Before you upgrade to iOS 7...

Today Apple released iOS 7, the most radical, advanced and perhaps important iOS release to date. Best of all the update is free! We have become accustom to incremental iOS versions but this one breaks that mold. Its a major reworking of the iOS and it's interface however it does so without forcing users to completely relearn the things they currently need to do many times per day. So while we were all stalking the Apple Update server around 1pm EST today, for our customers I think a little patience and preparation will go a long way toward making the transition trouble free. 

Without a doubt, the first thing you should do before even thinking of upgrading is to backup your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Our recommended method is to make use of iCloud backup, which you can find in the iCloud settings on your iOS device. Alternatively you can backup by connecting to your computer and syncing with iTunes. Incidentally, even if you backup with iCloud, you can Control+Click on your iOS device and make a bonus local backup in iTunes. 

Our next advice prior to updating is to check the App store and download all the updates available for your Apps. In the weeks leading up to this iOS 7 release developers have been very hard at work getting all their Apps compatible with iOS 7. Normally I see maybe 4 or 5 updates show up on my devices however this morning I noticed more than 35 updates, the vast majority of which were iOS 7 related. The last thing you want to find after updating to iOS 7 is that some important App no longer works. Circumvent that by preemptively updating Apps. 

The final tidbit I'd like to share is that it despite lots of testing, there are always some issues which get quickly ironed out in rapidly deployed maintenance release. If your tolerance for bugs or hiccups is low, it may be wise to wait for the x.01 release that's sure to come in just a few days. However if you like to live on the bleeding edge of technology, go ahead and visit Software Update to experience the latest in Apple technology. 

For more information about iOS 7 have a look at Apple's iOS 7 Page.