Apple’s next software update for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch is going to be a big one. iOS 7 will contain the biggest redesign to Apple’s mobile device software in recent years, according to several credible industry sources, with design chief Jony Ive at the centre of it all.
Leaked iOS 7 screenshots have now revealed for the first time just how different the new software will be, coming from Twitter, of all places. Whilst we don’t get to fully delve into the home pages and systems just yet, a glance at the WWDC app alone gives us plenty of clues as to what’s in store for iOS users.
There’s a new colour scheme, redesigned buttons and almost no signs of any 3D features. This lines up with many reports that say Apple’s Jony Ive has been doing away with animations, 3D design aspects and more in order to make iOS ‘flatter’ and more simplistic.
Black bars have been replaced with clean, silver/white bars and the traditional blue of the top menu bar is also gone in favour of the new colour scheme. It’s no longer black icons that highlight blue; instead we now have silver which highlights to a darker silver/grey.
We can expect this sort of look to be carried out throughout the rest of the iOS system – into Messages, Contacts etc. Whilst there are many comparisons to be drawn, from this early glance it doesn’t look likely that Apple will alienate users with a redesign that’s too far drawn from iOS 6.
Apple is expected to reveal iOS 7 for the very first time next week at its annual developers conference, WWDC. The software will then be available for developers to test for a few months before it goes public around September/October time, around the same time as the next iPhone launches.