According to abbreviationfinder, iOS which stands for iPhone OS, as it was previously called, is an operating system developed by Apple, initially only for the company’s smartphone (the iPhone), then it was extended to other devices such as the iPod Touch and the iPad.
Characteristic
This operating system is a close companion to Mac OS X, which is based on Darwin BSD. iOS has 4 layers of abstraction: one with the core of the operating system, the “Main Services” layer, the “Media” layer and finally the one called “Cocoa Touch”. There is a platform, called the SDK (released March 6, 2008) that allows the development of iOS apps and.ipa apps.
A little history
This operating system is made public at the Macworld Conference & Expo event on January 9, 2007. The official launch was on June 29, 2007, remaining as its name: iPhone OS, previously it was considered that the iPhone ran OS X. Two devices that really caused an explosion in the number of applications were the iPod Touch and the iPad, after Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple until 2011) announced the same accompanied by an application that would make better use of its larger screen: iBooks. iOS, as it is officially called in the presentation of the iPhone 4, currently has more than 2,350,000 applications in the AppStore, and is available in version 13.X.
Friendly interface
iOS is created for the interpretation of multi-touch gestures, making it possible for an action to be activated immediately when pressing, sliding or pinching on the screen, which may well be a button, a slider or a switch. The accelerometer and gyroscope are used to respond to a movement or gesture, that is, iOS usually changes the direction in which the screen is displayed if the position of the device is changed, or also if it is shaken, redo or undo in the text that was being written. <<SpringBoard>>, the main screen, is where the icons of all applications, whether iOS or added, are located. Also at the bottom there is a Dock that allows you to place frequently used actions.
Applications
Apple claims to have an application for everything, and with almost 400,000 applications, there is no doubt about it. However, iOS brings some by default: Phone, Mail, Safari, iPod, Messages, Calendar, Photos, Camera, YouTube, Stocks, Maps, Weather, Voice Memos, Notes, Clock, Calculator, Settings, iTunes, Compass, Contacts, iBooks, Game Center, Nike+iPod, Facetime, Reminders, Compass, Calculator, Music Kiosk. These default applications contain most of the basic functions that a user needs, even if it is through internet services.
Hacking
iOS hacking, known as jailbreaking, is a way to install compatible apps without paying for them on the AppStore. Sometimes it is necessary to reboot the device after performing this method. It is a risk, so a backup must be made before starting the process, in addition to losing the device warranty.
Gaming platform
Game Center is the application included in iOS (4.0 or later) that allows you to install games that really exploit the characteristics of Apple devices. It allows you to share scores with friends, find rivals, download the latest games and send challenges.
