Back when we learned that Apple’s VP of industrial design, Jony Ive, would be leading human interface development across the entire company, many hoped it would mean some big changes for iOS, after years of iterations that appeared minor compared with the major overhaul of Android 4.0 and beyond. With the Worldwide Developer Conference looming just months away, all eyes are on iOS 7, and according to Daring Fireball’s John Gruber, the push to meet its development targets is requiring the company to repurpose resources from the OS X team.
"What I’ve heard: iOS 7 is running behind, and engineers have been pulled from OS X 10.9 to work on it."
This wouldn’t be the first time Apple had to shift engineering resources around in order to meet a deadline. Gruber points to Apple’s 2007 announcement that Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard would be delayed because of the decision to reallocate engineers to the iPhone project. As a consequence, the iPhone made it to market on time in June, but Leopard was pushed back, from June to October.
Ive is reportedly pushing a more modern, "flat" design for the next installment of Apple’s mobile OS, and iMore's Rene Ritchie points out that significant changes to the iOS team like the departure of VP Scott Forstall are also affecting the development cycle. It’s not hard to imagine that the additional design changes would take more time to work through than a typical iOS update, even without the added pressure from personnel changes. But just because Apple is taking engineers off of the OS X team in order to focus on iOS 7, that's no indication that either the availability of the new mobile OS or Apple’s next iPhone, rumored to be arriving in summer, would be affected. The more likely case would be that lower-priority features planned for iOS 7 simply get postponed because of the time constraint. We just hope we aren’t stuck waiting forever for OS X 10.9.
Comments
So it begins!
By Jason Diaz on 04.02.13 9:56pm
You won’t miss the stitched leather on your calendar???
By impulse462 on 04.02.13 10:00pm
I will :/
By JulianoRossi on 04.02.13 10:09pm
i say the stitched leather look is good. there might be some UI discomforts but thats not because of aesthetic.
By Killing_TIme on 04.02.13 10:21pm
There’s nothing wrong with leather or things like that when it’s done right… I mean, look at Fantastical:
Does anyone thinks this is ugly? I honestly can’t think a better looking calendar app than Fantastical, in any platform.
I think people only remember Game Center and Notes app (the worst apps in iOS, by far) when it comes to talk about leather and skeumorphism. I mean, does anyone really thinks Calendar on iPad is ugly? I would say Calendar on iPad is on the same category as Fantastical. It’s a good example of well done skeumorhism.
By JulianoRossi on 04.02.13 10:26pm
It may functionally be awesome, but no, that does not look good.
By Ariez on 04.02.13 10:27pm
Totally subjective. It looks pretty neat.
By jayefef on 04.02.13 11:12pm
It was a subjective question. Just like your answer.
By ninnyjams on 04.02.13 11:37pm
This comment is being subjected to all the subjectiveness.
By cgilmore on 04.03.13 10:50am
Subjectively, of course.
By Boolean Corporation on 04.03.13 10:56am
I like turtles.
By Banzboy on 04.03.13 12:49pm
Bump.
By edditnyc on 04.03.13 4:08pm
Agreed.
By stubble on 04.03.13 1:08am
I really don’t know a single person who saw that app running on an iPhone and thought it was bad. The interactions and skeumorphism (like the fake magnifier) are really neat. In fact, I think there isn’t a single review who doesn’t claim Fantastical UI design.
Maybe I should have gone with a high resolution screenshot… or people really think something like that is better:
Humans…
By JulianoRossi on 04.03.13 6:41am
I wouldn’t call the Android calendar beautiful exactly but I do think it’s much better looking than Fantastical. I’ve seen you posting iOS screenshots in every article that mentions iOS’s purported redesign and every one of them has featured thick, heavy gradients that calls to mind Android’s Gingerbread days or Windows XP.
It’s all down to personal taste obviously. Since you seem to have a penchant for heavy gradients, do you actually prefer Windows XP’s look to that of Window’s 7?
By Sinister-Kid on 04.03.13 6:52am
Gingerbread UI is that:
Apple’s gradients are this:
For me, Gingerbread UI looked ridiculous even in 2009. And even on those days, Apple haters (not saying you’re one of them) tried to convince me Android UI was better, even on those days.
I really didn’t understand your analogy between XP and 7. There’s nothing XP on iOS (besides Game Center, of course). Windows 7 is all filled with Aero, glass transparencies, reflections, shadows, pushed buttons, aqua style selections, etc.
By JulianoRossi on 04.03.13 7:08am
Errr, that’s the Android 4.x UI, not 2.3.×...
By Thade780 on 04.03.13 8:27am
Of course I know. But it still follows Froyo/Gingerbread UI.
By JulianoRossi on 04.03.13 8:40am
Sorry mate but nope, it doesn’t.
By Thade780 on 04.03.13 8:41am
This is not Holo.
Google Maps on iOS follow the modern Google Maps UI:
If you don’t think, could you show me Google Maps in Gingerbread? I’m pretty sure it will be identical to what I showed, just without the system controls at the bottom.
By JulianoRossi on 04.03.13 11:31am
No it doesn’t…
By Nightfall983 on 04.03.13 8:58am
Debatable. The use of gradients to give a “bubble” effect is definitely a Gingerbread UI concept. Holo (4.x) calls for a flat design which for some reason the main screen in the Navigation app forgoes. But once you hit settings it goes to the flat Holo theme. it’s a really odd juxtaposition of UI schemes that’s baffles me ever since they did 4.0
By ShaquilleOatmeal on 04.03.13 10:27am
They’re kind of all over the place too.
Different apps with different level of UIs mixed together. Holo apps with GB styled modal windows, or vice versa. It’s like Google’s own team half assed it so far.
By egojab on 04.03.13 3:54pm
It’s called Google Maps Navigation – it is not part of the OS – If you want to start comparing mapping services that is a box you do not want to open ;-)
By fourthletter on 04.03.13 10:20am
Comparing them from a design/UX perspective is a no brainer, Apple Maps > Google Maps >>>>> Nokia Here crap.
From a backend standpoint, well, Google’s still go that one in the bag.
By egojab on 04.03.13 3:55pm