Speculation About iOS 17 Is Scarce
So far, indirectly confirming the previous leaks, paradoxically
On the occasion of the WWDC developer conference, held annually in June, Apple presents new versions of its operating systems. We’re still months away from unveiling iOS 17 or macOS 14.
Even so, various speculations and leaks are already spreading through the Apple community, suggesting what we could and could not expect in theory. So let’s look at what’s in store for iOS 17.
It has been speculated for some time now that this year’s iOS 17 won’t bring much news. Apple is reportedly focusing all its attention on the expected AR/VR headset, which is expected to come with its operating system called xrOS. And that’s the California company’s current priority.
According to various leaks and speculations, Apple is keen on the headset and is doing everything possible to bring the device to the best possible form. But this will take its toll iOS 17 is therefore expected to come with fewer new features as attention turns in a different direction.
iOS 17 looks like a flop so far
And as it stands so far, the earlier mention of fewer new features has something to it. This, after all, comes from the general silence that has been swirling around the expected version of the operating system.
Although tech giants try to keep the expected news under wraps as much as possible and ensure that such information doesn’t get out, even so, various speculations and leaks with several interesting news do pop up from time to time.
Something like this is practically impossible to avoid. As a result, we can form our picture of an anticipated product or system before it is finally revealed. But as we’ve already hinted above, there’s an eerie silence around iOS 17.
Considering that it must have been in the works for quite some time, we still haven’t learned any details, which is a cause of concern for Apple folks. Therefore, the apple community is starting to assume that we won’t be seeing much news this year.
The question remains, however, what the system will look like. There are currently two potential versions being discussed. Fans are hoping that Apple will treat it similarly to the older iOS 12 — so instead of news, it will primarily bet on overall optimization, performance and battery life improvements.
But on the other hand, there are still fears that it might turn out a little worse. On the contrary, due to the smaller time investment, the system could suffer from several undiscovered bugs, which could complicate its take-up. At the moment, therefore, there is nothing to do but hope.
Apple focuses on AR/VR headset
According to the latest information, at the same time, all of Apple’s attention is focused on the expected AR/VR headset. This device has been in the works for years; by all accounts, its introduction should be around the corner.
The latest speculations expect its arrival later this year. But let’s leave the headset aside for now and instead focus on the actual software. This particular product is expected to offer its standalone operating system, which will most likely carry the xrOS designation.
And it is the latter that plays a crucial role. Apple is not taking the expected AR/VR headset lightly. Quite the opposite. That’s why all its attention is focused on the development of the aforementioned xrOS, which is why it is expected that iOS 17 this year will not offer as many innovations as we are used to from previous years.
Paradoxically, though, this is something that Apple fans have wanted for a long time. Longtime users often mention in discussions that they would prefer fewer new features in new operating systems but better system optimisation. This is something Apple has experience with.
Three things I’d like to see in iOS 17
Dynamic Island, even on older iPhones
It’s somewhat unfortunate that Apple made Dynamic Island, specifically its software features, only for the iPhone 14 Pro. After all, its interactivity could easily be transferred to a classic cutout, where interactions would be displayed on its sides.
It would be a good idea if Apple were to go a little bit further in this direction and bring the software features for Dynamic Island to older iPhones, as this would likely kick-start interest among developers in adopting them.
That’s because there’s very little of it at the moment, and it’s likely because of how little uptake there is on the iPhone 14 Pro.
In the same breath, however, it should be added that as much as it would be nice to have software options for Dynamic Island, it would also be nice to continue to have the option not to use them and, in other words, to deactivate the whole system.
In the case of iPhones with a cutout, nothing would change in the result compared to now, but for iPhones 14 Pro, it would mean turning off the underpainting and “admitting” a pair of bullet holes.
Finally, basic multitasking
It’s quite ironic that even though the iPhone display diagonal has jumped quite significantly in recent years, as we’re no longer working with just 4.7″ phones but also have 6.7″ models, Apple is still reluctant to put more advanced multitasking into iOS — except perhaps Picture-in-Picture for video.
So it would be great if Apple, precisely because of the display capabilities of large displays, decided to deploy support for more advanced multitasking in iOS, in the form of running two apps side by side.
In terms of performance, the phones would undoubtedly be up to it too, as even the several years old (and therefore significantly less powerful) iPad has no problem with this.
If we were to see something like this finally, it would do away with the endless jumping from one app to another, which is just a pain in the ass.
Reliability from the first version and no early promises
The last thing we want to see in iOS 17 is not so much novelty as the system's overall state. Let’s not kid ourselves. The level of the systems in recent years in terms of error rate is not exactly great, as we can see from the frequency of updates Apple is trying to put out its missteps.
And since this “tactic” doesn’t reflect well on it, we hope that Apple will take a slightly different approach with iOS 17 and develop the system so that it doesn’t have to “glue” it with many software updates.
This goes hand in hand with the deployment of the new features that Apple will announce at WWDC. What can we say? Nobody wants to wait for them — especially when they often arrive in bad shape.
So, Apple will make a change in this regard too, and only announce what it knows it can release in the first version, and keep the rest to itself, and add it to the system via an update later, but with no promises.
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