"Hey Siri" support and possibly wireless charging case alongside AirPower charging mat.
Apple Engineers Working Overtime on iOS 7's 'DeForstallization'
Under the direction of Jony Ive, who took charge of Apple's user interface teams last October, iOS 7's redesign is said to be "flatter" with fewer skeuomorphic design cues and an interface that focuses on simplicity.
Skeuomorphism, a real-world design concept that was favored by former Apple senior vice president of iOS software Scott Forstall, is found in many of Apple's default iOS apps. For example, apps like Notes and Find My Friends both feature leather design accents and Game Center offers up a felt pool table texture. These are all elements that are expected to be removed in iOS 7, as AllThingsD points out in a new report covering the design changes.
Skeuomorphism, a real-world design concept that was favored by former Apple senior vice president of iOS software Scott Forstall, is found in many of Apple's default iOS apps. For example, apps like Notes and Find My Friends both feature leather design accents and Game Center offers up a felt pool table texture. These are all elements that are expected to be removed in iOS 7, as AllThingsD points out in a new report covering the design changes.
With Scott Forstall — an advocate for flashy, skeuomorphic design and its stitched-leather and faux wood grain flourishes — now gone from Apple, and Ive in an expanded role, the current and former Apple employees I've spoken to say iOS 7 was destined for a new coat of paint. As one said, "Sounds like a much-needed 'deForstallization.'"As noted by AllThingsD, Apple's iOS has not had a serious design overhaul since the original iPhone was released in 2007, making it long overdue for an update.
If the company has good ideas for design tweaks, it's about time it implemented them. With new mobile operating systems like BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone proving that there's plenty of room left for innovation in the market, Apple can ill afford even the risk of the perception that iOS might be getting dusty.According to a report from Bloomberg earlier today, Apple has been forced to delay its internal timelines for iOS 7, but the company’s engineers are said to be working overtime to get a preview ready for the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Multiple sources have indicated that Apple is pulling engineers from OS X 10.9 to help the company stay on schedule with iOS 7.
Apple's challenge, then, is to overhaul the look and feel of the OS while retaining the intuitiveness that's made it so popular.
[ 390 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
73 months ago
For the love of God, hire more damn engineers and stop being so greedy with your damn cash reserves.
So annoying.
So annoying.
73 months ago
I hope they keep the Forstall version "just in case."
Forstall was pushed out because he emulated the behavior and detail oriented meme of Jobs, but that was less tolerated in anybody but Jobs. It was political. Jobs hired/promoted Forstall at NeXT. NeXT saved Apple.
Forstall was pushed out because he emulated the behavior and detail oriented meme of Jobs, but that was less tolerated in anybody but Jobs. It was political. Jobs hired/promoted Forstall at NeXT. NeXT saved Apple.
73 months ago
So iOS is going to look bland and boring. Awesome.
If you are feeling uplifted by skeumorphic interfaces, you need to enrichen your life.
I for one think that the best interface is no interface. I'm not here to mess around with turning App Store bookshelves or whatever. I'm not here to manipulate the operating system in the first place. I'm here to use its apps. The rest? The less of it, the better.
73 months ago
To be honest I don't see what the big deal over getting rid of this 'skeuomorphism' is. I don't mind it. They can make other changes to make iOS 7 radically different.
73 months ago
Bring back Forstallllll!
Is this more media hating on him? I love the wood, the leather and the tape reels. I like the shredder in passbook. Nice touches to software that works. If I wanted a flat lifeless windows phone i would have bought one.
Is this more media hating on him? I love the wood, the leather and the tape reels. I like the shredder in passbook. Nice touches to software that works. If I wanted a flat lifeless windows phone i would have bought one.
73 months ago
I'm actually starting to get a little excited about an iOS release :) First time that's happened in a very *long* time!!
[ Read All Comments ]
Apple has enhanced Spotlight search in macOS in recent years, with the addition of Spotlight Suggestions allowing it to tap into a variety of online data sources like weather and sports....
Apple has ceded its position to Walmart as the third largest online retailer in the U.S., according to a new report out this week (via TechCrunch).
Research provider eMarketer Retail calculates...
Adobe today updated its Lightroom app for iOS devices with support for Apple's latest iPhones and iPads.
Lightroom CC for iOS will now display properly on Apple's fall devices, including...
Tap, the company behind the futuristic Tap wearable keyboard, today announced the launch of a new TapAcademy app for iOS that's designed to make it easier to learn to use the keyboard.
Tap...
Verizon today announced the launch of a new "My Numbers" feature designed to let you add up to four additional numbers to a smartphone with unlimited calling and texting, for a total of five...
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with SANDMARC, a company that makes camera lenses for the iPhone, to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a kit that includes a set of Pro...
Popular weather app Weather Atlas, made by Contrast and Agile Tortoise, today received a major 2.0 update that adds new functionality and a new look to the app.
With the 2.0 update, Weather...
Anki has been making toys that use artificial intelligence for years now, starting with the Anki Overdrive set of racing cars and the interactive Cozmo toy robot, but this year the company launched...
