A story in USA Today this week claims that iOS 7 is “fast becoming its most troubled mobile operating system update, increasing concern that the technology giant has lost some of its magic touch since co-founder Steve Jobs passed away two years ago.”

But reporters Scott Martin and Alistair Barr cite only anecdotal evidence, drawn from a few end users and from comments and posts on online forums, which by definition are about problems or confusion.

“Draining batteries, dropping Wi-Fi and spotty Bluetooth connections are getting big boos across discussion boards at Apple's own support communities,” they wrote. “Some apps are working poorly or slowly, the interface is harder to use for some people, and game players have also found faults.”

(You can check our own coverage of these online postings, where we noted that such comments can’t give a clear idea of the scope of specific problems or of problems in general).

A usability evaluation of iOS 7 this week, by Raluca Budiu, of the Nielsen Norman Group, concluded that the new design is a mixed bag. The “flat design” doesn’t always give users a clear distinction between action/navigation and content; and “swipe ambiguity” – the same gesture having different results in different locations – can be confusing.

On the plus side, Budiu says, is cloaking some Safari browser controls until a swipe makes them visible; background updates for apps; letting users change once the font-size for all apps that support this adjustment; and a "Settings" that is streamlined and easier to navigate.