On Tuesday, Apple held an event at its Cupertino, California, campus to announce updates to its iPhone line, as well as the release date for iOS 7, the next iteration of the company's popular mobile operating system. It will be made available for free to users of the iPad mini, iPad 4 and iPhone on September 18, and promises to bring a slew of changes that will likely cause a lot of excitement in the Apple community.

Probably the most noticeable difference between iOS 6 and 7 is the aesthetic design. Previous versions of the operating system utilized "skeumorphic" design principles, meaning that surfaces were made to resemble real world textures like wood, leather and metal. With iOS 7, the company has moved away from this approach and instead embraced "flat" design, meaning that surfaces are now smoother, simpler and colorful. Nearly all of the native iOS apps, including the calculator, compass, text messaging and email programs, have been redesigned to reflect this approach.

But the changes go far beyond the look and feel of the user interface. Apple also added a new control center feature, which can be activated with a simple swipe of the finger. This new function allows the user to access their music collection, basic apps and other parts of their phone more quickly.

It seems likely that the company will also be building in more features that will enhance the connection between iOS 7 and it's upcoming operating system for Apple Mac computers, OS X Mavericks. So keep checking back with PortableOne as we continue to update you on the latest news from Apple.