New iPhone operating system arriving today

Mobile • New iOS 7 is biggest upgrade since the iPhone was introduced in 2007.

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

For the first time since the first iPhone debuted in 2007, the software that powers the popular smartphone is getting a major overhaul beginning today.

The next version of the iPhone and iPad's operating system, called iOS 7, is being released this morning by Apple and has big revisions to the look and feel of the phone's operating system. The software, which is free for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users, is expected to be released at 11 a.m. MDT.

The new operating system has made significant changes to the interface, including newly designed icons and a parallax view of the homescreen that gives a pseudo-3D look when you move the device.

It also has a new area called Control Center that puts all of the device's settings such as brighness level and the WiFi switch all in one menu that can be accessed by swiping up from the bottom. The mobile browser, Safari, also has had a facelift, and the voice assistant known as Siri has been given new features including a male voice.

One of the biggest new additions to iOS 7 is iTunes Radio, a new streaming music service similar to Pandora in which songs can be streamed to the user through the device for free or through a music subscription.

The operating system is being released two days in advance of the debut of the new iPhone 5S, the latest version of the device which now includes a fingerprint sensor, better camera and comes in a gold finish.

vince@sltrib.com

Twitter: @ohmytech