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Jony Ive and the Future of iOS

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BillyMatt87

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 23, 2013
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Just a few questions/thoughts on :apple:'s future software direction under Jony Ive:

Will Jony Ive let his design iOS grow stale for 6 versions before another redesign (like Scott Forstall did)?

Will Jony and his design team take a more active involvement in designing the icons for future versions as opposed to the marketing team?

Do you think the level of complaints and backlash towards iOS 7 will help Jony Ive grow as a UI designer?

Will iOS 8 change nothing visually about iOS? I'm not asking for another complete redesign but visually, it is fairly broken and inconsistent (not to mentioned rushed) so I think some visually tweaks and refinements should be made (icons, buttons, excessive whiteness, etc.) :apple: has had a full year or so to work on 8 and that should've given them more time to release a more polished and stable OS. Not to mention, fully iPad optimized unlike 7.

Given the polarizing feedback of iOS 7, will Jony Ive and :apple: realize they broke one of their core principles: never change for the sake of change?

I wanna hear what other people think of these questions and thoughts. There is plenty to like about iOS 7 (control center, multitasking, paged folders, auto-app updates, etc.) and I sort of like the direction they're going visually (just make it less cartoonish), I just hope they have a more clear vision of where they would like to go.
 
I'm not looking forward to iOS8, since 7.1b3, UI is getting worse and it's not even clean and simple now, it's just a mess.(new incoming call screen, new slider :-(

All changes in UI iOS 7.1b3+ are for the worse ( except for calendar). Lack of taste...
 

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Simply disgusting, this is neither good skeu rich graphical metaphore, nor clean and flat. Such abomination shouldn't be tested even in beta.
 

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As much as I dislike the entire concept, I think we can probably look forward to more IOS /OSX integration as the two systems "merge" into each other.

I'm not keen, but I think that's the way it's going.
 
Slayter101 said:
Simply disgusting, this is neither good skeu rich graphical metaphore, nor clean and flat. Such abomination shouldn't be tested even in beta.
Click to expand...


You do realize there is more to design than being either skeuomorphic or flat?

The design in your screen shot is as clean as it gets. The only way to make it cleaner would be to exchange the transparency in the background with white or black.
 
I expect the new iOS to make more gradual changes than in the past. Jony and Craig seem more willing to adapt given the inclusion of Control Center and the new multitasking view. I think in terms of appearance, not much will change for a while. I think the backlash from iOS 7 came simply because it's so striking, it doesn't look like any operating system we've seen before. Same with the bright colors and the icons. I think the colors and icons are great because they retain common qualities but are easily distinguishable. I also think the new look will work much better for expanding to new screen sizes, wearables, in the car, etc. than it could have with the old look.
 
treichert said:
You do realize there is more to design than being either skeuomorphic or flat?

The design in your screen shot is as clean as it gets. The only way to make it cleaner would be to exchange the transparency in the background with white or black.
Click to expand...

There is no need to change call screen or slide-to-answer in the first place. It's not broken, why fix it?

New changes doesnt bring anything for better UX, they are only different for sake of being different.
 
The biggest problem with iOS 7 is that the UI wasn't done when it was released. It still isn't.

I don't mind change when there is a benefit but as someone mentioned above iOS7 feels like change for the sake of change. A tremendous amount of usability disappeared. And unlike New Coke, I don't think we're going to get the Old Coke back. iOS 6 was mature both visually and functionally, the result of six years of development. Much of that was tossed out the window for iOS 7. It's sad to see what made the iPhone what it was retired. Ignoring the argument of what the graphic elements should look like, you can't just strip them away for a "clean" look and expect the usability and satisfaction to remain high.

For six years I've seen people pick up iPhones and immediately start to use them and realize they couldn't live without them. :D I can't imagine someone now going into an Apple store and picking up an iPhone for the first time. Watching them trying to figure it out between resprings and animations would be sad.
 
The 5s was my first iPhone. iOS 7 was the first version that didn't look like a Fisher Price toy. I'm severely annoyed by any apps that still look like 6. They look like cheap plastic. I can't properly explain how much I prefer 7 except to say that until it came out I used all Android. Then 7 landed and now I have an iPhone and an iPad.

I even avoid certain apps just because they use that ugly iOS 6 keyboard.
 
Slayter101 said:
There is no need to change call screen or slide-to-answer in the first place. It's not broken, why fix it?

New changes doesnt bring anything for better UX, they are only different for sake of being different.
Click to expand...

Because iOS 7 was rushed and they haven't decided exactly what they want yet. They want the UI more complete for iOS 8.
 
Macman45 said:
As much as I dislike the entire concept, I think we can probably look forward to more IOS /OSX integration as the two systems "merge" into each other.

I'm not keen, but I think that's the way it's going.
Click to expand...

Craig Federighi specifically said in an interview that iOS and OSX were not going to merge.
 
Jony Ive and the Future of iOS

Ugh, not another I hate iOS 7/Jony thread. This is a tired subject lets move on.
 
dannyyankou said:
Perhaps a few minor UI tweaks, but nothing too major. IOS 7 has gotten mainly a positive response. Haters are just very loud.
Click to expand...

Mainly positive? I know several people with iPhones and absolutely none of them like the update. Just because iOS 7 is on 80% of compatible devices doesn't mean the majority of those people are happy with. If a downgrade option was available, then you could see who really likes 7.
 
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JobsGang said:
Yeah such a genius he couldn't even give us control center in 6 years.

This ios 6 love is borderline scary on this board.
Click to expand...

To be honest, we humans are prone to show affection to things we're most familiar with. It's not surprising that certain people still can't let go of their love for iOS 6 and before. But give it another year or two and I'm sure most will be signing a different tune. I for one love iOS 7 and would never go back. Every once in a while I still see people on iOS 6 and it looks incredibly dated. And just HEAVY. iOS 7 feels much lighter, crisper and more modern.
 
BillyMatt87 said:
Mainly positive? I know several people with iPhones and absolutely none of them like the update. Just iOS 7 is on 80% of compatible devices doesn't mean the majority of those people are happy with. If a downgrade option was available, then you could see who really likes 7.
Click to expand...

I can't speak for the public, but a poll I created last month (with a large sample size) suggests that about 75% of people are happy with it, but could use some improvement.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1702617/
 
SomeGuyDude said:
The 5s was my first iPhone. iOS 7 was the first version that didn't look like a Fisher Price toy. I'm severely annoyed by any apps that still look like 6. They look like cheap plastic. I can't properly explain how much I prefer 7 except to say that until it came out I used all Android. Then 7 landed and now I have an iPhone and an iPad.

I even avoid certain apps just because they use that ugly iOS 6 keyboard.
Click to expand...

Ironic considering iOS 7 is the first update that actually does look like a fisher price toy. It's very cartoonish and tacky looking. The design and look of iOS 6 was much classier and elegant. Yes they went carried away with the textures but if iOS 7 had just kept the overall design of 6 minus the unnecessary textures (a la OS X Mavericks), I think most people would be satisfied with that. Also the old keyboard was way more legible and defined. Using apps that still have it make me miss it even more.
 
thelookingglass said:
To be honest, we humans are prone to show affection to things we're most familiar with. It's not surprising that certain people still can't let go of their love for iOS 6 and before. But give it another year or two and I'm sure most will be signing a different tune. I for one love iOS 7 and would never go back. Every once in a while I still see people on iOS 6 and it looks incredibly dated. And just HEAVY. iOS 7 feels much lighter, crisper and more modern.
Click to expand...

It's not necessarily the fact that they changed it but that they changed it for the sake of changing which goes against one their core principles. Also, it has a very tacky, cartoonish look and it doesn't flow well with the sleek and elegant hardware. Just goes to show that just because Jony designs amazing hardware doesn't mean it'll translate well into software. UI and ID are two totally different design fields.
 
BillyMatt87 said:
It's not necessarily the fact that they changed it but that they changed it for the sake of changing which goes against one their core principles. Also, it has a very tacky, cartoonish look and it doesn't flow well with the sleek and elegant hardware. Just goes to show that just because Jony designs amazing hardware doesn't mean it'll translate well into software. UI and ID are two totally different design fields.
Click to expand...

We must be running different operating systems. I generally like IOS 7, and there is room for improvement. IOS 6 looks cartoonish wrt to IOS 7.
 
If anyone actually bothered to read anything about this new design language or pay attention to how apple is run or knows anything about design would know this was a necessary step to push iOS forward. Jony is the one giving overall guidance on the look, Craig's team then comes up with implementation of features and designers create the look for engineering to use. You all really think Jony and his ID team are sitting there creating this????!?!? Hahahaha. Jony says.... I want white space and clean lines and strip away all the textures. The people largely involved are graphic designers and Craig's engineering team with Jony providing overall visual guidance. Jony isn't a software guy , he's not interested and he is ok with that. But that doesn't mean he can't provide guidance for visual aesthetics which is his specialty.

So go ahead and keep beating up on a guy when 99.9 percent of you have no idea how or what goes into designing something. Does iOS 7 have flaws and need to be a bit more refined? Sure it does. But for a team to come up with something completely different in less than a year was just short of a miracle. And it wasn't change for the sake of change. This lays the groundwork for a lot of things including what's going to run on new apple TVs and wearable devices.

Just sayin.......:)
 
I7guy said:
We must be running different operating systems. I generally like IOS 7, and there is room for improvement. IOS 6 looks cartoonish wrt to IOS 7.
Click to expand...

How the hell was iOS 6 cartoonish? I understand you didn't like the skeumorphism but it was anything but a cartoon. The icon and app designs showed how much Apple cared about detail and how the experience was rich and functional yet pleasant and inviting to look at.

iOS 7 on the other hand has icons that look like they were initially drawn by kindergartners then scanned on MS Paint not to mention all the overly saturated color palette that adds to the whole tacky kiddy vibe.

Whether you like 6 or 7, there's no getting around the fact that the Apple that still likes to prides itself on perfection and the smallest details no longer practice what they preach. Now, it more like: Throwing different kinds of ****** on the wall and seeing what sticks.

You can see that new philosophy in the icon designs and how all the apps are blinding white with little to no contrast. It feels like Apple isn't even trying anymore.
 
thelookingglass said:
To be honest, we humans are prone to show affection to things we're most familiar with. It's not surprising that certain people still can't let go of their love for iOS 6 and before. But give it another year or two and I'm sure most will be signing a different tune. I for one love iOS 7 and would never go back. Every once in a while I still see people on iOS 6 and it looks incredibly dated. And just HEAVY. iOS 7 feels much lighter, crisper and more modern.
Click to expand...

Had it not been for Forstall, we wouldn't have had iOS. That was his masterpiece and he did one hell of a job with it.

Was he a douche? Yeah, but so was Steve Jobs and look how well Apple did under him. Forstall was the embodiment of Jobs in many ways and while he was obnoxious and difficult to work with (according to Apple employees), ultimately Cook threw him under the bus because of the Maps app.

Yes, Maps was another rushed product (clearly Apple learned nothing from that) but it wasn't nearly as bad as all of 7. That was just isolated to one app (which they started to improve on later) and everything else was just fine. As there were problems with that app, 7 just ruins the entire OS and I'm still waiting on Cook's apology for that because honestly, a completely chaotic (and unnecessary) OS redesign deserves it more.

The only people that clamored for a redesign of iOS were the tech blogs and pundits. Most of the average consumers and Apple fans (like me) were perfectly content and satisfied with the way iOS looked and functioned. The technology news media and Wall Street got their wish for a redesign, but now we average consumers actually want our redesign but knowing Apple, they're gonna drag this design out for years.
 
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