At the WWDC, Apple showed off its latest operating system: the iOS7. The new iOS is currently in Beta mode for developers, and the full version is due for release this fall. Loyal Apple fans wait with bated breath as the iOS7 is touted as the largest design change Apple has brought about since the launch of iOS. It is perhaps an answer to all those who were accusing the iOS of being too dull.

Apple revealed the new operating system at WWDC very innovatively, where the exposure and expectations would couple with maximum coverage. But how will the iOS 7 actually impact iPhone app development? Different developers have different views on the issue. Some feel that “this is the end for Apple” while others are very excited for it. Let us take a quick look at the impact iOS7 will have on the developer community.

Imitating Existing Apps

Some developers accuse Apple of stealing ideas from existing iPhone apps to integrate into the core iOS API.

Image Credit : contus.com

Apple has introduced many new features into their new OS which imitate the functionalities provided by some existing apps. This has raised concerns about the future of such apps and their parent app development companies.

One such app is Photowerks which sorts out photos based on their given times and locations. This feature is now integrated in the Photo app itself. There are many such apps which would now be rendered useless after iOS integrating those features right into the core framework.

Increasing Costs and Work-Time

As said before, iOS7 brings the largest design changes in the history of iOS. Developers feel that it would now become increasingly difficult to support apps across multiple versions of iOS. They would have to completely redesign their apps if they want them to be supported on the latest iOS.

“It would be difficult to support an application that was supposed to work on both iOS 6 and iOS 7. The significant change in the design and new paradigms of interaction will force developers to rethink the existing versions of applications”, feels Andrey Gluschenko, Senior Software Developer at DataArt.

This means that iPhone app developers would now have to bear increased costs and development time to support applications across versions. Developers might also have to drop some future plans to devote more time to re-design their apps for iOS7.

Difficulties for Cross-Platform Developers

The iOS7 brings new problems for developers who develop apps for multiple platforms. It would now become difficult for them to maintain uniformity in their apps on different platforms. As noted earlier, maintaining uniformity across different versions of iOS itself is going to be a difficult exercise; one can thus easily imagine the degree of complexity involved in cross-platform app designing. iOS developers who are not accustomed to fragmentation issues are bound to experience them for the first time.

An Innovative Future

Despite the reservations expressed by some developers, the iOS7 presents bright prospects for the iPhone application development community. Apple has included significant number of new API’s in iOS7 for the developers to brainstorm on new ideas to implement the new functions.

Some of the new API’s include text to speech, motion impact, background downloads, free in-app purchases, blinking and smiling detecting features in photos, and much more. These new features in the iOS7 are completely new to the iOS developer fraternity and provide them with chances to innovate.

Though adapting to the environment of iOS7 might prove to be a difficult exercise for the developers initially, it would definitely open up new doors of creativity. The ultimate benefit of this change to iPhone app development would obviously go to the users who will get to experience better apps and features. New features like background downloads, 3D maps, motion effects and blink and smile detection would give the opportunity to the developers to present better apps to the users.

With the public launch of iOS7 just round the corner (on September 10th), developers are bracing themselves for the new environment. Businesses will be willing to invest the resources required to keep up with the new iOS as it definitely promises greater returns.

 Author Bio: This useful content is contributed by Sienna Amelia, directed at technology people. As an iPhone apps developer and a web traveler, she has been involved in researching all about iPhone app development company market shares rise and fall all around the world. She can always share mobile technology-related subjects to make readers learn and share knowledge.

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