Store also now gives you the opportunity to find apps based on your location.
The new iOS 7 iPhone software not only has a new look, but Apple successfully addresses many long-standing issues.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney)
Your iPhone is about to get a giant makeover: Apple is pushing out iOS 7 to iPhone users on Wednesday.
The new iPhone operating system is the most substantial update in the software's history. Apple not only added new features and functionality, but the company radically reinvented the six-year old operating system's appearance.
For the most part,Apple(AAPL,Fortune 500)succeeded in making iOS easier on the eyes and simpler to use. Apple trimmed the fat where necessary and added some meat to areas that were lacking.
New look:The most noticeable difference in iOS 7 is the design. Gone are the core apps that look like real-life objects. In their place is a far more modern, streamlined, flatter digital aesthetic.
Apple didn't eliminate depth and texture altogether, but it redefined how it uses those effects. For instance, Apple made some menus and features appear translucent, like a frosted sheet of glass. That not only provides a stylish touch, but it produces a layered effect to help visualize how different parts of an app are linked, and how they are separate.
iPhones 5C and 5S good enough for Apple
You'll notice this everywhere from the home screen icons to the design of the lock screen to the screen that shows up when you receive a call. But the way you use those elements is more or less the same as before.
And there are still touches of the old version of iOS throughout the new iOS 7. For example, the Messages app still uses speech bubbles, and the camera app still uses an on-screen shutter button. But the look of those features has been spruced up as well.
There was a time when Apple had to demonstrate how its flat, glass screen could replace many self-contained gadgets people already owned. So everything had a glassy, textured layer applied to it. The calendar had to look like a paper calendar. The compass had to look like something you'd see in a 16th-century Spanish galleon.
Now that the vast majority of us understand our smartphones, Apple has been able to ditch those visual analogs and become truer to its sleek, modern hardware.
New features:Perhaps the most useful addition to iOS 7 is Control Center. It's your metaphorical junk drawer full of settings, media playback controls, and shortcuts to utility apps, like the clock, camera and calculator. You can now also toggle the LED on and off from control center, functioning as a de facto flashlight. And it's easily accessible: just swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
Control Center isn't a revelation: Having quick access to Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is something that's long been on Android. But it's a welcome addition -- and frankly should have already been added to iOS a long time ago.
Siri's functionality has been expanded some. It can now be used to search for Wikipedia and Twitter. That's nice, but it's still noGoogle(GOOG,Fortune 500)Now, which can tell you to leave home earlier than usual because there's an accident on the freeway.
The new weather app in iOS 7 is more informative than ever, and the App Store can automatically update your apps.
The Photo app has mostly been changed for the better by automatically arranging your photos according to time and place. But the new shared photo streams addition felt incomplete. It allows multiple people to share and comment on photos -- think of it as a remixed version of group MMS. But with so many people already using Apple's iMessage to share photos, it's unclear why people are supposed to use the new feature.
The Notification Center in iOS 7 now has three separate sub-pages, making it feel more bloated and confusing than its previous iteration. For example, if you don't use a calendar, one of the sub-pages is just a completely empty screen.
Question marks:Apple overhauled multitasking in iOS 7, giving apps the ability to fully run in the background. That means apps like Twitter and Facebook will be able to automatically update their feeds without you having to open the app. Apple even promises that iOS 7 will learn which apps you use the most, when you use them, and will make sure they're always updated at that time. But it will be hard to tell how well this feature will work until app makers begin to support it.
Airdrop is Apple's file sharing protocol, allowing iPhone users to share photos, contacts and things like passbook cards with one another. In theory, it is a wonderfully simple way to transfer files. But you can't use it with the Mac version of Airdrop. And the main appeal of Airdrop seems to be photos -- which is confusing since that's what shared photostreams are for. Until there is a critical mass of people running iOS 7, it's hard to gauge how useful Airdrop will be.
Bottom line:Despite a few hiccups in execution, Apple has successfully re-thought iOS for the better.
The biggest achievement of iOS 7 is Apple's willingness to acknowledge that it's immensely successful hardware had gone a bit stale. Apple had the awareness and courage to make some major changes without doing anything so drastic that it risked alienating its user base.
IOS 7 isn't perfect, but it's still as worthy a mobile OS as Google's Android. IOS 7 lays down the foundation for the next five or so years that will allow Apple to keep the iPhone feeling modern and progressive.
Gmail launched nine years ago on April 1st, 2004. Since then you've been able to use hundreds of new features that push the boundaries of what email can do and make it easier to get things done.
Starting today, you'll get to experience the next big step for Gmail, Gmail Blue. Watch the video to learn more:
(Credit: CNET)
