Apple’s overhauled iOS 7 is coming September 18 to an iDevice near you

After several months in beta, Apple's revamped iOS 7 is finally nearing release. At its media event in Cupertino today, Apple announced that the new software would begin rolling out on September 18; Apple gave us our first preview of the new operating system at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) back in June.

The most obvious change to the operating system is its design, the first top-to-bottom rethinking of the way iOS looks since it was launched in 2007. Faux-realistic textures and shiny buttons have all been jettisoned in favor of a cleaner, brighter look with flat colors and gradients and lightweight fonts. The new interface also takes more advantage of the GPU in your phone or tablet, making more extensive use of animations and semi-transparent overlays than in iOS 6 and previous versions. For all of these changes, iOS 7 should still be familiar to current iOS users. Apps are still arranged in a simple grid icon on the home screen. Opening, switching between, and working within apps is going to work pretty much the same way it does in iOS 6.

The design of the final version of the operating system is broadly similar to the preview that Apple gave us back at WWDC. Apple fan sites that got their hands on preview builds have published lists of tweaks both large and small—the final version includes some changed icons and a heavier font compared to the early betas, for example. These changes aside, what you'll be getting on your phone with the public release will look very much like what was demonstrated when the software was announced.

The new design is a big deal, but it's not the only new feature that iOS 7 brings to the table. The new Control Center will give iOS users easier access to media playback controls, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi toggles, brightness controls, and other shortcuts. AirDrop support (mostly limited to newer iOS devices) will allow for quicker and easier sharing of media between your phone or tablet and your Mac. The new iCloud Keychain will (at least theoretically) allow for secure password sharing between your iOS devices and your OS X 10.9-equipped Macs. And while they won't be immediately visible to end users, a pile of new APIs should allow developers to make better, more versatile apps.

Existing apps and features from Safari to Game Center have also been overhauled, not just in design but also in features. The App Store, for example, will now auto-update apps if you allow it to, eliminating that annoying ever-present red badge that always seems to need your attention (and adding a feature that Google Play users have been enjoying for quite some time now). Safari can now open more than eight tabs at once, and it stacks those tabs on top of each other so that you can see more of them at a glance. The multitasking UI has been rethought, making it easier to see what was happening in your apps the last time you used them and easier to dismiss those apps if you don't want to see them. Also appearing is an updated Camera app and accompanying camera roll, with a new square aspect ratio, new photo effects, and a new Airdrop function to share images directly between iPhones. The full list of changes is longer than we will publish here, but suffice it to say that no corner of the operating system has been left untouched. In Apple SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi's words, "downloading iOS 7 is like getting an all-new device."

The new operating system will support the iPhone 4, 4S, and 5; the fifth-generation iPod touch; and the iPad 2, iPad mini, and both Retina iPads. It's the end of the line for both the iPhone 3GS and the fourth-generation iPod touch. All devices will be receiving the update on the same day—rumors that the iPad builds of the operating system were running behind were greatly exaggerated. We'll be giving iOS 7 the full review treatment when it is released to the public.

Apple's event is currently in progress, and we will update this article as more details become available. Ars is there in person, so for up-to-the-minute information, you can follow our liveblog.

Listing image by Apple