iOS 7 download release date arrives

iOS 7 is now available on supported devices, as of 18 September.

Apple’s latest operating system, iOS 7, is now available to download, following on from several months of developer beta testing. 

It will be available to iPhone 4 and above users, in addition those running the iPad 2 and later, the iPad mini and fifth generation of the iPod touch.

In addition to more than 200 features, developers can take advantage of over 1,500 iOS 7-friendly APIs. A number of 64-bit apps will also be developed to showcase the OS' unique talents and the power of the soon-to-be launched iPhone 5s, Apple confirmed. 

"It's like getting a brand new device, but one that will be instantly familiar to our users," said Craig Federighi, senior vice president of Apple's software engineering arm. 

"Next month, we'll be shipping our 700 millionth iOS device, and we're excited about what our hundreds of thousands of iOS developers are doing to bring great new features to their apps."

The availability of Apple's next-generation mobile operating systems comes several days ahead of the release of the latest additions to its smartphone family: the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c.

Both devices will be released in the UK on 20 September, the company confirmed.  The former has been dubbed the iPhone 5c, and comes in a choice of colours – including light green, orange, yellow, blue and white – and shares a lot of the same features with Apple’s current flagship device, the iPhone 5.

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