iOS7 – what will it mean for mobile commerce?

iOS 7 is expected to launch today – and Poq is ready.

The new operating system is a big change, and it’s going to affect the way people use their iPhones and tablets. You can get a preview of it from the Apple website here.

We’ve been testing it out for the last few months, and it’s impressive. You can read an overview of what’s changed on TechCrunch, but here’s what matters for fashion brands.

Firstly, the new design is clean, stark, and modern. It’s all about letting content come to the foreground. This is perfect for fashion. If you hadn’t noticed, the majority of fashion retail websites are black, white, and very simple in design, so that product images and shopping details really stand out.

The new iOS7 will suit this aesthetic perfectly. It’s a very different style, minimalist and focussed on typography. The navigation and buttons fade to the background so that content (or shopping) is front and centre.

How does this affect Poq apps?

We’ll be changing our app design slightly to take advantage of this, including using more default Apple fonts within our apps and mobile websites to help them blend in with the new design. Specifically, Apple are moving to Helvetica Neue Light used for headings and titles.

Another exciting change is that app updates will now be instant. Yes, no longer will you have to go into the App Store and manually press ‘update’ for each individual app. They’ll happen in the background. This is great news for companies like us, and for our clients, as their customers will automatically benefit from improvements and new features without even having to think about it.

For clients who sign up to a platform system like ours, support for new releases like this is included in their monthly fee. In the traditional development model, each new release would be an additional amount to develop and maintain, but with Poq it’s all covered. That’s one key advantage of our platform model – you can find out more about other advantages here.