With Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) fast approaching, many are still speculating as to the supposed UI redesign for the company’s popular and latest mobile operating system, iOS 7. The iOS 7 release date is pegged for this year’s WWDC. The rumors are polarizing, many feeling that the redesign will be unpopular among Apple loyalists while others feel that it will attract a new generation of mobile minions. But only one rumor seems to have peaked the interest of writers, critics, techies, and users alike and its that the new UI interface will be “very, very flat.”
Popular Apple fan site and leak source 9to5mac alleges, courtesy of insider sources, that the new iOS 7 will be based more on simplicity rather than the traditional skeuomorphic design celebrated by the late Steve Jobs. This idea of simplicity has since morphed into an idea of sheer “flatness” with 9to5mac noting “that the interface loses all signs of gloss, shine, and skeuomorphism seen across current and past versions of iOS.”
So flat, in fact, is this design considered that its already drawing comparisons to one of Apple’s chief rivals, Microsoft and its Windows Phone UI.
So how did iOS 7 come to be considered so status quo? It goes back to a difference of opinion between former Senior Vice President of iOS Scott Forstall and current Senior Vice President of Industrial Design Jony Ive. Forstall, who has since left Apple, favored the glossy, shiny design Apple so famously boasted while Ive–who is responsible for designing the iPad, iPhone, iPod, and Mac computers–favored something that would be an easy intermediary for the user and the software. This resulted in a design that supposedly isn’t quite Apple-esque.
But these design questions aren’t lost yet on CEO Tim Cook, who confidently noted in the Q1 2013 Earnings Conference Call “we feel great about what we have got in store.”
Even more speculation was aroused when Apple unveiled the logo for this year’s WWDC with many pointing to the logo’s flat design as a precursor for that of the iOS 7. 9to5mac also points to updated versions of the Podcasts app for iPhone and iPad, which some see as a forecast for things to come.
Though somewhat out of character, this simplified design may be exactly what mobile users want. Yesterday, I noted how the Android-run Facebook Home platform app has been deemed by many as being overly complicated and “too deep” for users. Perhaps Apple has foreseen a situation like this and successfully out-maneuvered it.
Before people start freaking about about adjusting to post-iOS 7 life, consider this. Apple has always prided itself on making interaction with technology a user-friendly experience above all other things. It’s highly unlikely that such an unconditional sentiment will be thrown out the window. Ive’s designs have all been smash hits and its equally unlikely he’ll discontinue that trend.
Be sure to check back with BostInno for the latest updates about iOS 7 and other Apple developments. In the meantime, let us know what you think. Do you think a flat iOS 7 UI will be a turnoff for current users as well as prospective ones? Will it attract an even larger user base with a simpler design? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
