Following an executive shake-up in October that saw then head of iOS software Scott Forstall leave the company, London-born Sir Jony Ive has taken on more responsibilities at Apple, and is now the leader of human interface. This means that, as well as hardware design leadership, he is more involved with the design of the company’s mobile operating system and other Apple platforms.
Ive’s promotion sparked speculation that Apple may be considering dropping its skeuomorphic interface elements (those that mimic the appearance of real-world objects) in favour of a cleaner, more minimalist design; he is understood to broadly disapprove of skeumorphism. The latest reports support these rumours. Ive now attends the human interface team’s regular review sessions, WSJ’s sources reported, to take a look at and give input into new software designs. Previously, those working on iOS may not have known details of the upcoming mobile devices that would support the operating system.
Keeping things simple
Now that Ive is in charge of both hardware and software design, the human interface team is being briefed about industrial prototypes earlier. The sources report that he is pushing for more of a “fl at design” that is “starker and simpler” for iOS 7. Perhaps the fi rst evidence that Ive really is planning to push Forstall’s skeuomorphic designs out of iOS is the Podcasts app’s update. Version 1.2 of the app ditches the ‘tape deck’ interface in favour of a simpler design.
In early April, a thread between tech reporters on discussion site Branch claimed that Apple is behind schedule with iOS 7. The general consensus was that Ive is working on major changes for the mobile operating system, but that a complete user interface overhaul could be delaying its launch. Daring Fireball’s John Gruber wrote: “What I’ve heard: iOS 7 is running behind, and engineers have been pulled from OS X 10.9 to work on it. Word on the street is that iOS engineers with carry privileges all have some sort of polarising fi lter on their iPhone displays, such that it greatly decreases viewing angles, making it diffi cult for observers to see the apparently rather signifi cant systemwide UI overhaul.”
If Apple manages to get back on track with iOS 7, it’s expected we’ll get our fi rst look at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty predicts it will come with a ‘killer app’: a new service such as a mobile payment system that expands Passbook, or a Spotify-esque music streaming service dubbed iRadio. iOS 7 could also bring a Street Viewlike upgrade to the Maps app, if Apple decides to implement the ‘3D position tracking for panoramic imagery navigation’ named in a recently discovered patent application. Source.iPad 26 iPhone User Issue.74.2C.2013
