WWDC 2013

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mf.luder said:
You really think so? Do those colours fit with the 'flat' comment floating around? On that note, can someone describe what would make a UI flat? (really don't know).
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There's a general movement in interface design that a flatter, more digitally native interface is more true-to-form than a dimensional, textured interface that attempts to pantomime reality.

So the most clear cut example would be Google's interface right now as it used to be just five years ago. All the buttons on Google and Gmail are completely flat. There's a subtle rollover and down (clicked) state on the interface, but it's a flat interface. In the past, just a few years ago, the buttons were ribbed or looked like they protruded. Just think of how the Submit Reply button looks like on GAF: it's dimensional in that it bulges and there's a gradient on it.

Now, I work on UI (tangentally), and this effect is trickling down from consumer markets to corporate/business markets, which I usually take as a sign that we're coming close to expending this trend. I'm sure we'll have a bounceback to another interface sooner rather than later.
 
mf.luder said:
You really think so? Do those colours fit with the 'flat' comment floating around? On that note, can someone describe what would make a UI flat? (really don't know).
Click to expand...

You know when app makers make faux-3D, bumpy and rounded or shiny icons?

Example:

firefox.gif
vs
firefox_icon_2_by_kryuko-d5w6ell.png
(not completely flat) or
Web-Browsers-Firefox-Metro-icon.png
(flat)
Click to expand...
 
rogue_pigeon said:
While I'm sure there's probably more to it than that, my expectation has long been that iOS7 will be somewhat of a stopgap for a truly revised iOS8. That quote certainly seems to point that way.
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I feel the same way. Get people used to change now, so that iPhone 6 is a big change both hardware and software-wise.
 
Talon said:
There's a general movement in interface design that a flatter, more digitally native interface is more true-to-form than a dimensional, textured interface that attempts to pantomime reality.

So the most clear cut example would be Google's interface right now as it used to be just five years ago. All the buttons on Google and Gmail are completely flat. There's a subtle rollover and down (clicked) state on the interface, but it's a flat interface. In the past, just a few years ago, the buttons were ribbed or looked like they protruded. Just think of how the Submit Reply button looks like on GAF: it's dimensional in that it bulges and there's a gradient on it.

Now, I work on UI (tangentally), and this effect is trickling down from consumer markets to corporate/business markets, which I usually take as a sign that we're coming close to expending this trend. I'm sure we'll have a bounceback to another interface sooner rather than later.
Click to expand...

Yeah this is what I'm thinking. I guess too bad that I'm actually a fan of subtle skeuomorphism like that. I guess I'll wait and see. Signs so far point to no change in basic UI, which I'm fine with.

I can understand the reasoning of making it flatter though. Te iPhone 5 is a beautiful device. Flat, understated and elegant. The current UI is more bubbly and fits the original iPhone and 3G more I feel. One of apple's biggest pluses in my book is that they ale the hardware AND software so there is a kind of integration there. It's time the appearance reflected as such. A design that actually looks like it's PART of the hardware.

I'm sure Ive has been wanting this for ages.

Some actual UI change if like to see is also easier access to settings. Not necessarily widgets or anything like that, but the settings list with endless nested menus and more lists are just way too long and a mess. Who knows where you need to go to change a setting.

I feel adding it into the spotlight kind of like on mac would be one better step, Siri integration even better.

Other stuff I'd like to see is more Siri into the OS as above, and group FaceTime.
 
Now that I actually looked at some icons, I can see that the 'shine' or upper half of the icon is what they could be talking about, right? At least on the stock apps.

Edit: Ah, that makes it very clear. Thanks.
 
mf.luder said:
Now that I actually looked at some icons, I can see that the 'shine' or upper half of the icon is what they could be talking about, right? At least on the stock apps.
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Yup. The iPhone 5 is a flat slab, so icons that match it would be lovely. The shiny bubble plastic look is more reminiscent if the first two iPhones.

And especially since they've been moving the screen closer and closer to the glass, such that buttons nearly appear at the surface. It can look much more like a slab with interactive 'surface' as opposed to a screen (which is why I think they loved the black background for so long).
 
Tobor said:
I'm a little torn, in that iOS is my favorite OS. It works well, does what I want, and I never have to fight with it. I also still like the general look of it. It's like an old shoe, well worn but extremely comfortable. Any kind of drastic change worries me.

That said, if I can't trust Ive to make good changes, who can I trust? If I had to pick anyone alive to overhaul the chrome and finish and tie it in with the hardware, it would be him.
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TNI9mRC.jpg


Definitely a good description for iOS.
 
KingKong said:
Would it be too early for iOS 7/10.9 to have iWatch hooks?
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No too early but Apple wouldn't intentionally expose the hooks until the iWatch is announced. That's assuming of course that the iWatch exists and will released at the same time as the next iPhone
 
It's kinda funny, when iOS moves to the flat card system, it will be said that they are copying Google, when in reality it was Google copying Palm.
 
We already have a taste of the new style. Just look at the welcome screen in Passbook.

Flat icons, no gloss or shine.
 
The new UI skin will be so flat and so devoid of embellishments, that Apple will go back to a flat black homescreen wallpaper and forbid background pictures as it adds distracting color and texture. Y'heard it here first, kids.
 
Look at Loren Brichter's Letterpress for a good example of how skeuomorphic design and flat design aren't "opposites." It uses drop-shadows as visual signals all the time.
 
LCfiner said:
The new UI skin will be so flat and so devoid of embellishments, that Apple will go back to a flat black homescreen wallpaper and forbid background pictures as it adds distracting color and texture. Y'heard it here first, kids.
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Windows 8 start screen
 
rezuth said:
Wonder if it will be more akin to something like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3teSGPrh_MM
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Looks nice I think. Should still go with the rounded corners, I reckon though, just to match the design of the hardware.

Edit: actually, the square looks really good too after a while.
Greyface said:
No, not really. Apple themselves used a black image when users weren't allowed to change the background.
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Huh. Well, I suppose it would've been nice to give the option in the default settings. Seems to me they removed some backgrounds too. There used to be a photo of planet earth, right?
 
I've always made dark, simple backgrounds for myself. Usually make a dark blue or green image and add a layer with a repeating pattern with multiplication at 20% or so just to impart a slight amount of texture.

I'm amazed at the more elaborate backgrounds people use. I get being more creative with your lock screen, but I just need my background to not screw stuff up.
 
PotatoeMasher said:
I've always made dark, simple backgrounds for myself. Usually make a dark blue or green image and add a layer with a repeating pattern with multiplication at 20% or so just to impart a slight amount of texture.

I'm amazed at the more elaborate backgrounds people use. I get being more creative with your lock screen, but I just need my background to not screw stuff up.
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I like to use my own photos, but they tend to be very plain abstract images that focus on colour as opposed to detail.
 
It's easy to imagine engineers cooking up prototypes through the years that for one reason or another didn't make the cut that might see the light of day under new leadership. I guarantee you the guys and gals working on the guts of iOS are incredibly talented folks and if the new leadership is at all worth a damn it'll impress.
 
http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/20...ng-ios-7-delay-on-software-overhaul-tech.html

Ive, 46, has begun revamping iPhone and iPad applications, shunning realistic images, such as wood bookshelves for the Newsstand feature, and he’s exploring more dramatic changes to the e-mail and calendar tools, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private.

Ive is also methodically reviewing new designs, seeking to avoid a repeat of last year’s release of map tools that were widely panned, and he’s encouraging collaboration between the software and hardware divisions, which operated in silos under co-founder Steve Jobs, people said.
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On top of that, Ive is moving the company away from layered and literal -- or skeuomorphic -- design elements, toward ones that are intended to give the software a flatter design that’s more unified and less cluttered, according to people familiar with the changes. Bigger shifts, to such features as e-mail, may not even be ready this year and may be introduced in future releases, people said.

Longer term, Ive also has shown interest in altering how people control their computers. He has met with makers of gesture technology that lets people navigate their gadgets by moving their hands -- without touching the screen, said a personal familiar with those interactions.
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Ive’s expanded role was on display in March when he led a more than two-hour town-hall meeting at the De Anza 3 auditorium in Cupertino. Cook sat listening as Ive spoke at length about the shifts under way, said two people familiar with the gathering.
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While the exact changes Ive is implementing to Apple’s mobile software remain secret, they are significant enough that those with test versions have a special film over their iPhone screens to obstruct what others can see, one person said, a detail previously reported by the website Daring Fireball.
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All according to Keikaku.
 
I'm stupidly excited to see what this will look like. I'm not silly enough to think it'll change how I use iOS, I'm just super curious to see what Ive will do with software design.
 
LCfiner said:
I'm stupidly excited to see what this will look like. I'm not silly enough to think it'll change how I use iOS, I'm just super curious to see what Ive will do with software design.
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I wonder if he will present it onstage himself or have one of his minions do it.
 
CrunchinJelly said:
I wonder if he will present it onstage himself or have one of his minions do it.
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ah yes, the metagame of guessing the keynote presenters.

I'm thinking If Apple wants to focus and call attention to the UI separate from the features, I think he'll be up there to talk about it. He's rarely up there but if they consider it a big enough change, he's the guy to do it.

But if the reveal will be in the style of previous iOS reveals, with the UI chrome just being one bullet point, then it'll be a combo of Schiller and Federighi for iOS and Mac OS. Pretty much like before.
 
Greyface said:
C'mon giga, you posted only the positive parts of the article and not even the title: Apple’s Ive Seen Risking IOS 7 Delay on Software Overhaul
Is there anything to these delay rumors or is it mere analyst speculation?
Click to expand...
The second quote talked about delaying features in a future update. Also, I almost never show titles to links I post.
 
Greyface said:
C'mon giga, you posted only the positive parts of the article and not even the title: Apple’s Ive Seen Risking IOS 7 Delay on Software Overhaul
Is there anything to these delay rumors or is it mere analyst speculation?
Click to expand...

I would guess analyst speculation. There were rumors floating that iOS 7 and an iPhone 5S would debut this summer, but that always sounded stupid - they always release developer previews of new iOS versions so that apps can be ready for the changes when the new OS launches, and the last two iOS versions weren't available as previews until WWDC in June, so there was never much chance of iOS 7 hitting this summer. It'll be this fall, just like 5 and 6 before it.
 
giga said:
The second quote talked about delaying features in a future update. Also, I almost never show titles to links I post.
Click to expand...

Guess Who said:
I would guess analyst speculation. There were rumors floating that iOS 7 and an iPhone 5S would debut this summer, but that always sounded stupid - they always release developer previews of new iOS versions so that apps can be ready for the changes when the new OS launches, and the last two iOS versions weren't available as previews until WWDC in June, so there was never much chance of iOS 7 hitting this summer. It'll be this fall, just like 5 and 6 before it.
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Yeah I agree. If Ive trying to avoid Forstall's mistakes then imperative would be not to release the UI changes piecemeal as some sort of beta but to wait until its done. We'll see soon enough.
 
http://allthingsd.com/20130501/apples-ios-7-team-in-deadline-crunch-mode-adding-engineers/

Sources who declined to be named because they are forbidden to talk publicly about Apple’s plans tell AllThingsD that the company has been “borrowing” engineers from the OS X 10.9 team as part of an effort to double down on iOS 7. “Yes, yes — it’s essentially a repeat of the iPhone/Leopard scenario,” one source said, referring to Apple’s 2007 decision to pull engineers from OS X 10.5 to work on iPhone. “Not as much of a fire drill, though. It will ship on time.”

News of Apple’s iOS 7 scramble was first reported by Daring Fireball last month, and reiterated today by Bloomberg.

So what is it about iOS 7 that has caused Apple to rally additional engineering resources? It’s a pretty big update. With SVP of Industrial Design Jony Ive now oveerseeing interface design, sources say Apple has adopted a unified approach to software and hardware design. And evidently the spartan, elegant aesthetic that Ive has developed around Apple’s hardware is now being brought to bear on its software, as well. Last week, 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman reported that iOS 7 would feature a “flat” design that favors simplicity over flash. I’ve heard similar descriptions from sources who say iOS 7 is iOS “de-glitzed.”

“Put it this way,” said one source who has been briefed on iOS. “You know Game Center’s green felt craps table? Well, goodbye, Circus Circus.”

Not a surprise, really. With Scott Forstall — an advocate for flashy, skeuomorphic design and its stitched-leather and faux-wood-grain flourishes — now gone from Apple, and Ive in an expanded role, the current and former Apple employees I’ve spoken to say iOS 7 was destined for a new coat of paint. As one said, “Sounds like a much-needed ‘de-Forstallization.’”
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Jim also confirms it will ship on time: http://www.loopinsight.com/2013/05/01/on-the-rumor-that-ios-7-will-ship-on-time/
 
giga said:
http://allthingsd.com/20130501/apples-ios-7-team-in-deadline-crunch-mode-adding-engineers/



Jim also confirms it will ship on time: http://www.loopinsight.com/2013/05/01/on-the-rumor-that-ios-7-will-ship-on-time/
Click to expand...
And that should quell any fears of delays.

Ten improvements we'd like to see in iOS

Macworld said:
Control points
Too many of iOS’s oft-used controls are buried several levels deep...

A new home
The iOS home screen is a classic: It works, and it’s immediately obvious that you’re staring at a collection of apps. But it just doesn’t scale well. I’m jealous of the home screen alternatives available to Windows Phone and Android users—and of those phone’s richer lock screens, too. iOS 7 should bring...

File under ‘file system’
Yes, Apple’s trying to kill off the file system the same way it has the floppy disk and the optical drive—but, at the moment, the replacement just isn’t cutting it. Anyone who’s tried to move a document back and forth between iOS apps has experienced the joy that is having a copy of your file in each app, and no easy way to figure out which one is the most current version. The solution need not be to hearken back to the Open/Save dialog boxes of yesteryear, but iOS badly needs some sort of system for enabling easy data exchange between native apps.

Fair (photo) share
The assymetrical nature of Shared Photo Streams means that you need more than one just to trade pictures back and forth...

Multiply multitasking
iOS 4 added multitasking, and it was great. But now, nearly three years later, it’s feeling a bit underwhelming...

Curb notification overload
or years, we asked for better notifications in iOS. But in some ways, the arrival of iOS 5’s Notification Center has created more problems than it’s solved...

Enhanced text editing
iOS’s text editing is serviceable, but the feature’s peculiarities have begun to drive us a bit nuts...

Drop in AirDrop
OS X’s AirDrop feature, which lets you exchange files with other Mac users via a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connection, is often maligned, but iOS is one place where the feature could be genuinely handy...

Sounder sound options
If iOS’s sound settings make complete sense to you, then we’d really like to hear from you. If only our phone would tell us when you’d called...

Soup up Siri
Apple’s virtual assistant was impressive when it debuted in 2011, but here in 2013, it’s in need of some improvement. It’s not just a matter of expanding the list of compatible services, to which Apple has added only slowly and irregularly, but also of bucking up Siri’s performance. Though Google Search on iOS can’t duplicate all of Siri’s capabilities, it’s impossible to deny that it’s blazingly fast—Siri could use a similar dose of celerity. Moreover, it’s time to address some of Siri’s many shortcomings, like its inability to read you your mail or interact with your settings. We’ve grown used to having an intelligent assistant at our fingertips; now it’s time for Siri to get a little more schooling.
Click to expand...
Any improvement missing?
No mention of skeuomorphic design or a new theme
 
Greyface said:
And that should quell any fears of delays.

Ten improvements we'd like to see in iOS


Any improvement missing?
No mention of skeuomorphic design or a new theme
Click to expand...

Better/more robust search, in my opinion.

On my OSX computers, I pretty much run everything I want with "CMD + Spacbar" and type what I want. Messages, photos, apps, notes, documents, songs, etc. On a phone, I think it could be even more powerful.
 
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