Groundbreaking new iPhone software aimed at dramatically changing the phone’s look and feel hits the market on Wednesday.
Apple fans across the globe will be able to download the company’s new iOS7 system — which features a design overhaul aimed at making the screen appear bigger and sharper — starting at 11 a.m.
New Yorkers can start downloading the upgrade at 1 p.m.
E-mails, calendars, phones and texts will look and function differently under the new system, which some are hailing as a fresh start for Apple. The company has long struggled to compete with Samsung’s much larger Galaxy S4.
“[It’s]the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone,” said Apple’s CEO Tim Cook.
Old icons will be replaced with sharper looking alternatives and a new calendar function offers an at-a-glance look at the day ahead.
iOS7 also shows live weather and traffic updates in real-time as well as birthdays or upcoming events.
The launch comes just days before two new iPhones hit the stands on Friday.
Apple’s new iPhone 5C is a plastic, low-cost of the current iPhone 5 model. The iPhone 5S is a high-end model complete with a with a fingerprint scanner.
The iOS7 system was designed by the company’s design chief Jonathan Ive, who called the new software “an important new direction.”
It was released in beta form in June.