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Review of iOS Development History <br /> Just as computers cannot function without the support of an operating system, the same is true for smartphones. In 2007, Apple emerged as a game changer, officially launching its smartphone and the first mobile operating system in history.
The iPhone has certainly undergone a series of changes over the past eight years, and along with it, iOS has grown. The various features that Apple has introduced in iOS have now become an indispensable part of users' daily lives, including iMessage, App Store, FaceTime, Siri, iCloud, and Apple Pay.
In today’s article, we’ll review the evolution of Apple’s iOS and how it has shaped the functionality of the iPhone and other iOS devices, including the iPod Touch and iPad. iOS 1
This first touch-based mobile operating system was released by Apple's former CEO Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, along with the first iPhone. The operating system has never been officially named, but Jobs himself called it the mobile version of Apple's OS X desktop operating system "software". Features include multi-touch gestures, visual voicemail, mobile web browser Safari, and a YouTube app. The January 2008 update added a customizable home screen, allowing users to group different applications into dedicated "pages" on the device, and iPod Touch users welcomed more new applications: Mail, Maps, Weather, Notes, and Stocks. This update is free for iPhone users, but iPod Touch users need to pay $19.99 to get it. iOS 2
After releasing the iPhone SDK on March 6, 2008, Apple officially named its mobile operating system iPhone OS. iPhone OS 2 was pre-installed on the iPhone 3G model and provided a number of new features, including the App Store, GPS-equipped map applications, and push email. This updated version was free for iPhone users, while iPod Touch users had to pay $9.95 to get it (but iOS 2.x and later versions could be obtained for free). iOS 3
iPhone OS 3 was released with the iPhone 3GS, and included new features such as voice control, multimedia communication, Spotlight search, a horizontal keyboard, and the long-awaited cut, copy, and paste functions. After Apple officially launched the iPad in March 2010, iPhone OS was renamed iOS. iOS 3 still follows the traditional release mechanism, that is, iPhone users can get it for free, while iPod Touch users need to pay $9.95 for it (iOS 3.x and later versions are provided free). At the beginning of its release, the iPad was pre-installed with iOS 3.2, and Apple later reduced the system price to $4.95 to encourage users who had not yet upgraded to iOS 3. iOS 4
iOS 4 was pre-installed on the iPhone 4 and iPad 2. As a new version officially known as "iOS", it provides wallpaper settings, multitasking, folders, FaceTime and other features, and the iPad also has a dedicated iBooks feature. With the launch of iOS 4, iPod Touch users can upgrade for the first time without paying anything. In addition, iPhone 4 also became Apple's first mobile phone to support the CDMA standard, which means that iOS is now available for Verizon users. iOS 5
Just one week after Steve Jobs' death, iOS 5 was pre-installed on iPhone 4S and was released to users around the world. The new version provides Siri, Notification Center, iMessage, Reminders, News and other features. iOS 5 is impressive because it completely gets rid of the device's dependence on computer cables - users can activate and set up the device wirelessly, and provide a direct wireless update solution. iOS 5 also integrates two important features: iCloud and Twitter. iOS 6
iOS 6 comes pre-installed on the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini, and includes apps like Google Maps and YouTube, which users have to download manually through the App Store. iOS 6 also includes Apple's own Maps app, turn-by-turn navigation, Facebook integration, Passbook, and LTE support. iOS 7
iOS 6 became infamous due to its many problems with maps. In order to solve the problems, Jonathan Ive, then Apple's senior vice president of design (now chief design officer), re-redesigned the work of former senior vice president of iOS software Scott Forstall. iOS 7 subverted the previous realistic graphic design ideas and began to adopt a sophisticated typography style, new icons, translucent effects and layering mechanisms. This new version is pre-installed on iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPad Air and iPad Mini 2. As a new version with flat design as its main feature, iOS 7 provides new features such as photo application, iTunes Radio and CarPlay. iOS 8
iOS 8 comes pre-installed on the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPad Air 2. The new version is based on iOS 7 and offers new features including Apple Pay, a new Health app, HandOff, QuickType, Family Sharing, iCloud Drive, third-party keyboard support, and (launched in mid-2015) Apple Music. iOS 8 is also the first iOS system to be fully available as a beta to ordinary users outside the developer community before the official version is released. iOS 9
iOS 9 will come pre-installed on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus (we're guessing, of course). New features include an updated Notes app (with support for sketching and adding photos), a new Maps app with public transportation information for select cities in the US, and a more comprehensive News app (which will replace the original 'Newsstand' app and show news from CNN, Wired Magazine, and the New York Times). Passbook will be renamed Wallet and will support various membership and gift cards. The iPad will get Split View to enhance multitasking, allowing users to use picture-in-picture video chat while running other apps, and wireless keyboard shortcuts (including cut, copy, and paste). iOS 9 also makes improvements to battery life (up to an hour longer), a low-power mode, a six-digit unlock passcode for added security, and Android data migration. To accommodate low-storage devices, iOS 9 is more compact and can automatically delete apps and reinstall them to solve the storage requirements of version updates.
All the answers will be revealed at Apple's press conference on Wednesday, September 9, when Apple will also announce new iPhone models and more details about iOS 9. Let's wait and see!
Original link:
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2975868/apple-ios/the-evolution-of-ios.html#slide10
Original title: The Evolution of iOS
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