When Apple dismissed iOS head Scott Forstall last year, the software's look and feel became the domain of the company's designer-in-chief, Jonathan Ive. Many predicted that Ive, whose simple hardware designs have become iconic in the industry, would introduce a flatter, less showy aesthetic to iOS.
A new rumor suggests he's doing just that. Ive is said to be eschewing Apple's "skeuomorphic" design — where digital representations of objects are designed to resemble real-world counterparts — in favor of simpler shapes and non-textured surfaces, 9to5 Mac reports.
Details on how the design of iOS will get flatter are scant, but one source says the interface will lose "all signs" of gloss and skeuomorphism. For example, the Notes app, which currently resembles a yellow legal pad, may become something closer to Evernote or any number of iOS to-do list apps.
Although the changes, as reported, are extensive — including redesigned toolbars and tab bars — iOS 7 won't be any harder to use than any previous version of the software. Although it will look different, the report says, it will operate in a similar way as it always has.
Rumored to be codenamed "Innsbruck," iOS 7 is said to have new "glance-able" information panels, perhaps similar to some of the functions shown in this concept video from an ambitious designer. Apple had previously considered adding a function similar to Exposé on OS X for multitasking, but opted instead for the "bottom drawer" that exists in iOS now.
If the report is true, Ive will fully put his stamp on iOS with version 7, officially moving away from the skeuomorphic aesthetic that's been a hallmark of the system since its inception. Steve Jobs was known to be a proponent of the design philosophy, as was Forstall.
Apple, with Ive as chief software designer, has already started to move away from skeuomorphism. The revamped version of Apple's Podcasts app, for example, ditched the reel-to-reel tape icon for playback that was criticized as silly, difficult to use and a waste of space.
Would you be excited or apprehensive if Apple fully discarded skeuomorphic design in iOS 7? Share your thoughts in the comments.
7 Stunning iPhone Concept Videos
1. iPhone 6 Commercial
Would you ever be interested in a transparent phone?
2. iPhone 5 Concept Features
This design had us at "holographic display."
3. iOS 7 Apple iPhone 5S Concept Video
Joe Hall's iVision "infuses animation, emotion and personality into the new OS."
4. iPhone 5 3D Concept
Would a 3D camera tempt you to upgrade?
5. iPhone 5 New Concept Features
We love the idea of a fingerprint reader for security.
6. New iPhone Concept Features — Speakers
Want!
7. iOS 7 Concept
Finally, there's some really imaginative iOS ideas here. Apple, please take note.
by Pete Pachal. Image by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images News/Getty Images
