I trust Ive and I'm really excited about anything he does. The first thing you can definitely say about almost all Apple products is that they look, feel and work in a very pleasant way. There's of course what he says about what's beyond numbers and what you can describe with words. The iPhone is a flat rectangle with rounded corners, and so is the Samsung Galaxy S4. But for some reason - which one cannot describe in an ad and can't really explain in a simple way - the Samsung just seems like a boring machine while the iPhone has "something about it" that's just positive. It's not one thing, it's the way all the things work together and create that effect. It's THAT effect that most companies simply don't get (and Samsung never got). Some companies/people have it, some don't.
Absolutely agree with this. It's why any Apple/iOS v Samsung/Android debate is a total waste of time. I'm convinced its that left v right hand side of the brain thing.
I was listening to Gruber's podcast earlier, and they were discussing where iOS might be headed. The consensus was that there may be some over reaction to the talk of flattening iOS, and that "flattening" most likely means "making less garish", rather than making it completely flat.
The new podcast app is still a good example - it's flatter, but still has some subtle shading and gradients. But the OTT elements have been binned.
They also made a good point countering the thoughts of some that Ive will rid iOS of all personality. They cited some of the apps currently shown on the iPhone and iPad pages on the Apple site, that someone at Apple obviously likes, and so could be a hint at where Apple might head. So for example, on the iPad page the girl in the balloon in a photo type app, with text on semi transparent layers. Simple, flattish, but still looks good. Or the Catch app on the iPhone page - basically a flatter version of notes, but looks good, and has more functionality than Notes.
Designing something that is quite simple, but also looks good is tricky, but I have every confidence that Ive is wired to tell the difference between simple, and looks a bit naff, and simple, but also looks great.