iPhone5s-PF-5UPHero_FEATURES_PRINTSome love it. Others have never heard of it. And for a few, it shut down their phones.

That’s the consensus on iOS 7 from the 20 or so iPhone owners I polled today outside the University Village Apple Store in Seattle.

A couple people were forced to come to the store because when trying to install iOS 7, the update broke their phones.

“It wouldn’t work and it just kept showing me a cable connected to iTunes, but it wouldn’t let me connect to iTunes,” one iPhone owner said. “Then, it wouldn’t let me do anything. It was the iBreak.”

You can watch some of the reaction in the video above, or read the soundbites in writing here:

iPhone5-34Flat-iOS7_PRINTPeople who like iOS 7:

  • “I think it’s a good improvement. Before it was released, I was considering switching to Android because a lot of the newer phones through other companies have different features. I’m still debating and not sure if I’ll upgrade to the new iPhone. But I like the new OS. It’s something they should have done a long time ago. After I saw it, I was like, ‘This is such an easy improvement to just do a redesign.’ It’s something they should have done before. I think it’s a little late.”
  • “Any time a new user interface refresh comes out, you’re going to like some things and hate some things. So generally, it’s better. It feels better, it feels faster, it feels more efficient. It’s cleaner. It makes the focus on your content rather than the app. I like that. But there are some things, like the colors. The notes app is all yellow, and I hate yellow. And I’m getting used to flat aspect — it takes a while to get used to. Now when you go back to your iOS 6, the old one kind of looks dated, and so you get used to it. At first, it’s very jarring and a lot of users won’t like it, so I think it will take a while to get used to it.”
  • “I’m pretty stoked on it. Initially I was a little hesitant on the new flat design, but as I’m getting used to it I’m definitely loving it. I’ve been an iPhone user from the start and been used to the shadow and 3D look, but it’s nice to have a change for once. You know, new device tomorrow and new OS, it’s definitely a good time to be in the iPhone world.”
  • “I like the sleek look. The icons are a little bit different. No complaints. It downloaded great.”

iPhone5s_Gld_iOS7_PRINT 2People who don’t like iOS 7:

  • “You know, it looks like a copy of some of the more recent apps like the Samsung apps, as far as like color and how it works. I haven’t tried it long enough to really get a good idea of how it works, but it looks a lot different and it’s similar to previous apps of other manufacturers. I think they are just trying to blend in with the current generation of apps and software and how it looks and performs. They’re trying to attract more younger people to use it.”

People who don’t know what iOS 7:

  • “Is that the new one that’s coming out? (Told it’s the new software, not the new device). Oh, I guess i’ve heard of it but I don’t know what it is.”
  • “iOS 7? No. That’s because I’m not a techie geek at all.”
  • “Yeah, that’s like what’s on the new iPhones, right?”
  • “I’ve just barely heard of it because I work in the restaurant next door and the [Apple Store] guys come in and have mentioned being a little stressed out about tomorrow.”

People whose phone broke because of it:

  • “I tried to do it last night and I haven’t updated in my phone in a long time, so it took five hours. Then, it told me I needed to plug the phone into my iTunes and I don’t have a Mac. So then, it re-synced — which took another hour — and after that my phone wouldn’t work at all.”
  • “I tried to update, but it gave me an error and then the phone wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t work and it just kept showing me a cable connected to iTunes, but it wouldn’t let me connect to iTunes. It wouldn’t let me do anything. It was the iBreak.”

People who don’t care:

  • “I’ve heard about it. It’s just a new iOS — new interface, new skin, new color, new programs. I’m not excited about it. It’s just another OS. I couldn’t care less. I’ve got an iPhone, Windows and an Android. I like Windows the best. I like the tile interface much, much better. It’s much cleaner and slicker than both.”
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