SAN FRANCISCO — On iOS 7, Apple’s latest version of its mobile operating system, an iPhone’s sensors and software will work in unison to create an illusion of depth as you view your smartphone’s homescreen from different angles.

The aforementioned feature might seem hardly functional but it is quite the visual delight to look at.

Launched yesterday (this morning, Singapore time) at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco’s Moscone Center, iOS 7 eschews onscreen textures like leather and wood for translucent, flat colours that have a more minimal and elegant feel to complement the hardware that Apple creates.

Apple says it is the biggest update since the iPhone’s launch in 2007.

The tech giant also unveiled its long-expected music-streaming service iTunes Radio, which will be launched along with iOS 7 later this year.

With Apple design chief Jonathan Ive now in charge of both hardware and software design, iOS 7 offers a preview at how future versions of its software will be finely-tuned and engineered to look and work in unison with its hardware.

With the overhaul, some might argue that Apple is merely playing catch-up to the likes of Samsung and Google. A few of iOS 7’s new features, like managing music playback and wireless connectivity via a one-stop menu and automatic app updates, are already available in mobile operating systems like Google’s Android.

MAC OS X MAVERICKS

The tech giant also unveiled Mac OS X Mavericks, the next major version of its desktop operating system. It might not have gone through a drastic overhaul like iOS 7 but Mavericks will no longer sport onscreen textures as well. The desktop OS features numerous under-the-hood enhancements to improve battery life and performance and improves support for working with multiple displays.

Mac OS X Mavericks and iOS 7 will be launched to the public later this year.

The Cupertino-based company also unveiled a few hardware announcements at its event.

It updated its MacBook Air line of ultra-thin laptops with the latest processors from Intel, boosting battery life up to 12 hours.

In a rare departure, Apple also gave a rare peek at an upcoming product: Its new Mac Pro. The top-of-the-line desktop computer will sport a new cylindrical form factor and performs twice as fast even though it only takes up one-eighth of its predecessor’s size.

Cloud-based versions of Apple’s productivity suite of apps, dubbed iWork for iCloud, will launch in beta later this year. Users will be able to use these web-based apps to for word processing and to create spreadsheets and presentations via Internet browsers on both Windows and Mac-based computers.

Apple said its iTunes Radio service will only be available in the United States for its initial launch.

The advertising-supported iTunes Radio will be a free service. Only users that have subscribed to iTunes Match, Apple’s cloud-based music storage service, will be able to have an advertising-free experience.

Music streaming companies like Pandora, Spotify, Deezer and Google might need to take heed — Apple’s global success with iTunes could give it an edge in shaking-up the music streaming landscape with its large and established install base of users.