With Jony Ive in the driver’s seat for iOS 7, the scent of change is on the breeze. Change itself is inevitable, it’s just a question of how much. According to 9to5Mac’s sources, the answer to that question is “a lot”.
According to several unnamed sources who have been briefed on the upcoming iOS 7, the vibe is “flat”. And we’re talking really flat; one source went so far as to compare it to Windows 8 Modern UI-grade flatness. In addition to the unsurprising banishment of skeumorphism, word is all elements of gloss and shine will disappear as well.
Rumoured to be codenamed “Innsbruck”, iOS is shaping up to be a pretty big departure from the stitching and lined paper of iOS past. Although the changes may be slightly alienating — or if nothing else, a little surprising — to long-time users, they should make things more usable going forward, freeing apps from their leather shackles and velvet curtained cells. And what’s left is rumoured to still be “familiar”, although how that will manifest exactly remains to be seen. The core fundamentals of iOS are said to remain unchanged.
The first hints of this evolution have already shown up in the recently modified Podcast app, and it’s likely that’s only the beginning. We’ll have to wait for WWDC in June before we get a peek at what exactly is in store. It’s bound to be interesting. And, hopefully, refreshing. [9to5Mac]