Apple is laying down the law: apps to be optimized for iOS 7 by Feb 1st or get the boot

A new deadline issued by Apple is warning that any new or existing app (or an updated one) needs to be optimized for iOS 7 by February 1st, or it will very likely fail to make it through Cupertino's nets.

The new OS, introduced together with the iPhone 5s in September, has marked the single biggest overhaul of the time-tested operating system. Apart from the visual revamp, iOS 7 also includes support for 64-bit architecture, and Apple is now pushing to have all apps specifically optimized via its new version of the Xcode 5 IDE. This is not wholly surprising, as Apple has been consistently reminding that nearly 80% of all iOS users are now using the latest version of the OS.

Now, this may seem as a rather hostile move on Apple's part, but we can't help but agree, as uniformity is a big part of what iOS is about, not to mention that outdated apps were clashing sharply with both the UI of the OS itself and also other apps. In any case, this should prove a good way to carry out a rather ill-timed (it's winter, Apple!) housecleaning, as the number of apps that have become obsolete or receive little to no support has grown into a problem.