iOS (Apple)

iOS
IOS 4.0.2 on the iPhone 4.PNG
iOS 4.0.2 on the iPhone 4
Company / developer Apple Inc.
Programmed in C, C++, Objective-C
OS family Mac OS X/Unix-like
Working state Current
Initial release June 29, 2007
Available language(s) Multilingual
Supported platforms ARM (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad)
Kernel type Hybrid (Darwin)
Default user interface Cocoa Touch (Multi-touch, GUI)
License Proprietary EULA except for open source components
Official website iPhone Developer Program

iOS is Apple's mobile operating system. Developed originally for the iPhone, it has since been shipped on the iPod Touch and iPad as well. Apple does not permit the OS to run on third-party hardware. As of September 1, 2010 (2010 -09-01), Apple's App Store contains more than 250,000 iOS applications[1], which have collectively been downloaded more than 6.5 billion times, as per a keynote on September 1, 2010.

The user interface of iOS is based on the concept of direct manipulation, using multi-touch gestures. Interface control elements consist of sliders, switches, and buttons. The response to user input is immediate and provides a fluid interface. Interaction with the OS includes gestures such as swiping, tapping, pinching, and reverse pinching. Internal accelerometers are used by some applications to respond to shaking the device (one common result is the undo command) or rotating it in three dimensions (one common result is switching from portrait to landscape mode).

iOS is derived from Mac OS X, with which it shares the Darwin foundation, and is therefore a Unix-like operating system by nature.

In iOS, there are four abstraction layers: the Core OS layer, the Core Services layer, the Media layer, and the Cocoa Touch layer. The operating system uses roughly 500 megabytes of the device's storage, varying for each model.[2]

Contents

History

The operating system was unveiled with the iPhone at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 9, 2007, and released in June of that year.[3] At first, Apple marketing literature did not specify its name, stating simply that the "iPhone uses OS X".[4]

Initially, third-party applications were not supported. Steve Jobs argued that developers could build web applications that "would behave like native apps on the iPhone".[5][6] On October 17, 2007, Apple announced that a native SDK was under development and that they planned to put it "in developers' hands in February".[7] On March 6, 2008, Apple released the first beta, along with a new name for the operating system: iPhone OS.

Brisk sales of Apple mobile devices kindled interest in the SDK. The previous September, Apple had released the iPod Touch, which had most of the non-phone capabilities of the iPhone. Apple also sold more than one million iPhones during the 2007 holiday season.[8] On January 27, 2010, Apple announced the iPad, featuring a larger screen than the iPhone and iPod Touch, and designed for web browsing, media consumption, and reading iBooks.[9]

Version 4, announced in April 2010, introduced multitasking, threaded email, and several business-oriented features.[10] At the WWDC 2010 keynote on June 7, 2010, Apple announced that iPhone OS had been renamed iOS.[11] Apple licenses the trademark for "iOS" from Cisco Systems (which owns IOS), the same company with which Apple had earlier settled a dispute over the "iPhone" trademark.[12]

iOS 4 was released on June 21, 2010, three days before the iPhone 4,[13] in an effort to reduce the strain on Apple's servers. iOS 4 is the first version of the OS to be a free upgrade on the iPod touch; Apple had charged $9.99 for earlier upgrades. Apple previously announced that iPad users with 3.x software would receive a free upgrade to the next major (4.x) release.[14]

iOS 4.0.1 includes a fix to the reception signal strength indicator. It was released on July 15, 2010, the day before Apple hosted a press conference to discuss its response to the widely publicized iPhone antenna issues. Apple also released iOS 3.2.1 for the iPad which tweaks the tablet's WiFi connectivity, video playback, and copy-and-paste for PDF attachments, among other updates.

iOS 4.0.2 for iPhone and iPod touch and iOS 3.2.2 for the iPad were released on August 11, 2010, to fix a pair of security vulnerabilities.[15]

Features

Home screen

The home screen (rendered by "SpringBoard") with application icons, and a dock at the bottom of the screen where users can pin their most frequently used apps, is presented whenever the device is turned on or the home button pressed. The screen has a status bar across the top to display data, such as time, battery level, and signal strength. The rest of the screen is devoted to the current application. Double pressing the home button activates the application switcher. A scrollable dock-like interface appears from the bottom, moving the contents of the screen up. Choosing an icon switches to an application. To the far left are icons which function as music controls, and a rotation lock. Holding the icons makes them wiggle (similarly to the homescreen) and allows the user to quit the applications.

Included applications

The iPhone home screen contains these default "apps":

Primary
Name Usage Version Included
Phone Telephone, FaceTime video calling 1.0+ (FaceTime video calling 4.0+)
Mail E-mail client 1.0+
Safari Web browser 1.0+
iPod Portable media player 1.0+
Secondary
Name Usage Version Included
Messages Text messaging, MMS 1.0+ (MMS 3.0+)
Calendar Calendar 1.0+
Photos Photo viewer 1.0+ (Video viewer 2.0+)
Camera Camera, Camcorder 1.0+ (Video recording and auto-focus 3.0+, HD video 4.0+)
YouTube YouTube video streamer 1.0+
Stocks Yahoo! Finance 1.0+
Maps Google Maps 1.0+ (Assisted GPS 2.0+, Compass 3.0+ (iPhone 3GS onwards))
Weather Yahoo! Weather 1.0+
Voice Memos Voice recorder 3.0+
Notes A simple note-taking program 1.0+
Clock World clock, stopwatch, alarm clock and timer 1.0+
Calculator Calculator (includes scientific version) 1.0+ (Scientific calculator 2.0+)
Settings Settings 1.0+
iTunes To access the iTunes Music Store and iTunes Podcast Directory 1.1+
App Store To buy iOS apps 2.0+
Compass Compass 3.0+ (iPhone 3GS onwards)
Contacts Address/phone book 1.0+ (Separate application for iPhone 2.0 onwards)
Nike + iPod Records the distance and pace of a walk or run; can connect to Nike + iPod sensor 2.2.1+(iPod Touch, 2nd generation onwards), 3.0+(iPhone 3GS onwards)
Game Center Allows user to play multiplayer games with their friends. 4.1+ (iPod Touch, 2nd generation onwards, iPhone 3GS onwards)

All of the utilities, such as voice memos, clock, and calculator are in one folder called "Utilities" in 4.0.[16][17] Many of the included applications are designed to share data (e.g., a phone number can be selected from an email and saved as a contact or dialed for a phone call).

The iPod Touch retains the same applications that are present by default on the iPhone, with the exception of the Phone, Messages, Compass and Camera apps. The "iPod" App present on the iPhone is split into two apps on the iPod Touch: Music, and Videos. The bottom row of applications is also used to delineate the iPod Touch's main purposes: Music, Videos, Safari, and App Store (Dock Layout was changed in 3.1 Update). For the 4th Generation iPod touch, it includes FaceTime and Camera, and the dock layout had changed to Music, Mail, Safari, Video.

The iPad comes with the same applications as the iPod Touch excluding Stocks, Weather, Clock, Calculator, and the Nike + iPod app. Separate music and video apps are provided, as on the iPod Touch, although (as on the iPhone) the music app is named "iPod". Most of the default applications are completely rewritten to take advantage of the iPad's larger display. The default dock layout includes Safari, Mail, Photos and iPod.

Multitasking

Before iOS 4, multitasking was limited to a selection of the applications Apple included on the devices.[18] Apple worried that running multiple third-party applications simultaneously would drain batteries too quickly. Starting with iOS 4, on 3rd-generation and newer iOS devices, multitasking is supported through seven background APIs:[19]

  1. Background audio
  2. Voice over IP
  3. Background location
  4. Push notifications
  5. Local notifications
  6. Task finishing
  7. Fast app switching

Game Center

Game Center
Developer Apple
Type Online service
Launch date September 8, 2010
Platform iOS
Website Preview site

Game Center is an online multiplayer "social gaming network"[20] released on September 8 by Apple.[21] It allows users to "invite friends to play a game, start a multiplayer game through matchmaking, track their achievements, and compare their high scores on a leader board."[20]

Game Center was announced during an iOS 4 preview event hosted by Apple on April 8, 2010. A preview was released to registered Apple developers in August.[22] It was released on September 8 2010 with iOS 4.1 on iPhone 4, iPhone 3G,S and iPod touch 2nd generation through 4th generation, and will be included with iOS 4.2 on the iPad.[23] There will be no support for iPhone 3G.[24]

Unsupported technologies

iOS does not support Adobe Flash or Java.[25] Websites that use these technologies cannot be viewed in full using iOS devices. In an open letter explaining why iOS does not support Flash, Steve Jobs called the Adobe product insecure, buggy, battery-intensive, and incompatible with a touch interface.[26]

iOS 4's web browser does support a number of HTML5 technologies which Apple recommends as alternatives for typical uses of Flash, including native HTML5 video (with limited codec support), and the canvas element for drawing 2D graphics.

Development

Mac OS X applications cannot be copied to and run on an iOS device. The applications must be written and compiled specifically for iOS and the ARM architecture. The Safari web browser supports web applications as with other web browsers. Authorized third-party native applications are available for devices running iOS 2.0 and later through Apple's App Store.

SDK

iPhone SDK included in Xcode 3.1 final.

On October 17, 2007, in an open letter posted to Apple's "Hot News" weblog, Steve Jobs announced that a software development kit (SDK) would be made available to third-party developers in February 2008.[27] The SDK was released on March 6, 2008, and allows developers to make applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch, as well as test them in an "iPhone simulator". However, loading an application onto the devices is only possible after paying an iPhone Developer Program fee. Since the release of Xcode 3.1, Xcode is the development environment for the iPhone SDK. iPhone applications, like iOS and Mac OS X, are written in Objective-C.[28]

Developers are able to set any price above a set minimum for their applications to be distributed through the App Store, of which they will receive a 70% share. Alternately, they may opt to release the application for free and need not pay any costs to release or distribute the application except for the membership fee.[29]

Some have criticized the mandatory Developer Agreement's refund policy, which says that if someone purchases an app from the App Store, 30% of the price goes to Apple, and 70% to the developer. If a refund is granted to the customer (at Apple's discretion), the 30% is returned to the customer from Apple, and 70% from the developer; however, Apple can then take another 30% of the cost from the developer to make up for Apple's loss.[30]

Jailbreaking

iOS has been subject to a variety of different hacks centered on adding functionality not supported by Apple. Before the 2008 debut of the App Store, the primary reason for jailbreaking was to install third-party native applications.[31] Apple said it would not design software updates specifically to break these native apps (other than applications that perform SIM unlocking).[32]

Since the arrival of the App Store and third-party applications, the focus of the jailbreaking community has shifted.[33] A major focus of jailbreaking is allowing theming, using emulators and community-made tweaks like multitasking and editing the Springboard. Multitasking is only supported on 3rd-generation and newer iOS devices, and applications are not allowed to modify the look of the OS.

Some jailbreakers also attempt to illegally share paid App Store applications. This focus has caused some strife within the jailbreaking community, as it was not the original focus of jailbreaking and is illegal.[34]

Digital rights management

The closed and proprietary nature of iOS has garnered criticism, particularly by digital rights advocates such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, computer engineer and activist Brewster Kahle, Internet-law specialist Jonathan Zittrain, and the Free Software Foundation who protested the iPad's introductory event and have targeted the iPad with their "Defective by Design" campaign.[35][36][37][38] Competitor Microsoft, via a PR spokesman, has also criticized Apple's control over its platform.[39]

At issue are restrictions imposed by the design of iOS, namely DRM intended to lock purchased media to Apple's platform, the development model (requiring a yearly subscription to distribute apps developed for the iOS), the centralized approval process for apps, as well as Apple's general control and lockdown of the platform itself. Particularly at issue is the ability for Apple (or any other authority that can persuade Apple) to remotely disable or delete apps at will.

Some in the tech community have expressed concern that the locked-down iOS represents a growing trend in computing, particularly Apple's shift away from machines that hobbyists can "tinker with" and note the potential for such restrictions to stifle software innovation.[40]

However, there are some outside of Apple who have voiced support for the iOS closed model. Facebook developer Joe Hewitt, who had previously protested against Apple's control over its hardware as a "horrible precedent", has subsequently argued the locked apps in the iPad are akin to web applications and provide added security.[41]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Apple Introduces New iPod touch". Apple Press Release. 2010-09-01. http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/09/01ipodtouch.html. Retrieved 2010-09-04. 
  2. ↑ Haslam, Karen (January 12, 2007). "Macworld Expo: Optimised OS X sits on 'versatile' flash". Macworld. http://www.macworld.co.uk/ipod-itunes/news/index.cfm?newsid=16927. Retrieved 2007-10-15. 
  3. ↑ Honan, Matthew (2007-01-09). "Apple unveils iPhone". Macworld. http://www.macworld.com/article/54769/2007/01/iphone.html. Retrieved 2010-01-16. 
  4. ↑ "Apple - iPhone - Features - OS X". Archived from the original on 2008-01-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20080111051348/http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/index.html#macosx. Retrieved 2010-06-15. 
  5. ↑ Gonsalves, Antone (2007-10-11). "Apple Launches iPhone Web Apps Directory". InformationWeek. http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/mac/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202401732. Retrieved 2010-02-16. 
  6. ↑ Ziegler, Chris (2007-06-11). "Apple announces third-party software details for iPhone". Engadget. http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/11/apple-announces-third-party-software-details-for-iphone/. Retrieved 2010-06-09. 
  7. ↑ Nik Fletcher (2007-10-17). "Apple: "we plan to have an iPhone SDK in developers' hands in February"". TUAW. http://www.tuaw.com/2007/10/17/apple-we-plan-to-have-an-iphone-sdk-in-developers-hands-in-fe/. Retrieved 2010-06-08. 
  8. ↑ "Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results". Apple Inc.. 2007-10-22. http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/10/22results.html. Retrieved 2010-06-09. 
  9. ↑ "Apple Launches iPhone Web Apps Directory". Apple. 2010-01-27. http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/01/27ipad.html. Retrieved 2010-05-08. 
  10. ↑ "Get a sneak peak into the future of iOS.". Apple. 2010-04-08. Archived from the original on 2010-04-08. http://www.webcitation.org/5oqYO6thc. 
  11. ↑ Nilay Patel (2010-06-07). "iPhone OS 4 renamed iOS 4, launching June 21 with 1500 new features". http://engadget.com/2010/06/07/iphone-os-4-renamed-ios-gets-1500-new-features/. Retrieved 2010-06-09. 
  12. ↑ "Cisco and Apple Agreement on IOS Trademark". "Cisco Blog". http://blogs.cisco.com/news/comments/cisco_and_apple_agreement_on_ios_trademark/. Retrieved 2010-06-07. 
  13. ↑ "Steve Jobs live from WWDC 2010". 2010-06-07. http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/07/steve-jobs-live-from-wwdc-2010/. Retrieved 2010-06-09. 
  14. ↑ "iPad licensing agreement specifies paid annual OS updates". 2010-03-29. http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/03/29/ipad_licensing_agreement_specifies_paid_annual_os_updates.html. Retrieved 2010-07-02. 
  15. ↑ Moren, Dan (August 11, 2010). "Apple patches security hole in pair of iOS updates". Macworld. http://www.macworld.com/article/153325/2010/08/ios_updates.html. Retrieved August 11, 2010. 
  16. ↑ "iPhone Applications". Apple Inc.. 2008-07-10. http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306003. Retrieved 2008-07-11. 
  17. ↑ "iOS 3.1 Software Update". Apple Inc.. http://www.apple.com/iphone/softwareupdate/. 
  18. ↑ "iOS 4 walkthrough". 2010-06-14. http://www.tipb.com/2010/06/14/ios-4-walkthrough/. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
  19. ↑ "Apple announces multitasking for iPhone OS 4 (iPhone 3GS/iPod touch G3 only)". 2010-04-08. http://www.tipb.com/2010/04/08/apple-announces-multitasking-iphone-40/. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "What's New in iOS 4". Apple. http://developer.apple.com/technologies/iphone/whats-new.html#gamecenter. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
  21. ↑ "Apple's Game Center debuts next week - Game Hunters: In search of video games and interactive awesomeness - USATODAY.com". Content.usatoday.com. 2010-01-09. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2010/09/apples-game-center-debuts-next-week/1. Retrieved 2010-09-01. 
  22. ↑ "What's New in iOS 4". Apple. http://developer.apple.com/technologies/iphone/whats-new.html#gamecenter. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
  23. ↑ Holt, Chris. "iOS 4.1's GameCenter to Hit iPhone Next Week - PCWorld Business Center". Pcworld.com. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/204659/ios_41s_gamecenter_to_hit_iphone_next_week.html. Retrieved 2010-09-01. 
  24. ↑
  25. ↑ Pogue, David (13 January 2007). "Ultimate iPhone FAQs List, Part 2". Pogue's Posts. The New York Times. http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/01/13/ultimate-iphone-faqs-list-part-2/. Retrieved 22 June 2010. 
  26. ↑ Jobs, Steve (April 2010). "Thoughts on Flash". Apple. http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/. Retrieved 22 June 2010. 
  27. ↑ Jobs, Steve (2007-10-17). "Third Party Applications on the iPhone". Apple Inc.. http://developer.apple.com/iphone/devcenter/third_party_apps.php. 
  28. ↑ "Did Apple Make A Mistake Choosing Objective-C For iPhone SDK? at Simon’s Blog". Psynixis.com. http://www.psynixis.com/blog/2008/04/25/did-apple-make-a-mistake-choosing-objective-c-for-iphone-sdk/. Retrieved 2010-05-09. 
  29. ↑ "Introducing the iPhone Developer Program". Apple Inc.. http://developer.apple.com/iphone/program/details.html. 
  30. ↑ "iPhone developers could be bankrupted". 2009-03-25. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/25/apples-iphone-app-refund-policies-could-bankrupt-developers/. 
  31. ↑ Healey, Jon (2007-08-06). "Hacking the iPhone". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oew-healey6aug06,0,3456267.story. Retrieved 2007-08-06. 
  32. ↑ "Apple's Joswiak: We Don't Hate iPhone Coders". 2007-09-11. http://www.gearlog.com/2007/09/apples_joswiak_we_dont_hate_ip.php. Retrieved 2010-06-09. 
  33. ↑ Baig, Edward C. (2007-06-26). "Apple's iPhone isn't perfect, but it's worthy of the hype". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2007-06-26-iphone-review_N.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-28. 
  34. ↑ "iPhone App Piracy is Out of Control". 2010-01-14. http://www.tipb.com/2010/01/14/iphone-app-piracy-running-wild/. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
  35. ↑ "iPad DRM endangers our rights". http://www.defectivebydesign.org/ipad. 
  36. ↑ Nate Anderson (2010-01-27). "Protestors: iPad is nothing more than a golden calf of DRM". http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/01/protestors-ipad-is-nothing-more-than-a-golden-calf-of-drm.ars. Retrieved 2010-06-09. 
  37. ↑ "Mobile Devices and the Next Computing Revolution". 2010-02-03. http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-02-03/mobile-devices-and-next-computing-revolution-0. Retrieved 2010-06-09. 
  38. ↑ Bobbie Johnson (2010-02-01). "Apple iPad will choke innovation, say open internet advocates". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/feb/01/apple-ipad-choke-innovation. Retrieved 2010-02-07. 
  39. ↑ "Microsoft PR spokesman condemns iPad for being "locked down"". http://technologizer.com/2010/01/28/microsoft-ipads-closed-platfor-is-humorous/. 
  40. ↑ "Apple's Trend Away From Tinkering". Slashdot. 2010-01-31. http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/01/31/1657233/Apples-Trend-Away-From-Tinkering. Retrieved 2010-06-09. 
  41. ↑ Leander Kahney (2010-01-30). "Pundits On The iPad’s Closed System: It’s Doom For PCs, No It’s Great". http://www.cultofmac.com/pundits-on-the-ipads-closed-system-its-doom-for-pcs-no-its-great/28440. Retrieved 2010-06-09. 

Further reading

External links

iPhone
Generations
Original · 3G · 3GS · 4
Software
Cocoa Touch · Core Animation · FaceTime · iOS (version history) · iTunes · SDK · VoiceOver · WebKit
Apps
iBooks · iMovie · iPod · Mail · Maps · Safari (version history) · Spotlight · SpringBoard · YouTube
Services
App Store · Game Center · iAd · iBookstore · iTunes Store · MobileMe · Push Notifications
Accessories
Bumper · Dock Connector · Earbuds
See also: 300-page bill · FairPlay · History · iFund · Jailbreaking · Recycling
iPod
Models
Classic (Photo · iPod+HP) · Mini · Shuffle · Nano · Touch
Accessories
Earbuds · iPod Hi-Fi · iTrip · Nike+iPod
Software
Comparison of iPod managers · iOS (Store) · iPod game · iTunes (Store, version history)
Other
Advertising · Click wheel · Dock Connector
Italics indicate discontinued products. See also: iOS-based products.
Operating systems by Apple Inc.
Current: iOS · Mac OS X · Mac OS X Server · Darwin
Historic: A/ROSE · A/UX · Apple DOS · Copland · GS/OS · Lisa OS · Mac OS · MkLinux · Newton OS · ProDOS · Rhapsody · SOS · Taligent
Mobile operating systems
Linux-based
Access Linux · Android · DSLinux · Familiar · iPodLinux · LiMo · MeeGo (Moblin · Maemo · Qt Extended) · Mobilinux · Openmoko Linux · OPhone · SHR · Qt Extended Improved · Ubuntu Mobile · webOS
Other
bada · BlackBerry OS · BlackBerry Tablet OS · GEOS · iOS · Nintendo DSi OS · Nokia OS (S30 · S40) · Palm OS · PSP OS · Symbian platform (Symbian OS · MOAP(S) · UIQ · S60 · S80 · S90) · SavaJe · Windows Mobile · Windows Phone 7
Related platforms
BREW · Java ME (FX Mobile)
See also: List of digital distribution platforms for mobile devices, Mobile development