iOS 7 was a major departure from the previous generations, offering a fresh new take on what Apple thinks a mobile operating system should look like. But that doesn't mean it can't be tweaked further. The first significant update, iOS 7.1, was just released and it takes the O.S. further down the road.
Answering phone calls, arguably the most important feature of an iPhone, looks different. Circles play a big role in the new O.S. and now that's true for phone calls. To make a call, there is a green circle which morphs into a red circle to hang up. If you're color blind, the icon on the circle shows a phone facing down as opposed to angled up to initiate the call. The built-in Calendar app is more "iOS 7-ish" as well. A list view offers a more intuitive view of the day's or week's events.
Users with older iPhones, like the iPhone 4 and 4S will appreciate that the sluggishness they may have experienced with iOS 7.0 is about to get better. The folks at Ars Technica have compared response times using iOS 6.1.3, iOS 7.0 and now iOS 7.1 and find improvements with iOS 7.1. Still, iOS 6.1.3 is faster for most tasks, so if you haven't made the leap to iOS 7, you might want to stay put.
There are a couple of welcome reversals in iOS 7.1. I've written before that text has become too narrow and hard to read on the white screens. The most frequently used example of this is the keyboard. Now, those individual letters on the keys are bold and easier to read.
The Parallax Effect, which alters the background as you tilt the phone, was one of the big highlights when iOS 7 was released. But I found the gimmick too distracting and switched to a plain black background to improve usability. I was not alone, and Apple has made it easier to turn off what they now call "Perspective Zoom." You can turn it on or off when you change the wallpaper in the Settings app.
Apple is clearly moving forward with iOS 7, and many of the minimalistic design decisions should serve them well as they adapt iOS to fit in a small watch screen. iOS 8 should be around the corner, given Apple's pattern of announcing at their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June each year, with products available by September.
