Over the weekend, millions of Americans with iPhones upgraded to the new iOS7 operating system — and college students were no exception.
Students proved they were eager for the iOS7 update when several campus Internet outages occurred as students downloaded the new operating system en masse last week.
Erin Stripp, a junior at Grand Canyon College, had been following news about iOS7 leading up to its release, and was ready to see it in action, she says. Her first impression was positive.
"I really liked it," she says. "I knew that it was going to be a complete overhaul … I like how it's clean, it looks very modern."
But others met the new aesthetics of iOS7 — brighter, modern colors and translucent elements — with more skepticism.
"The first thing I noticed were the colors," says Connor Mitchell, a senior at Ohio University. "I honestly thought it was a little more girly."
College-age students are more likely to own smartphones than most American adults, according to a June study by the Pew Research Center. Of adults ages 18-24, 79% own smartphones, second only to the 25-34 age group (81%).
Among all cellphone users, iPhone ownership has increased over the past few years. Of the 55% of Americans who own cellphones, 25% owned iPhones in May of this year, up from 10% in 2011.
Tanya Crenshaw, assistant professor at the University of Portland — who works with producing and designing smartphones and their operating systems — says accessibility and integration are two important factors when developing a smartphone.
And for college students, a phone "has to be integrated," with apps like mail and Facebook that students already use, she says. Multiple types of people have to be able to use the device, she adds.
So which new features of the iOS7 mean the most to college students?
The new control center adds convenience for busy students on the go, Stripp, says, allowing quick access to music, brightness controls, utility apps and "Do Not Disturb" settings — and can be accessed from anywhere on the phone by swiping up.
"To not have to dig through a whole bunch of different screens is kind of nice," Stripp says. "'Do Not Disturb' is really useful when you're sitting in class."
AirDrop, a feature that allows users to wirelessly share photos and files with other nearby iOS users, is a feature that students expect to find useful.
Mitchell, an iPhone 5 user, says AirDrop will likely gain popularity among students.
"I certainly think that AirDrop will pick up," he says.
But like everything else, there's always room for improvement, Stripp says.
She wishes there was more opportunity for customization on the new iOS7, specifically mentioning the ability to customize the interfaces, as well as what apps appear in the control center.
She also hopes to see the "Up Next" feature — a tool within iTunes that lets users control which songs will play after the current song — incorporated into a future iOS update.
For now, students are continuing to adjust to the new operating system.
"I don't really have any complaints about it yet," Mitchell says.
Stripp, an iPhone 4 user, plans to get an iPhone 5s by the end of the year. But for now she's enjoying the new update.
"With iOS7 being completely redesigned it does feel like a new phone," she says.
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