Apple’s redesign of its iOS mobile operating system with iOS 7, which is being spearheaded by Apple senior vice-president of industrial design Jony Ive, will appeal to a new generation of iPhone and iPad users but could irk long-standing iOS loyalists.
9to5Mac reported this morning that the new interface will be very ‘flat’ and based on simplicity rather than heavy textures – a little akin to the user interface on Windows Phone devices.
According to the report, the look of the new OS could be radically different but at the same time just as easy to use as Apple’s iOS software has always been.
The new-look OS is code-named ‘Innsbruck’ and changes include an all-new icon set for Apple’s native apps, newly designed tool bars, tab bars and other changes, including more at-a-glance information options.
All will be revealed at WWDC
Apple is expected to launch a slew of new features and services at its upcoming Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June, the logo to which may actually indicate a flavour of the new interface.
On first perusal, it looks like an app logo, surrounded by wavy bands of colour – perhaps this indicates a colour-coded system for managing screens, the use of more primary colours, or new capabilities of the apps on the screen.
The first time I saw the logo for 2013’s WWDC – which sold out two minutes flat – my impression was it looked very television-like, perhaps indicating the fabled Apple television might finally be revealed.
Either way, Apple is famed for keeping its cards close to its chest but in the weeks leading up to WWDC expect plenty of conjecture around the company’s future direction in terms of innovation.
