iOS7 update receives mixed reviews

Upper School Technology Coordinator Chris White misses the old icons from iOS6. “They [the new icons] are a little cartoonish, and it seems like Windows 8,” he said.

The new iOS7 was released on Sept. 18 at noon. The new iOS is a huge change for the earlier systems on Apple products, sporting new graphics and exciting features.

At first glance, it seems Apple has swapped its shiny, realistic icons for simpler and modern ones. iOS7 has kept the trademark rounded square app icons but flattened them out to a more 2D appearance. The app icon designs are simpler too, some bordering on cartoonish, but also interactive and animated. “The designs for the new apps, in general, is pretty cool,” junior Em Prozinski said.

Despite this, not everyone likes these new animations: “I don’t like the delay when I put the phone to sleep,” freshman Tony Morice said.

News sources such as TIME magazine, The Guardian, and Forbes have reported cases of motion sickness because of the foreground and background, called “parallax” on the home screen.

“It’s still the same,” freshman Ethan Meitz said, noting that the general function and layout of iOS7 is very similar to iOS6 — allowing iOS7 users to ease into the new iOS.

“It’s a lot slower too when I touch it,” Prozinski said on iOS7 on her iPhone 4S. White noted that iOS7 is faster on his iPhone 5S than his iPhone 4.

There are still some people who haven’t switched to iOS7. Some don’t have the time or are waiting for bug fixes. Others simply can’t make the switch. “If I could get it I would get it,” senior Sarah Coleman said holding up her iPhone 3GS which is incompatible with iOS7. iOS7 also requires at least 3 GB of space to download.

Apple has already fixed several bugs in iOS7 and there are most likely more to come. Although there are still small flaws in the new iOS, “…but they’re also in a time of constant change and they’re being smart about it,” White said.