Dirty Secrets Apple Doesn’t Want You To Know

#16 The Nature of the Beast

You don’t become the most powerful electronics company in the world without doing some dirty work. You can’t have $150 billion in cash without cutting some corners. It’s hard to keep your prices reasonable without exploiting people.

I present: Apple Inc.

#15 They Exploit Cheap Labor in China

For optimal profit margin Apple must produce the iPhones for cheap. Since Apple only uses top quality electronic parts, the difference is made up in cheap labor. The NYT reports that workers at Foxconn, the former manufacturer of the iPhone, make $22 for a twelve hour shift, and are often forced to work even longer hours. There were so many suicides in the on-site dorms where the workers live that Foxconn had to install nets on the sides of the buildings.

#14 They Recently Shifted Production Away from Foxconn….to an Even Worse Company

Foxconn got bad press for exploiting workers so they had to increase worker salary, which means they had to charge Apple more, which means Apple took its business elsewhere. Enter Pegatron. Apple’s new Chinese partner, since taking on Apple’s business, has a .8% profit margin and is facing worker’s rights violations.

#13 They Pollute Horrendously

In 2011 Apple was responsible for putting 23.1 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. And while Apple says they’re working diligently to decrease their carbon footprint, their emissions rose 34% in 2012.

#12 They Try to Manipulate You

Remember insecure teens: Hip sweater-wearing Justin Long is a Mac, and fat balding businessman is a PC. We’re already judged on our clothes, body, car, house, and school and, thanks to Apple, now we’re judged on which word processor we use and the color of our headphones.

#11 They Screw Over Wireless Carriers, Who Then Screw You Over

Wireless carriers know they can either offer their customers the iPhone, or see them leave for a company that does. Apple knows this too, so they force the carriers to sell the iPhone for $200 after selling it to them for $580 (a $380 loss). The providers’ are forced to make up the difference by raising rates on your text, calling and data. Verizon recently eliminated unlimited data and charges heavily for overages, and AT&T increased data prices by $5 per month.

#10 They Haven’t Really Innovated in Years

In 2007 Apple released the revolutionary iPhone. It’s been six years and it’s the same except thinner, faster, and with a better camera. Oh the iPad? It’s not new. The iPad was what an engineer originally brought to Steve Jobs, who told him to make it smaller and give it phone capabilities.

#9 They Use Conflict Minerals in Their Products

The iPhone and other Apple products have the conflict mineral Coltan in them. Coltan is heat resistant, and ideal for transmitting electric charges. This mineral is rare, expensive (a mine can be worth hundreds of millions of US dollars), and prevalent in war torn Congo. Since 1998, 5-7 million people have died in an ongoing civil war being fought, largely, over control of the mines. The mineral can be found in most electronics company’s products, but Apple is the world’s biggest and should start the trend of boycotting conflict minerals.

#8 They Let the Government Spy on You

A document leaked to The Guardian details an NSA program called Prism that legally peeps in on your calls, texts, web habits, and location. Obviously the wireless providers are the main culprits, but given the billions of dollars in business Apple does with companies like Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon, the chances of Apple being in the loop are nearly 100%.

#7 They Helped Kill the Record Industry

Since iTunes opened, record sales have dropped by 50% across the board. Borders and Tower Records have closed, as have countless thousands of independent record stores. This has forced artists into selling their albums on iTunes, where Apple takes 30% and the record company 60%, leaving the creator of the content with around 10% of its sales.

#6 They Don’t Let You Turn off Your Phone

Even when an iPhone is “dead” it’s still traceable, which is why Find My iPhone works no matter what. Also, even when not on data or Wifi, satellites can pinpoint your iPhone's location. On top of that, the new M7 chip makes tracking your exact movements and speed possible. But you can always just take out the battery. Oh that’s right, no you can’t.

#5 They Only Just Started Giving to Charity

As soon as Steve Jobs returned to Apple he discontinued their charity program, saying it’d be started up again when they were more profitable. Well, it wasn’t until Tim Cook’s reign as CEO of the biggest company in the world, that Apple donated $100 million dollars. While generous, it hardly makes up for the decade of giving nothing, and still is 1/15th of what Berkshire Hathway donated in the same year.

#4 They Patent Every Possible Thing, Stifling Innovation

Apple recently sued Samsung for a half-billion dollars claiming Samsung copied the iPhone’s front face appearance, rectangular shape, and icon grid. The worst part is: they won. Competition is great for the consumer as it drives down prices and spurs innovation, but difficult when Apple claims ownership over the rectangle.

#3 They Don’t Pay Much in Taxes

Apple keeps most of its money in an Irish subsidiary company created to avoid the US government’s taxes. Apple is only taxed by the US on domestic and South American sales, although their CEO Tim Cook told congress there are ways of avoiding even that, which Apple isn’t utilizing out of patriotic duty. Thanks Tim!

#2 They Don't Play Well With Others

Apple did away with the pre-installed YouTube app, started their own maps to combat Google’s, and demanded Amazon pay a percentage of all sales through its app. The only one they hurt was you. Apple Maps is a disaster, you now have to go onto Amazon’s website to buy stuff, and download the Google Maps and YouTube apps separate (they’re among the most successful apps, anyways).

#1 They Rip You Off on Accessories

There isn’t information on the markup Apple applies to their $40-$50 cases, but similar ones can be found on eBay for $5-$10. They pedaled different speakers, alarm clocks, cords ect., then changed the plug shape and now charge $29 for a converter so you can keep using the products you bought.

Most Insane Pet Gifts EVER!

#10 This $4.2 Million Dog Tiara

For $600 you can provide food and shelter a suffering child in drought-stricken Ethiopia for one year through Global Giving. With $4.2 million dollars, you could provide food and shelter to 7,000 Ethiopian children; or you could buy this tiara. For your dog.

#9 This Maltese Named 'Trouble' Has $12 Million

According to the Washington University School of Law, 12-27% of pet owners leave provisions for their furry companions in their will. This lovable pooch named Trouble belonged to hotel heiress Leona Helmsley. When she died, she left the majority of her money, $12 million in cash, to Trouble, while disinheriting two of her grandchildren. This includes a $100,000 a year security budget.

#8 This $31k Hello Kitty Pet House

This luxury bed for cats or small dogs is adorned with 75,000 crystal beads. It features the face of Sanrio's Hello Kitty and it retails for $31,660. What are the odds that your cat won't pee all over this thing?

#7 This $6,500 Aquarium

Want a luxury gift for your pet fish? Well this aquarium can be bought on a site appropriately named Opulent Items, and it comes with a cherry wood stand. Who says dogs are the only ones that can be spoiled?

#6 Oprah's Dogs are Worth $40 Million Each

Retired talk show host and book club billionaire Oprah Winfrey has made provisions in her will to leave $80 million to her beloved springer spaniels. This is only a chunk of her reported $2.5 billion in wealth, but it's still more money than 99.9% of human beings will ever see.

#5 This $4.5k Dog House

This high-end dog house is a replica of a luxury home in the Cape Cod style. With real roof tiles, an 8x10 floor plan (The floor is your choice of cedar, cherry, or oak) and a Dutch door, this dog house is on sale at Hayneedle for only $4,508 (Victorian model also available).

#4 This $3,000 Dog Perfume

A luxury dog beauty line called 'Les Poochs' sells this perfume exclusively for dogs; it's made out of the petals of the rare Osmanthus flower, which can be collected only once every two years. For just $3,000 you can buy 4 ounces of this distinctive pooch perfume.

#3 This $3.2 Million Dog Collar

This diamond dog collar is called 'Amour Amour' and features 1,600 hand-set 7-carat diamonds on a crocodile leather collar. Oh, and you can choose whether you want white gold or platinum, depending on which matches your pooches eyes.

#2 This $3,350 Horse Blanket

Paris fashion brand Hermès sells this horse blanket for the modest fee of $3,350. If you really feel the need to pamper your pet horse and make sure she is wearing the latest designer brands, this pet gift is for you. In case you're wondering about the special features of this blanket: It has a few 'H's sewn into it. That's it.

#1 This Chihuahua Inherited $3 Million

Gail Posner, daughter of wealthy executive Victor Posner, left a significant chunk of her money to her beloved chihuahuas: Conchita, Lucia, and April Marie. In addition to the $3 million cash she left them several diamond accessories and a trust that assures they will live out their lives with a caretaker in an $8 million mansion.

23 key moments from Twitter history

Sure, the vast majority of tweets haven't made history. But there have been no shortage of big moments for Twitter since its debut more than seven years ago. That's part of the reason Twitter has become a digital watercooler of sorts for global conversations around live TV events such as elections, the Oscars or the Super Bowl.

With news that Twitter has filed to become a publicly traded company, we took a look back at some of the key moments from its brief history. From celebrity-driven milestones to political downfalls to tweets from space, they've been as diverse as the more than 200 million people who now use the site.

May we present seven years of famous, and infamous, tweets and Twitterers:

March 2006 -- The first-ever tweet was posted by co-founder Jack Dorsey as part of an internal messaging system for Odeo, the podcasting company where Dorsey, Biz Stone and Evan Williams worked at the time. It said simply, "just setting up my twttr."

July 2006 -- The full version of Twitter was introduced publicly on July 15, although Twitter didn't spin off into its own company until the next year.

March 2007 -- Although not yet mainstream, Twitter exploded in popularity among early adopters at the South By Southwest Interactive festival in Austin, Texas. In a clever move, the company placed large screens in conference hallways that displayed live tweets about SXSW events. Buzz quickly grew, and by the end of the week, daily Twitter usage had tripled.

April 2008 -- In an early example of the power of Twitter, an American graduate student used the service to alert his friends that he had been arrested at an anti-government protest in Mahalla, Egypt. After mounting pressure, authorities released him from jail the next day.

January 2009 -- A US Airways plane with 155 people on board made a miraculous emergency landing on the Hudson River after striking a bird during takeoff. An eyewitness tweeted out a widely shared photo of passengers waiting on the plane's wing to be rescued, cementing Twitter's status as a real-time, news-gathering tool.

April 2009 -- Actor Ashton Kutcher narrowly outpaces CNN to become the first Twitter user with 1 million followers.

June 2009 -- After a disputed election in Iran, thousands of people took to the streets of Tehran in protest. The Iranian government cracked down on media reports about the protests, sodemonstrators took to Twitter to get the word out, inspiring the phrase, "Twitter Revolution."

August 2009 -- Justin Halpern was amused by his father's blunt wisecracks so he created a Twitter account called "Sh*t My Dad Says." Within months he had millions of followers and a book deal, which led to a short-lived CBS sitcom, "$#*! My Dad Says," starring William Shatner.

January 2010 -- Astronaut Timothy Creamer sent the first live tweet from space under his account, Astro_TJ. It said: "Hello Twitterverse! We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station — the 1st live tweet from Space! :) More soon, send your ?s."

April 2010 -- The Library of Congress announces plans to archive every public tweet on Twitter.

January 2011 -- Twitter and Facebook play a key role in "Arab Spring" uprisings as people in Tunisa, Egypt, Syria, Libya and other countries used the social networks to message each other and organize protests.

March 2011 -- Within minutes of news reports about an Egyptian cobra escaping from its enclosure at the Bronx Zoo, an anonymous jokester created a witty Twitter account that imagined the freed snake sightseeing its way around New York City. (Sample tweet: "Leaving Wall Street. These guys make my skin crawl.") The account quickly amassed more than 100,000 followers and heralded a new wave of parody Twitter feeds.

May 2011 -- Sohaib Athar, an IT consultant in Abbottabad, Pakistan, unwittingly live tweeted the U.S. Navy Seals' raid that killed Osama bin Laden after spotting helicopters hovering over his neighborhood. He later tweeted, "Uh oh, now I'm the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it."

June 2011 -- U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner resigned in disgrace after confessing to sending lewd photos of himself to women on Twitter. Weiner may never get the hang of this Twitter thing: His ill-fated New York mayoral bid was derailed this month by similar revelations.

June 2012 -- NASA landed a rover, Curiosity, safely on Mars and began exploring the Red Planet while beaming updates to Earthlings via a clever and educational Twitter account. Today it has 1.4 million followers.

November 2012 -- President Obama acknowledged his successful re-election with a tweeted image of him embracing his wife, Michelle, and the words "Four more years." With almost 800,000 retweets, it became the most-shared tweet ever.

November 2012 -- The Israel Defence Forces live-tweeted its rocket attacks against Hamas in Gaza, including a photo of a Hamas leader it claimed to have kllled. Some observers saw it as the first time a military conflict was chronicled in real time on social media.

December 2012 -- Pope Benedict XVI joined Twitter as @Pontifex, becoming the first pontiff to do so. His successor, Pope Francis, has continued the papal account, which now has almost 3 million followers for the English language account, and 3.7 for the Spanish Twitter handle, @Pontifex_es.

January 2013 -- Twitter users in Japan and Korea set a record by posting 33,388 tweets per second in their time zone as the New Year dawned on January 1.

January 2013 -- Justin Bieber dethroned fellow pop star Lady Gaga to become the most followed person on Twitter. The Biebs now has more than 44 million followers.

January 2013 -- Twitter launched Vine, an app that lets users shoot and share 6-second looping videos. It has since acquired more than 13 million followers, who fill their followers' feeds with delightfully strange video creations.

February 2013 -- The Super Bowl was already one of Twitter's annual high points, when would-be wits unleashed some of their best 140-character one-liners. But this year, when a racy Beyonce halftime show was followed by a 35-minute power outage, things went into overdrive. At the peak, there were more than 268,000 tweets per minute -- and more than 24 million for the entire game.

April 2013 -- Hackers from the Syrian Electronic Army took over the Associated Press Twitter account and posted "Breaking: Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured." It was one of the most high-profile Twitter hacks to date and had far-reaching ramifications. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted dramatically before rebounding when the hoax was exposed.

Best money-saving hotel tips

Which country has the highest-priced hotels?

The immediate answer is the Maldives, according to Hotels.com's recently released Hotel Price Index. But the real takeaway is that for the past few years hotel prices have been rising across the globe, no matter which country you choose to visit.

The average room rate rose by an average of 3% in 2012, according to Hotels.com.

Thankfully, there are plenty of savvy ways to save money on a hotel room today -- you just need to know the insider tricks. Many have to do with navigating the increasingly complex landscape of online booking. You'll find start-up websites such as Tingo, which offers automatic refunds when a room rate drops. DealAngel, meanwhile, will help you decide if that online find is really such a steal. And all the major booking sites are embracing "bundling" as a way to drop rates.

Bundling

Hotels drop prices to unprecedented lows when they can "hide" their room rates from the general public. One way they do it: bundling rooms with airfares through online travel agents such as Expedia,Orbitz, and Travelocity. In a recent test, we searched for round-trip tickets from New York City to Los Angeles with a seven-night hotel stay at the Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey. Bought separately, we'd have had to pay $2,367. Bundled on Travelocity, however, we'd pay $632 less -- a 20% savings.

Club floors

Don't be fooled: club-level rates at brands such as Sheraton, Ritz-Carlton, Fairmont, and Marriott may be higher, but they can offer real value. Here's what you get when you pay $100 to upgrade to a Gold-floor room at Boston's Fairmont Copley Plaza: Breakfast for two: $52; Evening appetizers: $20; Evening dessert: $20; In-person wake-up call with juice, coffee, or tea: $30; Large bottled water: $7; Soft drinks and snacks from the lounge: $10; Welcome drink: $10; Wi-Fi: $15. The total amounts to $164, meaning those who pay to upgrade save $64.

Travel + Leisure: World's best hotels 2013

Deals

DealAngel, our favorite new online hotel search tool, doesn't just aggregate bargains and sort them by price; it also compares the offered rate with the hotel's average, assessing just how good a deal you're getting. Bonus: the site's handy color-coded calendar helps you figure out the most affordable times to travel to your favorite destinations.

Loyalty partnerships

The divide between airline and hotel loyalty programs is shrinking. A new partnership between Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Delta Air Lines allows Starwood Preferred Guest platinum and gold members to earn Starpoints for every dollar they spend on Delta fares. Similarly, Delta Medallion members with silver or higher status will get SkyMiles for money spent on Starwood rooms. And status members of both programs get priority treatment.

Fairmont offers complimentary Wi-Fi in common areas and guest rooms if you join the (free) loyalty program.

Opting in

Loyalty pays -- especially when it costs nothing to join. Many brands offer perks and benefits to even the lowest tier of loyalty-club members. So next time you're at a hotel, sign up. What do you have to lose?

Phone calls

You no longer need to pay exorbitant in-room or cellular roaming fees to make international calls. Internet phone services such as Skype, Rebteland Line offer free calls within their networks, as well as greatly reduced rates to landlines (17 cents per minute on calls from France to the U.S., for example). All you need is a Wi-Fi or mobile hot spot and you're good to go.

Travel + Leisure: Best U.S. cities for affordable getaways

Refunds

The new website Tingo makes it extremely easy to get a partial refund if your hotel rate drops. Book a refundable room through the site, which monitors the price. If the rate goes down, Tingo will automatically refund the difference to your credit card shortly after your stay.

Social media

Three ways to use social media to get a better hotel stay.

1) Tweet the property before booking to see if any special deals are available. Hotels often broadcast deals on social media first. You can also do a keyword search (hotel name and "deal") on Twitter.

2) Introduce yourself to the hotel on Facebook and Twitter, and let the staff know how excited you are about your upcoming trip. You might be rewarded with a free upgrade.

3) "Like" hotel loyalty programs on sites such as Facebook and Pinterest to get updates on extra savings, such as the regular 24-hour Facebook flash sales for Hilton HHonors members.

Timing

If you're looking for savings, timing is everything. We asked Smith Travel Research for a month-by-month look at average room rates for destinations across the United States. New York City prices, for instance, drop in July and August, while Phoenix peaks at about $150 per night in October. On Oahu, hotel prices decline by about $20 per night between early January and early February.

Wi-Fi

At high-end hotels, free Wi-Fi remains frustratingly scarce. According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, 84% of luxury hotels charge for in-room Internet access, while just 8 percent of economy hotels do. Here, Travel + Leisure acknowledges the upscale hotel brands that provide the best Internet service.

First Place: Peninsula and Shangri-La Hotels have free Wi-Fi not only in all hotel rooms and common areas but also in their automobile fleets.

Second Place: Andaz provides free in-room and lobby Internet access.

Third Place: Fairmont, Kimpton and Omni hotels offer complimentary Wi-Fi in common areas and guest rooms if you join their (free) loyalty programs.

On our Radar: IHG Hotels, the parent company of InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn, will give free access to all loyalty-club members starting in 2014.

New IPhones, iOS7: What Experts Say

Should you get a new "space gray" iPhone 5S that scans your fingerprint or its cheaper little sister the 5C, which is encased in candy-colored plastic? And what about iOS7 -should you brave an upgrade?

A barrage of reviews arrived this week, ahead of Apple's release of two new iPhones and redesigned software for mobile gadgets. Here's a sampling of what tech reporters, columnists and bloggers are saying

Walt Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal on new iPhones

"If you are an iPhone fan with any model older than the iPhone 5, the new 5S will be a big step up. If you own an iPhone 5, there's less of a case for upgrading, unless you want the fingerprint reader and improved camera."

David Pogue, The New York Times on new iPhones

"(The) speed of innovation seems to be slowing down, but don't let that depress you. Focus instead on the silver lining: you can keep your current phone longer without feeling obsolete quite so soon."

Rich Jaroslovsky, Bloomberg on new iPhones

"If you like Apple products, you'll like these; if you don't, you won't."

Anick Jesdanun, The Associated Press on new iPhones

Who knew biometric authentication could be such a blast?

Lauren Goode, AllThingsD on new iPhones

"While the 5c looks and feels very familiar, it's still a good phone and an improvement over the 5. But its improvements are evolutionary, not revolutionary."

John Gruber, Daring Fireball on new iPhones

"The 5S is another engineering triumph for Apple (and no slacker in the fashion/branding game either). The 5C, though, is purely an emotional play - and, I think, a winning one."

Scott Stein, CNET on new iPhones

"The iPhone 5S delivers an improved camera, a nifty fingerprint sensor, and a next-gen CPU and motion-tracking chip."

Darrell Etherington, TechCrunch on iOS 7

"The new mobile operating system is a big visual change, and is likely to feel somewhat disorienting to users upgrading from iOS 6, but in most important ways, it's not that dissimilar from what you're used to, and many of the changes are definitely for the best."

Mat Honan, Wired on iOS 7

"Apple's new iOS 7 represents the most substantial change to the iPhone since it started supporting third-party apps. But as dramatic as the update may look, it doesn't go far enough functionally."

Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press on iOS 7

"I am already looking forward to downloading the software next week so I can simulate what it's like to have a new iPhone for free."

David Pogue, The New York Times on iOS 7

"It's a radical, huge redesign."

Walt Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal on iOS 7

"Buttons and controls are thinner and lighter and, in the browser, they disappear or shrink to make a little more room for content. Overall, the effect is to make the 4-inch screen seem larger." 

Top 9 breakfast mistakes to avoid

Top breakfast mistake to avoid # 1: Juicing your fruit
When you start your blender to juice oranges, remember that this process causes the fruit to lose most of its vitamins, minerals and fibre. Instead, replace your juice with a glass of water and a whole fruit. It will save you some extra calories.

Top breakfast mistake to avoid # 2: Eating a baby size breakfast
Eating whatever you want cannot help you escape from those extra calories. It is a common myth that eating whatever you wish after a long gap of fasting will not make you gain weight. Oily parathas, waffles, leftover dinner can lead to extra calorie consumption.

Top breakfast mistake to avoid # 3: Beware of breakfast treats
The tempting doughnuts and muffins can cause as much as an entire meal's caloric consumption. When placed in front of you, take a deep breath and realise that you have set healthy lifestyle changes and politely decline.

Top breakfast mistake to avoid # 4: Monitor your caffeine intake
One cup of coffee or tea could help boost your mood and metabolism, but avoid drinking multiple cups of coffee. This can cause sleep deprivation and coffee add-ons can reflect on your body in a bad way.

Top breakfast mistake to avoid # 5: Unhealthy breakfast
Eat a fist full of nuts, a bowl of cereal and a whole fruit instead of chocolate pancakes, muffins and mayo sandwiches. High calorie and high fat items can cause a sugar spike and recurring spikes could cause health issues.

Top breakfast mistake to avoid # 6: Thinking breakfast is not important
Even if you feel full from the previous day's dinner or are in a rush, make sure you eat a quick breakfast. Skipping breakfast slows down our metabolism and makes us feel lethargic. A slice of whole-wheat toast, a fruit or a fist full of sprouts can do the trick.

Top breakfast mistake to avoid # 7: Avoid breakfast buffets
Buffets and large breakfast spreads could make you eat more than you need. Do not stuff yourself silly by opting for sugar coated cereals, doughnuts and fruit cocktails. Instead, choose egg preparations, leaner meats, oats, wheat flakes and milk.

Top breakfast mistake to avoid # 8: Gorging on food early in the morning
Have a glass of lukewarm water, first thing in the morning. It helps to keep you hydrated, aids digestion, cures gastric ailments and gives you a feeling of fullness.

Top breakfast mistake to avoid # 9: Not eating a healthy breakfast
Try and eat a healthy breakfast like green tea with a lemon wedge, oats with half a banana/ an egg preparation with an orange and whole wheat toast.

Apple iOS 7 download opens today: 7 things you need to know

Apple’s iOS 7 is up for download today. iOS 7, which is the mobile software for Apple’s iPads, iPod Touch and iPhones, will be available as a free download. The downloads should go live by 10 AM PST which is around 10.30 pm in India.

iOS 7 will support iPhone 4 and later, ipad 2 and higher, iPad Mini, and iPod Touch fifth generation. At the launch of the iPhone 5s and 5c, Tim Cook also spoke about iWork, iPhoto and iMovie apps which will be free with any new iOS device. Apple’s hasn’t made too many changes to iOS 7 except that Apple’s apps on iOS 7 now support 64-bit system for the new iPhone 5s.

Here are 7 things you need to note about iOS 7.

New design: According to Apple, the new interface is purposely unobtrusive and they have done away with conspicuous ornamentation, and removed unnecessary bars and buttons.

Gone is the Magazine stand from the NewStand app. Almost every single app from Games Centre to how folders look on iOS 7 have been redesigned. Some of Apple’s most iconic apps look very different now. For instance the Music app has a reddish-background with the music symbol on it. The weather app is animated now. The app will also show Thunder, and cloudy weather for the pertinent conditions.

iOS 7 also has a lot more colour than previous version of the software.

Notification Centre: The Notification Centre is still on top but its much less clunky than in the previous versions of iOS. It will give details about new mail, missed calls, etc. It also has a new feature called ‘Today’ which will give users a summary of everything they have lined up for the day. Users can also access the Notification Center from any screen, including the Lock screen by swiping
.

Control Centre: There’s now a control centre at the bottom and users can just slide upwards to access the settings. They can turn on Airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Do Not Disturb, volume settings etc from here. Also adjust screen brightness from the Control Panel. This works even in Lock Screen mode. Access to the flashlight, timer, calculator, and camera is also available from the Control Panel.

Multitasking: If you have an app that you’re always using, iOS 7 will make note of that and make sure its updating in the background. According to Apple, So if you tend to check your favourite social app at 9:00 a.m. every day, your feed will be ready and waiting for you.

Camera: The Camera app now comes with inbuilt new features and you can edit photos as you shoot them. Filters in Camera are coming only to iPhone 5, iPod Touch 5th generation, while Filters in Photos app will be available on iPhone 4 and above, iPad (3rd generation or later), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation).

Photos app: Instead of unorganised mess of photos, this will now store photos according to the time, place they were clicked. Photos will be stored in albums. Users can tap years and all shots for that year will fill the screen.

AirDrop: Apple’s answer to NFC, this will let users shares videos, email, photos, etc with their friends on iOS. You can just click on the Share button on any app that supports AirDrop, tap to share, select the person you want to share with and it will be done. AirDrop uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

All transfers are encrypted, so what you share is highly secure. AirDrop is available on iPhone 5, iPad (4th generation), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation) and requires an iCloud account.

Bonus:  Siri has an improved voice and interface and Apple has bumped up the Find my iPhone feature.