Details on Jony Ive's 'Very, Very Flat' Design for iOS 7

[Renzatic]

Thanks. So a bit like the look of Flipboard. I could get on board with that.

Sortakinda, yeah. Recent web design trends have been all about looking like a magazine, and I imagine that mindset is gonna leak into UI design sooner rather than later.

We're already seeing that with Metro, though I think it took too big of a departure from traditional UI design to catch on quickly.

 

[name99]

It will be very much in keeping with Apple if they release a flat mobile OS, just like Windows and Android and everyone else these days, but then claim they have invented a new level of flatness that is superior to everyone else's flatness.

Apple will then patent flatness and sue everyone else for flat UI.

Honestly if Apple wants to be revolutionary bring back glass buttons and at least look different than all their competition.

Geeze, if this is Apple's idea of innovation, to duplicate other people's design trends now, its game over.

So you are confident in criticizing Apple for planning to do a bunch of terrible things, based on only a single word, "flat", in a rumor, not even an official pronouncement?

That's some pretty heavy-duty hatred you have living inside you, dude...

 

[Squilly]

Doesn't have too look exactly like Win8 color-wise. Btw, what were you hoping for, more details or what?

Was hoping for more "Apple-like".

 

[Renzatic]

Was hoping for more "Apple-like".

Yeah, and what's that? Pin stripes? Brushed metal? Shiny glass? Bulbous grey? While they tend to stick to the same basic structure, Apple changes up their style all the time.

I think they're well overdue for a refresh, specially with the competition coming out with some pretty decent and interesting UI designs. By this point, iOS is more the old tried and true workhorse than it is the next new thing.

 

[Squilly]

Yeah, and what's that? Pin stripes? Brushed metal? Shiny glass? Bulbous grey? While they tend to stick to the same basic structure, Apple changes up their style all the time.

I think they're well overdue for a refresh, specially with the competition coming out with some pretty decent and interesting UI designs. By this point, iOS is more the old tried and true workhorse than it is the next new thing.

Not saying a refresh wouldn't be nice, just saying I like the current scheme. Making it different would be good though. They should follow the jailbreak tweaks.

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

Throwing a new coat of paint (even FLAT paint) doesn't inherently change the nature of the system. If that's Apple's next "big thing", I'm afraid their stock will continue to slide. They should be thinking ecosystem more than slapping paint on an already nice looking house. Take technology further and do new things, not just change the appearance. Frankly, their change of appearance to iTunes doesn't agree with me at all (I have yet to upgrade my server to the new look that makes it harder to do many things) and so if that is a sign of things to come, I think maybe they should find a new designer.

 

[subsonix]

Throwing a new coat of paint (even FLAT paint) doesn't inherently change the nature of the system.

Obviously.

 

[SeattleMoose]

Here at work we were forced to upgrade from WXP to W7 on our PCs. And the result was EXTREME frustration! The "big change" from XP 2003 to W7 2007 was simply moving stuff around so everyone is lost. Hardly any new useful functionality was added.

I hope Apple is not going down that road....

 

[ECUpirate44]

Just let me jailbreak it so I can make it my own

 

[Gizmotoy]

Throwing a new coat of paint (even FLAT paint) doesn't inherently change the nature of the system. If that's Apple's next "big thing", I'm afraid their stock will continue to slide. They should be thinking ecosystem more than slapping paint on an already nice looking house. Take technology further and do new things, not just change the appearance. Frankly, their change of appearance to iTunes doesn't agree with me at all (I have yet to upgrade my server to the new look that makes it harder to do many things) and so if that is a sign of things to come, I think maybe they should find a new designer.

Part of the problem is that they're getting criticism from all sides that iOS is "stale." IMO, iOS still works pretty well. The best thing they can do to address those complaints without a major overhaul, then, is to slap a new coat of paint on it, as you say.

 

[russ99]

The look of iOS is aging, and not gracefully. It's been 6-7 years now since it has looked the same. The cool becomes stale over time.

I'm not a fan of flat interface design (there is such a thing as "too minimal") but the UI needs a major makeover, so be it.

 

[Renzatic]

Here at work we were forced to upgrade from WXP to W7 on our PCs. And the result was EXTREME frustration! The "big change" from XP 2003 to W7 2007 was simply moving stuff around so everyone is lost. Hardly any new useful functionality was added.

I hope Apple is not going down that road....

If you think the only difference between XP and 7 is only stuff being moved around, you probably need to read up on your included literature a little more.

 

[LordQ]

Yup. I just came across this flier for WWDC '13, and I'm thinking it's a huge, huge hint to what the new iOS is going to look like.

Image

Think the new Passbook app that came out with iOS6, but applied to everything. We'll be losing some of the shiny highlight and bubble effects that Apple seems to love so much, but it won't be quite as flat as Metro.

Though I'm thinking primary colors are gonna figure big in the new design.

There's the iTunes Store, App Store, Safari, Phone, Contacts, Calendar and Notes apps icons

 

[shumatec]

flat design ≠ windows 8

flat sales = windows 8

 

[thekeyring]

My dad, who is 68, recently purchased an iPhone and I received about a dozen calls within the first five minutes on how to use the phone.

For starters, there is no instruction manual of sorts included with the iPhone and so you have to rely upon "ease of use" to use it. Unfortunately, many of the things my father was looking for was buried deep within the iOS.

I think, besides a cosmetics update, the main structure of iOS needs fine tuning. Too many windows or clicks to get to what you need or you find its spread across several areas and not centralized.

It would be nice to have a central page with widgets for information you constantly are checking or need instead of having to click on repeated apps to find that information. Also, the ability to multi task or have two apps open on the same screen would be very helpful. Its difficult flipping back and forth when trying to find and type in phone numbers, links, etc.

Tap an app, it opens. Phone, email, safari, messages, all very simple. Press the button to get back to the home screen. What could be simpler?

 

[GQB]

If you think the only difference between XP and 7 is only stuff being moved around, you probably need to read up on your included literature a little more.

For the vast majority of Windows users, that IS the only difference.

 

[GQB]

excited to see this flat design, would hold me back from switching to android

Wow...
So you'd leave a mature ecosystem and go with company who's design methodology is to throw everything at the wall to see what sticks, because the icons you look at 1% of the time arent whizzy enough?

 

[bumblebritches5]

So basically it is just today's fad in design. But the pendulum will swing back in a few years to bold 3D with crazy psychedelic colors man, and flat will look retro (which it sort of does now anyway). Which is the only reason design people are all about flat. Its just different from what we have seen recently (not necessariliy better).

and gloss, shine, reflections, opacity, and animations aren't a fad?

 

[maxosx]

It's not about flat, it's about ugly and I think most people would agree the apps below are ugly. Maybe if Apple stops focusing so much on ornamental crap they can focus more on functionality.

I agree with you completely.

Not only are the elements ugly, certain ones like the calendar and address book are so old, so out of touch, that many of the younger buyers today have never seen these outdated objects.

Conversely people in their 70's & 80's love this type of stuff, but they are not the future of Apple.

Oh sure I know that many here will argue that iOS sales are fine as they are, but there's nothing compelling about this outdated, irrelevant ugly look. And while Apple sales are very robust, that's not an excuse to become stale, dated and stuck.

 

[sinisterdesign]

Image

Yeah, right.... Flatness is just what Apple needs to compete with Android...

while i'll give you that was pretty funny, you see a flat UI there and i see skeuomorphic folders, trash can, hard drives, etc. albeit just in their 8bit glory.

i like some of the look of Win8, i think they just took it too far. they ended up with form over function while trying to strip out bevels & shadows from their form. i think there's a nice happy medium that's fresh, "flat" and doesn't include any rich Corinthian leather or torn pages.

 

[bchreng]

flat design ≠ windows 8

As someone who uses both OSX and Windows machines, I can say that Windows 8 is plenty flat. From the tiles to the taskbar, the interface looks a lot flatter than Windows 7.

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Wow...
So you'd leave a mature ecosystem and go with company who's design methodology is to throw everything at the wall to see what sticks, because the icons you look at 1% of the time arent whizzy enough?

Well, maybe that and Google Maps and Navigation. You've got to admit that the ***** that does stick, sticks pretty well.

 

[yachiru]

I'm just worried that the new UI will be too different from the previous one... I for one like the bubbles in messages, the phone and messages icons and stuff. These are the three UI elements I love the most, and it would hurt seeing them go

I know, it's stupid. I've been an iPhone user since the 3GS and one of the reasons why I love iOS so much is that it doesn't look lifeless compared to Android or Metro. The bubbly, elaborate and colourful UI is a huge contender for me

 

[Rogifan]

I agree with you completely.

Not only are the elements ugly, certain ones like the calendar and address book are so old, so out of touch, that many of the younger buyers today have never seen these outdated objects.

Conversely people in their 70's & 80's love this type of stuff, but they are not the future of Apple.

Oh sure I know that many here will argue that iOS sales are fine as they are, but there's nothing compelling about this outdated, irrelevant ugly look. And while Apple sales are very robust, that's not an excuse to become stale, dated and stuck.

I'm sure there's some people who like all this detailing and think it shows off how great Apple's software and designers are. And maybe some people that like it because Steve pushed it and whatever Steve wanted was/is the gold standard. But I find it amusing that so many complained when the hardware design of the 4S looked just like the 4 and the the 5 wasn't radically different enough (to some it was just a stretched 4) yet they think the iOS UI is just fine and doesn't need to be changed.

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As someone who uses both OSX and Windows machines, I can say that Windows 8 is plenty flat. From the tiles to the taskbar, the interface looks a lot flatter than Windows 7.

Just because Windows 8 is flat doesn't mean it's the only possible way to implement a more flat design. I love the letterpress app but I don't think Windows 8 when I'm using it. Also I much prefer the new podcast app but again the app doesn't make me think Windows 8. It makes me think the app is no longer ugly.

 

[tevion5]

I don't like stuff that looks like "Game Centre", but the glassy, glossy shiny, dock in OSX from 10.5-present is one of my favourite things on any desktop OS

I don't want things to start looking like a minimalist Ubuntu OS.

 

[yachiru]

I don't like stuff that looks like "Game Centre", but the glassy, glossy shiny, dock in OSX from 10.5-present is one of my favourite things on any desktop OS

I don't want things to start looking like a minimalist Ubuntu OS.

I feel the same... I'm a big fan of skeuomorphism too ._.