IOS

IOS is a mobile operating system developed and distributed by Apple Inc. It was originally released in 2007 for the iPhone, but has since been extended to support other Apple devices such as the iPod Touch and the iPad. As of 2021, Apple's App Store contains more than 2.2 million iOS applications, which have collectively been downloaded more than 130 billion times.

History

The development of iOS began with the release of the iPhone in 2007. The operating system, then known as iPhone OS, was initially developed for the iPhone, but was later extended to support other Apple devices such as the iPod Touch and the iPad. In 2010, Apple rebranded iPhone OS as iOS.

Features

iOS is derived from macOS, sharing the Darwin foundation, and is therefore a Unix-like operating system by nature. In iOS, there are four abstraction layers: the Core OS layer, the Core Services layer, the Media layer, and the Cocoa Touch layer. The operating system uses multi-touch gestures, such as swipe, tap, pinch, and reverse pinch, for control.

App Store

The App Store is a digital distribution platform, developed and maintained by Apple Inc., for mobile apps on its iOS operating system. The store allows users to browse and download apps developed with Apple's iOS SDK. Apps can be downloaded on the iPhone, iPod Touch, or the iPad, and some can be transferred to the Apple Watch smartwatch or 4th-generation or newer Apple TVs as extensions of iPhone apps.

Security

iOS utilizes a secure boot chain to ensure that the lowest levels of software aren't tampered with. It also employs a secure enclave co-processor for encryption and data protection, and Touch ID and Face ID for device unlock.

See also

• Android (operating system)
• Windows Phone
• BlackBerry OS