“Jonathan Ive, the famed knight and industrial designer of the world’s most admired Apple gadgets, has his work cut out for him,” Chris Maxcer reports for MacNewsWorld. “On the surface, he’s the guy at Apple who’s going to get rid of the hideous green felt that is our Game Center iOS app and the yellow lined notebook paper in the Notes app, along with other silly skeuomorphic designs in iOS.”
“This is a big deal — but not because the built-in apps need a refresh,” Maxcer reports. “No, it’s a big deal because iOS itself needs a refresh. Now is not the time for a stumble, but Apple has to take a step — and not just a little one. Apple needs to gather itself and take a leap.”
Maxcer reports, “Don’t worry too much — I doubt we’ll get anything quite as flat as Windows Phone Live Tiles — but the difference could be stark — and that’s the rub. iOS 7 needs to go from cheeky and campy to cool — not cold. Apple fans don’t do cold.”
Read more in the full article here.
I’m okay as long as he keeps the sense of depth in ios
It has not been all that long since Forstall was ousted and Ive assumed a larger role. Given the length of software design and verification cycles, it appears that many people are expecting too much change in too little time. Some things, such as backgrounds and similar items, can be changed fairly rapidly and late in the flow. But a wholesale overhaul of iOS by Ive is not possible unless most of it was already in progress when Forstall was tossed. Ive can certainly place his design stamp on iOS 7, but you won’t see an iOS that is fully “Ived” until iOS 8.
Unless Ive has been working on his concept of iOS for a while now. Somehow he convinced Cook to give him the HI job.
Nothing to worry…. Jonathan Ives understands fully well the 10 design principles of Dieter Ram!
Dieter Rams
A redesign like this is not a big deal at all. It’s merely window dressing. There’s no way that they will significantly change the way we use devices, it’s no more important than a new look and the Mac operating system has had several new looks over the years, so it’s about time that IOS got a lick of paint.
We can be pretty sure that with Jony Ive’s great taste, it will be a sophisticated and minimalist look, so we can look forward to countless commentators complaining about the changes.
“A lot is riding on Jony Ive’s iOS redesign”
As an understatement, this may take the prize for 2013!
I’ll put my money on Jony Ive any day.
I find people commenting on the “flat” design absolutely ridiculous… lol… it’s annoying. How can they comment with any absolutes when they haven’t seen it yet? This vacuous article (and other articles like it talking of the new iOS user interface) can shove it. It doesn’t belong before WWDC. Afterwards, maybe… these bobble head journalists will actually have something of substance to work with. Chris Maxcer’s “article” should be in some comment section instead of a headline.
RE: “Apple fans don’t do cold.”
STFU.
Happy thoughts! .. Happy thoughts… okay I’m better now 🙂
What’s riding on Jony Ive’s redesign of the UI is…wait for it…nothing. Users don’t buy iPhones or Androids because of the design of the UI elements. Taste is in the eye of the beholder and what one finds silly, another finds pleasing. Whatever Sir Jony does, the pundits and the bloggers will have a field day with it and they will post countless meaningless blog entries to attract eyeballs so that they can sell ads. See? That’s what all this is about. Selling ads.
The correct way to look at it is by what others will do. I am sure there will be a fury of innovations by Samsung, Google, and Microsoft after Apple shows the new iOS. How else does the industry move forward? Wait for Apple to show how it is done and copy the hell out of it.
A lot is riding on Apple, mostly other companies on Apples back.
What I would like to see is the addition of a SD card for expanding the memory easily.
Yes and a hard drive.
And floppies, of course!
He’s going to carve iOS 7 out of sold block of high quality aluminium.
Lame comment.
…and a Sony’s minidisc, too
You forgot the Iomega Zip drive!
Whatever he/Apple comes out with will be expressed with contempt and ridiculed by the the WSJ and NYT no matter what. This is the SETUP stage. The day it is released will be the deride it and MAKE IT UNCOOL stage. The same basic stencil as was used for Apple Maps. Remember these “US” media companies love only “money” and can be bought as marketing cheer leaders by anyone……and Samdung have bought them for that purpose. Plus they somehow love to hate Apple and love Korea.
I am confident that Jony Ive can do this. Over the years, he has designed some of Apple’s iconic devices. I am very sure that his iOS redesign will be a success, just like his other designs.
I expected a big redesign at the OSX 11.0.0 release. If they make the big change now, what is there to show for a “wow” factor in a few years? We’re almost at the end of the 10 series anyway.
“…silly skeuomorphic designs in iOS.” If Jonny goes flat or whatever I hope Apple still allows for the use of “silly” skeuomorphic. I don’t think I’m alone when I say I like them. I don’t want to look at an Excel spreadsheet while on my iPhone or iPad mini.
Cover flow with rotating icons and active apps
Build your own interface at your preferences
App robot set up to shortcut your apps.
You need an Android. I don’t want to fiddle with my phone for hours to set it up. A coworker recently receive his S4 and spent hours trying to learn its features – never could get Airwave to work.
I don’t think it will be a radical overhaul. If it is, the shit could hit the fan.
Guys:
I think this whole issue of UI “flatness” or not is distracting. Very distracting.
For many years (decades?) the Apple focus has been on whole design= UI Visuals + UI Functionality & ease of use.
If iOS7 is only about UI visuals, then I will be very disappointed.
I agree that we need some kind of “refresh” but more than just flatness or not.
Good. DesignIng the best OS in the world should bring out the best in the best.
Hey, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Well I have never thought IOS was broke. That’s why I buy apple. If I thought it was broke I would have stayed with Windows. (Now THAT really IS broke. ) Johnny, add new features OK, but keep all the old stuff I like.
What’s the worst Ive can do? Leave off the start button? Meld iOS and OS X into an incoherent whole?
I’m not worried.
I don’t think a new iOS look is a make or break issue. The current iOS is both attractive and easy to learn. Ive will undoubtedly seek to iron out inconsistencies between the UI and the design principles of the hardware it’s running on: Less fussiness, cheesiness, more clarity of purpose, cleaner lines, etc.. But it’s not a make or break change – that’s more down to the hardware itself.
He’s working on a new iOS? The phone hardware itself needs his attention. Apple’s been coasting on the iPhone 4 design for three years now.
Why is everyone complaining so much.
The green felt is game enter is not hideous…
I’m not reading any further.