Skip to main content

iOS 7 said to feature a new look, new sharing features, and streaming music

iOS 7 said to feature a new look, new sharing features, and streaming music

Share this story

WWDC Stock images
WWDC Stock images

WWDC is an annual tradition, and so is the Wall Street Journal's pre-show leaking of what the company is set to announce. This year, the Journal is reporting that Apple will be announcing a new, flatter, skeumorphism-free version of iOS — we've been hearing those rumors for months. But within this new operating system will also be "new ways to share photos and videos with other iPhones," and the long-rumored iRadio service.

The change is apparently long overdue, and Apple employees have become worried that iOS is outdated. The original skeumorphic design was apparently designed to help people understand how to use their iPhones, a 2007 concern that doesn't exist in 2013 — and the Journal reports the iPhone's look is seen within Apple as outdated and inconsistent. That could all change tomorrow, though.

Apple will also announce new laptops and a new version of OS X, the Journal said, though a TV doesn't appear to be in the cards — Apple is reportedly stuck in negotiations with cable companies and networks. Maps and Siri are both mentioned in the preview piece, but neither is apparently due for a big update. The Journal rightly points out that this WWDC is key for Apple, a company currently haunted by the notion that it's out of innovative ideas. With Jony Ive at the iOS helm, WWDC is Apple's chance to prove it's still thinking different.

WWDC kicks off tomorrow, and we'll be there live. Don't miss it.