iOS 7

Apple is sweetening the deal for anyone who buys a new iOS device this fall. Starting on September 1st, the company started offering five of its paid apps free to anyone purchasing a new, iOS 7 compatible device. Free titles from the iWork suite include Pages, Numbers and Keynote, while the iLife apps iPhoto and iMovie are part of the deal.

Overall, the promotion by Apple will save those picking up a new iPhone, iPad or iPod touch a cool $39.95 when compared to the App Store purchase price. Of course, the more people use iWork and iLife apps on iOS devices, the more likely they are to seek out the desktop version, which runs on OS X. When it comes to productivity, iWork competes with Microsoft Office, while iPhoto and iMovie are geared more towards creativity.

No more rumors! Apple has officially announced that iOS 7 will be available for all compatible iOS devices on September 18th. The overhauled OS will support the iPhone 4 or later, iPad 2 or later, iPad mini or fifth-generation iPod touch. Like all previous iOS releases, iOS 7 will be a free download.

Don't forget, there is no going back to iOS 6 once you download iOS 7. The new OS will radically change the look and feel of your iPhone or iPad once it is installed (You can see examples of the redesigned iOS 7 icons here). iOS 7 also brings plenty of new services like iTunes Radio, and retools other popular features such as notifications and Siri.

"Downloading iOS 7 is like getting an all new phone that you already know how to use," explained Craig Federighi at the Apple press event in Cupertino, California.

It is hard to believe but not everyone obsesses over their smartphone, and a lot of people probably don't realize how much iOS 7 is going to change the look of their Apple devices. This leaves no doubt that iOS 7 is going to confuse and anger many users once it becomes public in September, but Apple is making sure that its technical staff is ready to handle the backlash.

Apple is requiring that its AppleCare staff complete iOS 7 training by the "second week of September," according to 9to5Mac. Apple is also asking part-time employees to become full-time members in anticipation of a busy September launch. Requiring that its staff be prepared for a new product is nothing new, but Apple employees may be fielding a lot more calls than usual when it comes to iOS 7.

That didn't take long. 9to5Mac has already discovered eight changes Apple has made to iOS 7, however it's nothing too notable. Apple released the fifth beta to developers earlier this afternoon. According to 9to5Mac, iOS 7 beta 5 users will notice redesigned icons in the Settings app, a redesigned Twitter icon and a white reboot screen for white devices. The iPhone's mute, keypad and other buttons now feature white circles around the icons, and there is a new bar for grabbing banner notifications. Other changes include the ability to disable Control Center while using apps, and a possible bug that eliminates the Slide to unlock sound on the iPhone.

This is supposedly the final beta release before Apple makes iOS 7 public, so huge changes were were not expected. Apple released iOS beta 4 last week after its developer portal was compromised then fixed. The fourth beta also delivered some much needed interface and performance tweaks, plus a few bug fixes.

Apple has rolled out its second iOS 7 beta after giving its developer center a major overhaul last week. iOS 7 beta 5 is now available as an OTA update for registered developers. The last release brought several bug fixes plus interface and performance tweaks to the OS. Notable changes included more proof that Apple could be adding an iPhone fingerprint scanner, and the addition of a less confusing Lock screen. This is also believed to be the last beta Apple will release before they launch the final version in September.

iOS 7 will not only add a host of new features like iTunes Radio, but it will also completely change the look and feel of all supported iOS devices. Apple's all-new design promises to deliver a whole new experience for iOS users. It will be interesting to see the general public's reaction when it's released later this year.