Rumors have been flying around about Apple’s new approach to iOS interface design ever since Apple Jony Ive took over on interface design following the departure of Senior VP Scott Forstall. As the unveiling of Apple’s next great mobile operating system approaches, 9to5Mac shares information they’ve received about the redesign of the venerable touch screen interface.
As we reported in April, Apple Senior Vice President of Industrial Design Jony Ive has been leading a thorough overhaul for iOS 7 that focuses on the look and feel of the iOS device software rather than on several new features.
Sources have described iOS 7 as “black, white, and flat all over.” This refers to the dropping of heavy textures and the addition of several new black and white user interface elements.
9to5Mac’s sources also tell them that Apple has revamped iOS 7’s interface several times over the past few months, so until the software is announced at WWDC, interface elements could change from what the company has been testing in recent weeks.
Jony Ive’s distaste for texture-heavy (skeuomorphic) interfaces of the type used in IOS in previous generation has long been know. Ive believes software design filled with physical metaphors doesn’t stand the test of time.
Ive is said to have left his mark on every part of iOS 7, while attempting to keep the essence of iOS intact.
Here are some changes to iOS 7 9to5Mac’s sources have shared with them.
The Lock Screen: The shiny, transparent time bar at the top of the Lock screen will be replaced by a shine-free, black interface. The numbers grid used to enter a users pin code will be replaced by round, black buttons with white text and borders.
Notifications: The Notification Center’s dark linen background will be replaced with a a dark grey/black color with white text. New panels will be included. Localized news feeds are a possibility, and Apple is said to be testing a panel for Wi-Fi, Airplane Mode, and Bluetooth toggle switches.
The Home Screen: App icons will lose their shine, shadows and gloss. the default app icons will be flatter, with less skeuomorphic textures. For example, the Game Center logo loses the green felt and chess pieces.
Panorama wallpapers that pan as the user swipes through the Home screens will be included. You’ll be able to use those panoramic photos you’ve been capturing since the introduction of panoramic capabilities added to the camera app in iOS 6.
Navigation and tab bars have had their gradient textures removed. In some apps, the status bar will lose some of its transparency, and some bars will include a minor blurring effect. The system keyboard will use a lighter shade of gray, and won’t include shadowing.
Apps: Most of the default apps are redesigned to fit the flat black and white theme of the new OS. Bye-bye shredding animation in Passbook!
The Notes app’s famous yellow notepad look is replaced by a flat white look. The Mail, Calendar, and Maps app will have a more uniformed, white textures look. Each app will have a unique button color, basically each app will have a white base with a different color theme.
The new Weather app is reported to have slightly animated images to show the current type of weather.
The new interface should debut at Apple’s WWDC next month, and I for one can’t wait to see what everything looks like. Sir Ive’s design changes should be interesting to say the least. For those looking for more info about the upcoming changes in the interface in iOS 7, I highly suggest perusing the 9to5Mac article.
