Although not as striking a change as some other first party apps in iOS 7, Apple's makeover of Mail offers a number of usability changes that are welcome improvements over its predecessor, including gesture controls and a cleaner layout.
While it wasn't given as drastic of a redesign as some other native iOS 7 applications, Apple's new Messages app sports a tweaked look and some subtle but useful new features.
The relationship between Apple and Yahoo has seemingly expanded in the development of iOS 7, strengthening the bond that has existed between the two companies since the launch of the first iPhone in 2007.
Underneath its fresh coat of paint, Safari in iOS 7 includes a number of new features that make it a richer mobile browsing experience, including a mandated fullscreen mode in both portrait and landscape views, and a new unified smart search box.
Apple's new iBeacons feature for iOS 7 implements a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) profile for micro-location, enabling a series of new geofencing capabilities for app developers.
One of the most significant aesthetic changes in iOS 7 is found in the iPhone's native Weather application, which has been redesigned with moving three-dimensional graphics that illustrate the current conditions.
While Apple updated every first-party app for iOS 7, one of the most heavily modified is Calendar, which sheds the silver and blue skin seen in iOS 6 for a grayscale theme almost devoid of color.
Apple's new Camera app in iOS 7 adds some features reminiscent of Instagram, the photo sharing service recently acquired by Facebook, in an update that unifies and simplifies the user interface.
The iOS 7 beta's user interface overhaul is a striking departure from past aesthetics, and one that has garnered a fair share of press, but a complete rebuilding of system animations is equally impactful despite going largely unnoticed.
The daily routine of manually installing application updates will become a thing of the past, while discovering new software will get easier, thanks to the enhanced capabilities of Apple's App Store in iOS 7.
Siri, Apple's voice-driven personal assistant, will become even more helpful with iOS 7 by granting users the ability to control settings such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and even screen brightness.
One of the biggest application overhauls in iOS 7 is the Photos app, which has been redesigned to automate picture organization and take full advantage of Retina displays.
Apple's long-awaited "iRadio" is now an official service under the name iTunes Radio, available to test by developers who have access to the iOS 7 beta.
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Mikey Campbell
Neil Hughes
Daniel Eran Dilger
