Former Apple Employee Loren Brichter is Excited About Jony Ive's Promotion

[MacRumors]

Loren Brichter, the creator of Letterpress and Tweetie, sat down with GigaOm to talk about developing iOS apps, the App Store, and more.

Brichter was a member of Scott Forstall's iPhone team early on, and though he didn't have much to say about Forstall's ouster from Apple, Brichter did have positive things to say about Ive's promotion:

"I'm excited about Ive" taking over the Human Interface group at Apple, where he will lead both industrial design and the design of the software that runs on it. "He has good taste." He paused. "But more important than good taste, he has the ability to" -- he points to the MacBook Air in front of me -- "he's true to the materials, to the medium he's working in. One of my complaints about design of iOS is it's doing things that aren't true to the hardware."

"My design goals with Letterpress were to do things that the graphics hardware was really good at. [Ive] is the kind of person who has the same aesthetic. It's not superficial -- he'd think about [the design of iOS and an iOS device] all the way through" not just make something that looked good, he said.

Brichter also disclosed that Letterpress has been downloaded more than 1 million times. Additionally, he developed his own version of the user interface framework -- bypassing Apple's UIKit -- because he "wanted to try."

Article Link: Former Apple Employee Loren Brichter is Excited About Jony Ive's Promotion

[Northgrove]

Yes, his promotion makes me excited for iOS 7 and the forthcoming major OS X release. Although I wonder how much he has time to change. These Apple operating systems are large ships to turn around, even when it "just" comes to the user interface. The entire design language has to come together and this is no small feat to pull off. I hope iOS 7 will at least seed Ive's idea for a modern operating system design though.

[nuckinfutz]

Originally Posted by Northgrove

Yes, his promotion makes me excited for iOS 7 and the forthcoming major OS X release. Although I wonder how much he has time to change. These Apple operating systems are large ships to turn around, even when it "just" comes to the user interface. The entire design language has to come together and this is no small feat to pull off. I hope iOS 7 will at least seed Ive's idea for a modern operating system design though.

I'm confident that Apple will get it done I think they're going to do great things with XPC once it gets to iOS.

[martial900]

I want Ive to make iOS become another reason why we all get the next iPhone. I mean when I saw a windows 8 phone the UI was looking good. And iOS has been stuck on this Android 2.3.5-like hiatus. Yeah we got iOS 6 but its all Forstall appearance that we all grew fond of because art we thought stayed in phone's physicality not UI as well. Ive needs to make our fonts, keyboards and et cetera look jawdropping.

[illegalprelude]

I'm all for I've but lets not forget what Forstall has done for Apple and iOS. It's as if suddenly everyone is like "holy crap, iOS UI is garbage, OS X is garbage."

[TouchMint.com]

Please ohh please fix the iPhone App Store!

[Compile 'em all]

Originally Posted by TouchMint.com

Please ohh please fix the iPhone App Store!

This.

I am not sure though we will see radical changes in iOS 7 which is just 6 months away.

[dizastor]

Perhaps the design evolution of iOS is no longer (For)stalled?

[Eriden]

Originally Posted by illegalprelude

I'm all for Ive but lets not forget what Forstall has done for Apple and iOS. It's as if suddenly everyone is like "holy crap, iOS UI is garbage, OS X is garbage."

The original iOS interface was revolutionary for its time. It has been slow to evolve since.

And though the skeuomorphic stuff has its place, a backlash is developing against too much of it being used.

Forstall is certainly a forward-thinker like Steve was. Still, you have to watch who you're squishing on your way to the top. Had Steve lived another 10 years, we might have seen Apple CEO Forstall in action. Apple is Cook's baby now, and Forstall apparently made enough enemies that synergy in management was more important than whatever vision Forstall brought to the company.

[Zyphras]

I don't see radical changes to the current springboard icon system. It's just too iconic now, and also, I think, psychologically satisfying to have these nuggets of software called Apps in these shiny touchable blocks.

Pinstripes in the Settings app and wherever else it is needs to go.

[The Bulge]

Here comes Jonny and solves all your problems. Don't be naive people.

[ConCat]

Originally Posted by Zyphras

I don't see radical changes to the current springboard icon system. It's just too iconic now.

I don't know if that pun was intended, but I loled.

[Mystic386]

It's clear Ive has good taste and vision. Good taste had been disappearing lately for tacky.

Ive is also a believer in good design right through.

I'm optimistic about the future with him in charge.

I don't expect to see him releasing something half baked.

[Mike MA]

Originally Posted by Northgrove

I hope iOS 7 will at least seed Ive's idea for a modern operating system design though.

I would also love to see some more serious harmonization efforts between the iOS and OS X design - beginning with the removal of skeuomorphism used in the contact and calendar apps for OS X.

[FooMan2011]

Can someone with a little more knowledge please explain how ios 6 isn't true to the hardware? His rant made no sence.

[Rogifan]

Originally Posted by martial900

I want Ive to make iOS become another reason why we all get the next iPhone. I mean when I saw a windows 8 phone the UI was looking good. And iOS has been stuck on this Android 2.3.5-like hiatus. Yeah we got iOS 6 but its all Forstall appearance that we all grew fond of because art we thought stayed in phone's physicality not UI as well. Ive needs to make our fonts, keyboards and et cetera look jawdropping.

Check this out: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/wind...d-power-users/

One thing I hope is Ive doesn't go too flat, and especially doesn't incorporate too much low information density which basically is a bunch of wasted space. It might look nice but what does it do for you?

[jreed91]

I don't think it will be so much Ive but who the people he brings in. I mean who wouldn't want to work under Sir Ive. He's a great bonus for attracting talent.

[olowott]

iphone5s | iOS 7 - Jony Ive's all round design

Am so saving up for this

[Rocketman]

I agree iOS tries to do too much for the hardware in several respects. The recent advances in processor speed has hidden those limitations combined with the increase in device uptake with each generation. On the other hand the fact the 3GS had such long legs and is still "fully" supported is surprising and cool. This may explain why there is a version of iOS for EACH AND EVERY device style. Optimization and presumably imperceptible truncation of some processor intensive tasks in the lower end hardware.

Rocketman

[d4dawg]

I'm curious, what car(s) does Ive drive/own? Not a Dodge RAM pickup, I hope.

[Rogifan]

Originally Posted by d4dawg

I'm curious, what car(s) does Ive drive/own? Not a Dodge RAM pickup, I hope.

Bentley's and Aston Martin's:

[Rocketman]

Originally Posted by Rogifan

Bentley's and Aston Martin's

No front plates of course.

[moderately]

Originally Posted by dizastor

Perhaps the design evolution of iOS is no longer (For)stalled?

Oh, where is my down vote button?

[dazed]

Originally Posted by Rogifan

Bentley's and Aston

2 great looking cars. I wonder what car forstall drives

[smulji]

Originally Posted by Rogifan

Check this out: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/wind...d-power-users/

One thing I hope is Ive doesn't go too flat, and especially doesn't incorporate too much low information density which basically is a bunch of wasted space. It might look nice but what does it do for you?

Exactly. lack of information density is one things I hate most about WP8. Aesthetics is important but at the expense of a functional UI. You need both.