21 ms·

iOS 7 looks familiar

286 points by vxNsr 13y ago

vxNsr 13y ago
Not to be partisan, or anything. The thing that stood out the most for me was slide-up to unlock, that's been a Windows thing since they began their redesign with WP (from WinMobile). Still I think that somehow Apple did a better job with the flat UI, I'm currently using Windows 8 (by choice) and my phone is a Lumia 521 (again by choice), and I always feel that something is off with the WP/W8 buttons, they just seem too flat or too... just off -- I can't explain it but I get this weird feeling everytime I see them, the buttons and controls just don't feel polished enough. When I first installed W8 on my laptop, I thought it might be because it's a beta product and not finished, then when they shipped those icons, I thought it was just my screen (my laptop is a four year old dell inspiron that shipped with vista, incidentally it runs W8 better than it did W7, and better than vista before that), but now that I have a new smartphone the niggling is justified -- there is something odd about the buttons, especially when compared to the new iOS7.
- kennywinker 13y ago
  Irony: it only looks like it's slide up to unlock. It's actually slide sideways. My twitter stream right now is full of people pointing out how deeply confusing that little arrow at the bottom of the screen is. See it in action: http://appadvice.com/appnn/2013/06/slide-to-unlock-appadvice-goes-hands-on-with-ios-7s-new-lock-screen http://appadvice.com/appnn/2013/06/slide-to-unlock-appadvice...
  - cheald 13y ago
    This is something that really, desperately confuses me. Apple is supposedly the king of intuitive design, and yet here, you have literally the first interface people will see on the phone, with an interaction model which is completely impossible to intuit, and only works for people who are already trained in how to complete the action. I get the desire to eliminate depth, but that little slide gutter and right-pointing arrow tell you exactly what you need to know. The iOS7 UI instructs you to do the wrong thing!
    - sosuke 13y ago
      The text slide to unlock has a shine animation that moves from left to right.
      - cheald 13y ago
        I get that, but I think it's very difficult to make an argument that given a new user, it would be interpreted as an interaction cue rather than just visual polish. The presence of the up arrow is actively misleading, from a UX perspective. It's like having a slide toggle that you have to double tap to activate!
        scott_s 13y ago
        The up arrow is to indicate sliding up - but for the control center, not to unlock. I agree that a new user may be surprised. But having seen all three work once - slide left-to-right to unlock, down for notifications, up for control - it makes sense to me.
        Samuel_Michon 13y ago
        iPhoneOS/iOS has been around for 6 years. 600 million devices have been sold that all have the same ‘slide to unlock’ mechanism. Now that the majority of phones being sold are smartphones, Apple must’ve felt that it’s OK to remove some of the training wheels. Whether that’s wise remains to be seen. Microsoft finally removed the ‘Start’ button from Windows, but that has been met with quite some resistance, from new and experienced users alike. Few people read user manuals, which Apple knows. It doesn’t even ship a physical user manual with their iOS products (just a thin quickstart guide). There are in-depth user manuals available for download[1], but the percentage of iPhone owners who read it must be negligible. I often meet iOS users who don’t know that double-tap on the Home button brings up the app switcher. As the OSes on these mobile devices become more capable over time (and the interaction model grows more complicated), users may need to start treating them as computers that require learning beyond trial and error. [1] http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/iphone_user_guide.pdf http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/iphone_user_guide.pdf
  - drivebyacct2 13y ago
    What in the ever loving hell is that arrow for then? edit: I guess it seems obvious now...
    - rdouble 13y ago
      It brings up the control panel.
    - kunai 13y ago
      It's there for the quick settings toggles.
    - olgeni 13y ago
      It starts a thermonookular war on Android.
  - benaiah 13y ago
    Interesting - the animation for the unlocking is somewhat similar to the animation when swiping between pages in the app list on Android Jellybean (I'm not criticizing the copying, just noting the similarity). Given the focus on layers in the rest of the design (the control panel and notifications center, for example) I would have thought the unlock screen would slide off like a layer, as well (since they are using the visual metaphor of dragging the whole unlock screen, rather than sliding a specific unlock element, as in previous version of iOS). Any thoughts as to why they did that differently? Am I just totally off base?
  - zmmmmm 13y ago
    Particularly ironic since Apple made such a big deal out of their slide to unlock patent, being a competitive advantage etc. and specifically tied to moving something from two explicit points along a predefined path. Now after all that fuss they just threw it away and copied their competitors?
    - _pmf_ 13y ago
      > Now after all that fuss they just threw it away and copied their competitors? No, you're not using the right lingo. If it's Apple, they do not throw away; they "evolve". They also do not copy, they "refine the experience".
- noginn 13y ago
  My two year old daughter figured out how to unlock my iPhone by sliding her thumb across the slider. Interested to see how she'll find the iOS 7 interface. Toddler usability testing :)
  - marpstar 13y ago
    My son, also two years old, can unlock iOS6. He cannot, however, unlock my Galaxy S3, which offers no visual "unlock" slider. It's insane how well a two-year-old can interact with touch devices.
  - Pxtl 13y ago
    My 2 year old did it on my winphone, which uses a full-screen slide to unlock.
- soundoflight 13y ago
  Actually, I think Zune HD was the first Microsoft product with the slide up to unlock. (Obviously close enough)
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
Recoil42 13y ago
The lock screen looks much closer to Android's than it does Windows Phone, as Droid Life points out: http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/that-moment-when-ios7-became-android/ http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/that-moment-when-ios7-b...
- makomk 13y ago
  I actually first saw the new lock screen linked by some random comment poster on one of the tech sites and had to double-check that it wasn't some Android variant and that they weren't having me on. Not joking.
richkuo 13y ago
In a general sense, this is natural design evolution - where Darwin's mutation and natural selection concepts can be applied (generally) to the evolution and advancement of good/effective design. The windows phone likely took some of its design concepts from previous iOS and Android designs, and now iOS7 is 'evolving' the same way. This (evolution) can be described as a recursive process: keep the things that work (natural selection), try something new (mutate) with the things that didn't work. I would also like to note that I find iOS7's weather app design closely resembles Yahoo's weather app, more so than the Windows' phone.
- richkuo 13y ago
  great post btw
- dubcanada 13y ago
  In regards to the Yahoo weather app, if you look very closely in the bottom right you will see they are pretty much the exact same thing. Both taking from the same location (Yahoo Weather) and both formatting it similar to how Yahoo does already. No sense in redoing something that is already well done.
- JosephHatfield 13y ago
  The Yahoo Weather app is quite well done and I think one of the best weather apps on the iPhone. Apple couldn't have chosen a better weather app to "steal" from.
  - Samuel_Michon 13y ago
    Apple likes Yahoo!’s Weather app so much they gave it a Apple Design Award. Their review: “Yahoo! Weather stands apart with its simple, uncluttered, and beautiful visual design. This highly-rated app displays weather details with stunning photography based on time of day, location, and current conditions. Yahoo! Weather has great layout and typography, compelling animations, fast image processing, and clear iconography. This attention to detail means that in a saturated category, an app can rise above the crowd.” https://developer.apple.com/wwdc/events/awards/#yahoo-weather https://developer.apple.com/wwdc/events/awards/#yahoo-weathe...
bane 13y ago
You know, I can see that. If Android is ripping off iOS that really means that for iOS to step up and get modern, Android isn't the template to follow -- Android is stuck with innovating off of iOS's past accomplishments...it's innovating while walking backwards. WM, being a ground-up re-imagining of how smart phones work is looking forward...better to co-opt some of those ideas instead...be in a position of innovating while walking forwards.
- cheald 13y ago
  What makes you think that Android is ripping off iOS?
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
  - bobsoap 13y ago
    Perhaps the same thing that seems to have convinced most every Apple user that their products are magical and categorically superior to every other product in existence: good marketing paired with illusory naivety on the receiving end.
- da_n 13y ago
  You obviously have not used modern Android, or are ignorant of Android's own innovations and design language. See here where iOS7 "borrows" a lot of stock Android features and design language. https://securecdn.disqus.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/516/528/original.jpg https://securecdn.disqus.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/516/5... http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/ios7-vs-android-a-quick-comparison-after-the-wwdc-keynote/ http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/ios7-vs-android-a-quick... https://plus.google.com/112995668742108647641/posts/dmSKzTwC57c https://plus.google.com/112995668742108647641/posts/dmSKzTwC...
gte910h 13y ago
The OS looks far better on a device in front of you than on a static picture on a website or on a projector on a wall.
- myko 13y ago
  Everything except the home screen icons/default background. Those are still fairly hideous. Still time to fix it though, I don't expect Apple to leave it in this state. I'm more concerned with why hasn't Apple made lower case keys show up on the keyboard yet? This is a no brainer.
  - gte910h 13y ago
    Of all of those, only the settings one really bothers me
  - omni 13y ago
    As I look at the upper-case keys on my 2012 Macbook Pro, I'm not sure why you think they are going to do this.
    - myko 13y ago
      The keyboard could easily switch between upper and lower case depending on what the user is actually entering. Why wouldn't they do that? It just seems like an easy win.
      - kunai 13y ago
        I don't really see how this is a huge step up in terms of usability...
        dschep 13y ago
        Dunno about myko, but every time I use an iOS device it really confuses me. Comparing it to a physical keyboard isn't fair, since on software keyboards shift is stateful. lower/UPPER casing the keyboard is a much larger (very convenient) indicator of that state than the altered shift button.
philthesong 13y ago
We are talking about smartphone screens. There are not lots of flexibilities for UI design. You either slide up or to the side for a lock screen. And what about time?
- cheald 13y ago
  Sure there are. Android has seen a lot of different lock screen types - drag the small circle out of the big circle, drag the small circle into the big circle, "rotary dial" unlock, pattern unlock, and Samsung's (or was it HTC?) "fling the whole screen" unlock style. Contextual gesture unlock/launch mechanisms are actually pretty popular. Here's an example with 4 options, but that is by no means the only option set. http://cloud.addictivetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/MIUI-4-Launher-Port-Android-Lock-Screen.jpg http://cloud.addictivetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/MI...
  - SEMW 13y ago
    The reason for all that creativity is to try and get around Apple's breathtakingly broad patent for unlocking a phone by moving along a "predefined displayed path". http://www.google.com/patents/US7657849 http://www.google.com/patents/US7657849
_progger_ 13y ago
It's a cross between WP and Android. It's a very strange feeling when you realise you could do a better job at UX design then a multi-billion company.
- mattermill 13y ago
  Unfortunately, not many others would be willing to put much faith in someone with the grammar of a 6th grader to do a better job at UX design than a multi-billion dollar company.
  - infinitone 13y ago
    https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/ad-hominem https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/ad-hominem
    - benaiah 13y ago
      It's actually not an ad hominem. A firm grasp of language, grammar, and communication is actually recognized, albeit informally, to be a good signal of technical skill and design effectiveness. If he can't refine his linguistic communication well enough to convey such a simple sentence, how can he be expected to refine his visual communication (i.e., UX design) well enough to surpass one of the leading UX teams in the industry? There are further reasons it's not an ad hominem - I recommend you read The Ad Hominem Fallacy Fallacy [1]. I don't mean to criticize - I made the same mistake until recently, so I offer the article in a spirit of goodwill, not superiority. [1]: http://plover.net/~bonds/adhominem.html http://plover.net/~bonds/adhominem.html
      - gurkendoktor 13y ago
        I'm not saying that it is an ad hominem, but I've read through the page and I think the connection between grammar and design skills is a red herring. The page considers this an ad hominem too, even though having a grasp of logic is clearly important for making A's statement: A: "All rodents are mammals, but a weasel isn't a rodent, so it can't be a mammal." B: "Well, you've never had a good grasp of logic, so this can't be true." Maybe I'm not seeing the difference though (not a native speaker, just curious).
shurcooL 13y ago
I don't understand this obsession with complaining about copying or imitating in design. As long as good things are taken and worse things are left behind, the consumers benefit. It's like being upset that the 2014 cars have the same steering wheel and pedal layout, or that a manufacturer "stole" the idea of using a USB port in a car.
- hawleyal 13y ago
  No, it's like someone having a good idea, and someone else saying it was theirs.
  - myko 13y ago
    When did this happen?
    - dirkgently 13y ago
      When Apple patented Rounded Corners(TM)(R)(C) and declared it to be theirs.
      - deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]
      - Volpe 13y ago
        When did this happen? Or did you mean when they took out a design patent for a touch screen device of iPad like dimensions with very specific rounding on their corners that is reflected in the rest of their product line as well. I'm pretty sure, that particular patent of Apple's is EXACTLY what design patents were invented for. Disclaimer: I don't believe in the patent system at all, but the system exists, so the players play it.
- jspark 13y ago
  Different people have different reasons for idolizing Apple, and one would be its role in the past half decade as the innovator, the leader, or the envelope-pusher. Taking cues from other companies' products goes against the refreshing originality we've enjoyed from Apple so much. Disclaimer: I'm not saying I personally agree or even think this viewpoint is entirely true; just offering some insight.
batbomb 13y ago
Get over this already. "Flat" design or whatever the hell we all want to call it has been the application of the International Typographic Style to UI elements across phones. If you are worried about somebody ripping somebody off, worry about the works from Jan Tschichold, Adrian Frutiger, or Josef Müller-Brockmann being ripped off, not MS, Apple, Android, or whoever else.
marknutter 13y ago
Cached: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:chris.millr.org/ios-7-looks-familiar-cant-quite-put-my-finger-on-it/ http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:chris.m...
emehrkay 13y ago
Ha. Apple removes some gloss and all-of-a-sudden it looks like OSes that post-date it.
- nivla 13y ago
  You do realize that there is more to flat design than just removing gloss? If I were to agree with your statement then I would say the opposite is also true. Draw a rectangle, add some gloss and voila.. Apple's design right?
  - emehrkay 13y ago
    Put the iOS images side by side, shit even ignore the ios7 images, and the difference is gloss(and button shape). My point is that layout/placement of elements seem to be a constant, while it is actual dress that is the differentiator. Functionally it seems that iOS hasn't changed. The lock screen looks different, but seems to behave as it does now (the bokeh effect is the only thing that compares from this article). And I can't fault them for taking WebOS' multitasker, every small-screen os should use it.
taktix 13y ago
I have the Lumia 920 and Microsoft absolutely nailed the design of the OS. It works seamlessly with Office Live/Online/365 whatever the heck they call it too. The home screen of the phone agitates my OCD something fierce because I have to get it just right or... I'll... die... Seriously though, its a great phone and if you need one for work like I do, might as well get one you really like.
- Gigablah 13y ago
  Lumia 900 owner here. OS is nice, but the apps... just as an example, I got really frustrated with IE this morning because it didn't recognize StartCom as a trusted certificate authority, and it doesn't cache my response (to ignore the warning and browse the page anyway). The https page loaded the first time, but subsequent pages just showed blank screens. And that stupid SSL warning page just kept popping up. It's 2013 and I can't browse certain web pages with my expensive smartphone...
snowwrestler 13y ago
Where oh where did Microsoft get the idea to totally rebuild their mobile OS around the concept of a full-face capacitive touch-screen?
- DaemonHN 13y ago
  I don't see what this has to do with iOS7 looking similar to Windows. See: https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/tu-quoque https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/tu-quoque
- SEMW 13y ago
  Microsoft and Palm have been building full-face touch-screen mobile devices since the late 1990s. Full-face Touch-screen PocketPC phones started coming out in 2002ish. Yes, they were resistive rather than capacitative touch-screens. That wasn't because it didn't occur to anyone to use a capacitative touch-screen before Apple, it was because the technology wasn't mature enough before around 2006/7. And if even you want to make the (silly) argument that whichever manufacturer happens to be the first to bring out a full-face capacitative touch-screen phone can somehow claim to have invented the concept, that honour goes to the LG Prada.
CanSpice 13y ago
During the WWDC keynote I tweeted this: "Not sure what's worse about WWDC keynote days: Apple fans cheering for new features or Android/WP fans saying "we have that already"." It's boring and repetitive and expected. Yeah, they mimic. Big deal. Get over it.
- infinitone 13y ago
  Samsung would like to have a word with you. (motioning the lawsuit that Apple took up against them last year over petty things like rounded corners)
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
greghinch 13y ago
These arguments always strike me as coming from people who don't actually understand what design is. The folks who think that design is the font face, the weight of lines, the colors used. Those are all facets of design, but they are essentially just tools to accomplish the goal: experience and engagement. What you are noticing are just trends, and this is nothing new. Look back over the history of even just twentieth century graphic/print design, and you will see how marked trends define periods in time. The fact that one product or group uses the same or similar elements to another does not say that one is the copy of another, simply that they are both products of the same era. I haven't used iOS 7 yet, so I can't say this with certainty, but based on my experience with Apple, I feel pretty confident to say that they may have integrated similar graphic motifs you're familiar with from other platforms, but the end experience will be leaps and bounds better than others who've tried to implement the same elements. There is real thought put into how a person will best use this product, not just how clean and pretty the UI can look.
- thezilch 13y ago
  These arguments always strike me as coming from people who only spend time with Apple's designs. The folks who think that only Apple designers are leaps and bounds better, are the only thoughtful producers, and are the sole visionaries beyond just the UI. Let's face it; look to the Samsung vs. Apple case to see how it is the laymen making billion dollar calls. Not designers. It's not designers that Apple has a majority rule over.
  - nilliams 13y ago
    >> The folks who think that only Apple designers are leaps and bounds better Parent doesn't say that at all, or make any comparisons.
    - James_Duval 13y ago
      S/he's illustrating how meaningless it is to say "this is the kind of argument made by people like x", and how easily such an 'argument' can be turned on its head.
andyhmltn 13y ago
You see the thing is that it's nothing like windows phone. Having had it all day, I can definately not see any such 'copying.' The style of the design is not the design itself. To copy is the act of replicating something.
jwarren 13y ago
Everyone is so quick to judge the static pictures. But Apple took great pains to point out how this is a reactive system, how movement, suggestion and gesture follow the user's interactions. Sure, the current culture of design appreciation that they played a big part in has now started moving faster than they are. But that's mistaking visual decoration for how something works. Based on past experience, I trust Apple to make it more than skin deep.
mtgx 13y ago
Another one: http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/ios7-vs-android-a-quick-comparison-after-the-wwdc-keynote/ http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/ios7-vs-android-a-quick...
- emehrkay 13y ago
  Apple clearly took ideas from Google/Android. However, Apple's offerings look to have a level of polish that the Android ones do not have. Each and every comparison on that page looks like Google's engineers' visuals vs Apple's artists' -- thats the thing that "regular" people will instinctively gravitate to -- the one that is pretty.
  - JacobSkyler 13y ago
    The only Android screenshots that look less pretty to me are the ones taken in the middle of doing something, e.g. the Android lock screen notifications which is in the process of being pulled down vs. the Apple one which looks a lot cleaner because it's fully extended.
hdra 13y ago
I actually think the homescreen icons look kind of similar to the one in Symbian (especially Safari - Ovi Maps).
jsz0 13y ago
You could put Android, WP and iOS side-by-side and they are going to look (and work) more alike than different in most areas. That's what happens when these products reach a huge mass market. There is too much risk (for established players) to diverge too far from what is familiar to so many people. Also why it's so difficult for non-established players to compete. They can't diverge very far from what people are familiar with. We're locked into basically the same SmartPhone flavors until the hardware changes so radically that the software has to change radically to accommodate it.
andyharl 13y ago
"Good artists borrow, great artists steal." ~ Pablo Picasso All these interfaces are pillaging the Bauhaus! Shame on them! Shame Shame Shame! (-; http://www.effectiveui.com/blog/2013/04/26/an-historical-perspective-of-flat-versus-rich-usability-design/ http://www.effectiveui.com/blog/2013/04/26/an-historical-per... In all seriousness though, there isn't any original design. To think that the goal of design is to snatch something from thin air in moments of lighting like brilliance is a gross misconception. Designing is solving problems.
jroseattle 13y ago
The similarity to Windows Phone and some concepts I first saw on Android were what caught my eye here. And do I think that's a bad thing? No. I think what has everyone generally up in arms is that, with Apple, they never look like they're copying anyone. Until they do. And what frustrates others is when users try to explain away how it's not really a copy, it's something different because it's done oh-so-much better. I don't really care all that much, but one thing is certain -- the new iOS7 design looks more like designs of competitors than it does the previous iOS line.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
shortstuffsushi 13y ago
When I see the new screenshots, I can only think of the old, maybe 2003 era Microsoft Powerpoint themes. I haven't quite been able to pin down what about it is drawing the parallel for me, but it is. Having an unfortunately difficult time finding a relevant link :(
daddy2twin 13y ago
Flat design has been around for a while. I remember seeing them on phones before iPhone 1, and also on various Linux desktops. People says Microsoft or Google did this first hasn't been around enough. Personally, I like previous version better. As for other features, iPhone jailbreaking community should take more credit then Google or others, quick access to wifi and other settings. I remember seeing them on jail broken iPhone way before Android.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
brown9-2 13y ago
The incoming phone call and last screenshots are unfair - the iPhone of today would look a lot more similar to Windows Phone and iOS 7 if there was a facial photo of the caller and if the background image was a bunch of dots.
Oculus 13y ago
"We(Apple) have always been shameless about stealing great ideas" - Steve Jobs We progress by improving upon the current best. Clearly Apple felt that Microsoft had taken some steps in the right direction.
Sealy 13y ago
I'm getting a 404 for that link. Anybody got a mirror?
nikster 13y ago
iOS7 after day 1. This Steve Jobs quote comes to mind: "Design is not how something looks; design is how it works" Everything about iOS, and all the included apps, has been taken apart, and put back together. Everything has been questioned. This is amazing because I think it's the basis that will take Apple and/or iOS to a whole new level. iOS 7 is not an evolution - it's a revolution.
- jmduke 13y ago
  iOS 7 is not an evolution - it's a revolution What the hell does that even mean? We can wax poetic about design and UX or we can accept that what they did was change the way something looks and feels, which is ultimately not the same thing as changing what something does. I'm not underplaying the importance of design, but I think calling something that ultimately does not affect the capabilities of the device a 'revolution' is a bit of an exaggeration.
  - eddieroger 13y ago
    I'm not necessarily going to defend waxing poetic, but the visual changes (which everyone has been harping on) are being driven by some pretty significant changes in UIKit that really are a revolution in how iOS apps will be written and used.
  - nikster 13y ago
    Repeat as you maybe missed it the first time around: "Design is not how something looks; design is how it works" iOS 7 doesn't change the looks. It changes how everything works. All the built in apps have been changed completely. The entire OS layer has been changed completely. A revolution is not poetic - it means a significant change where all the old paradigms are thrown out and replaced with new ones. I was up until 1:00 am yesterday night finding more and more features and changes, and I am still finding more changes. I know it's not technically but it certainly feels like iOS has been re-written from scratch.
- krichman 13y ago
  I disagree that it's a revolution but think it's a much needed refresher. They also introduced some features that I think they've been lacking. It's a much better upgrade than 5 and 6 IMO.
smegel 13y ago
I'm not convinced. They seem to share a very high level "clean" theme, but there are enough differences to make me feel it is not a knock off. It does make their old design look rather gaudy though.
mambodog 13y ago
Considering iOS 7 is a 'flat' redesign, it's hardly surprising that it bears stylistic similarities to other flat mobile UI designs. The flat trend in web and app UI design has been building for the last couple of years. We're at a point where flat is simply the present zeitgeist of UI design. However, 'flat' largely covers superficial aspects of design. Where iOS still differs is in the actual meat of the design; the interactivity and user experience. Also, as the page was down for me, here's the Google cached page: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:FATZrqhzREAJ:chris.millr.org/ios-7-looks-familiar-cant-quite-put-my-finger-on-it/ http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:FATZrqh...
skeletonjelly 13y ago
Mirror anyone? Edit: Text: http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/ios-7-looks-familiar-cant-quite-put-my-finger-on-it/ http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/ios-7-looks-familiar-ca... Images: http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/01-Weather.jpg http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013... http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/02-Call.jpg http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013... http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/03-Multitasking.jpg http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013... http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/04-Lockscreen.jpg http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013...
6ren 13y ago
good artists copy, great artists steal (and yes microsoft does work worth stealing). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU
- Tomis02 13y ago
  Yes, and when Apple steals it's called "innovation".
harel 13y ago
Apple on Anderoids
harel 13y ago
Apple on Anderoids
harel 13y ago
Apple on Anderoids
harel 13y ago
Apple on Anderoids
harel 13y ago
Apple on Anderoids
wisty 13y ago
Honestly, I think iOS has gone too flat. Flat is beautiful, and easy to use, if it strips away non-functional chrome. It's even more beautiful, but a little hard to use, if it obscures the controls. A pro user (say, one who's trained on a previous version, and knows what functions are available) might feel at home, but it's just not intuitive anymore.
harel 13y ago
Apple on Anderoids
harel 13y ago
Apple on Anderoids
harel 13y ago
Apple on Anderoids
tomelders 13y ago
You first have to start with the fact that every smartphone has copied the iPhone† From there, it's impossible to see how Apple could possibly change anything without someone somewhere claiming that they've ripped off something from somewhere else. But the people they're allegedly ripping off have in turn ripped off Apple, rendering the entire debate pointless. †Not that it's a bad thing, once the iPhone came out, everyone else had to copy it. The first iPhone was the starting point for how all smartphones from that point on shoud be.
pizu 13y ago
Noooooooooooooooo? OMG!
outside1234 13y ago
no, you don't understand. when Apple copies people it is "amazing" and "revolutionary". when other people copy Apple it is a "lawsuit" and "evil." get with the program. :)

286 points by vxNsr 13y ago

vxNsr 13y ago

Not to be partisan, or anything. The thing that stood out the most for me was slide-up to unlock, that's been a Windows thing since they began their redesign with WP (from WinMobile). Still I think that somehow Apple did a better job with the flat UI, I'm currently using Windows 8 (by choice) and my phone is a Lumia 521 (again by choice), and I always feel that something is off with the WP/W8 buttons, they just seem too flat or too... just off -- I can't explain it but I get this weird feeling everytime I see them, the buttons and controls just don't feel polished enough. When I first installed W8 on my laptop, I thought it might be because it's a beta product and not finished, then when they shipped those icons, I thought it was just my screen (my laptop is a four year old dell inspiron that shipped with vista, incidentally it runs W8 better than it did W7, and better than vista before that), but now that I have a new smartphone the niggling is justified -- there is something odd about the buttons, especially when compared to the new iOS7.

kennywinker 13y ago
Irony: it only looks like it's slide up to unlock. It's actually slide sideways. My twitter stream right now is full of people pointing out how deeply confusing that little arrow at the bottom of the screen is. See it in action: http://appadvice.com/appnn/2013/06/slide-to-unlock-appadvice-goes-hands-on-with-ios-7s-new-lock-screen http://appadvice.com/appnn/2013/06/slide-to-unlock-appadvice...
- cheald 13y ago
  This is something that really, desperately confuses me. Apple is supposedly the king of intuitive design, and yet here, you have literally the first interface people will see on the phone, with an interaction model which is completely impossible to intuit, and only works for people who are already trained in how to complete the action. I get the desire to eliminate depth, but that little slide gutter and right-pointing arrow tell you exactly what you need to know. The iOS7 UI instructs you to do the wrong thing!
  - sosuke 13y ago
    The text slide to unlock has a shine animation that moves from left to right.
    - cheald 13y ago
      I get that, but I think it's very difficult to make an argument that given a new user, it would be interpreted as an interaction cue rather than just visual polish. The presence of the up arrow is actively misleading, from a UX perspective. It's like having a slide toggle that you have to double tap to activate!
      - scott_s 13y ago
        The up arrow is to indicate sliding up - but for the control center, not to unlock. I agree that a new user may be surprised. But having seen all three work once - slide left-to-right to unlock, down for notifications, up for control - it makes sense to me.
      - Samuel_Michon 13y ago
        iPhoneOS/iOS has been around for 6 years. 600 million devices have been sold that all have the same ‘slide to unlock’ mechanism. Now that the majority of phones being sold are smartphones, Apple must’ve felt that it’s OK to remove some of the training wheels. Whether that’s wise remains to be seen. Microsoft finally removed the ‘Start’ button from Windows, but that has been met with quite some resistance, from new and experienced users alike. Few people read user manuals, which Apple knows. It doesn’t even ship a physical user manual with their iOS products (just a thin quickstart guide). There are in-depth user manuals available for download[1], but the percentage of iPhone owners who read it must be negligible. I often meet iOS users who don’t know that double-tap on the Home button brings up the app switcher. As the OSes on these mobile devices become more capable over time (and the interaction model grows more complicated), users may need to start treating them as computers that require learning beyond trial and error. [1] http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/iphone_user_guide.pdf http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/iphone_user_guide.pdf
- drivebyacct2 13y ago
  What in the ever loving hell is that arrow for then? edit: I guess it seems obvious now...
  - rdouble 13y ago
    It brings up the control panel.
  - kunai 13y ago
    It's there for the quick settings toggles.
  - olgeni 13y ago
    It starts a thermonookular war on Android.
- benaiah 13y ago
  Interesting - the animation for the unlocking is somewhat similar to the animation when swiping between pages in the app list on Android Jellybean (I'm not criticizing the copying, just noting the similarity). Given the focus on layers in the rest of the design (the control panel and notifications center, for example) I would have thought the unlock screen would slide off like a layer, as well (since they are using the visual metaphor of dragging the whole unlock screen, rather than sliding a specific unlock element, as in previous version of iOS). Any thoughts as to why they did that differently? Am I just totally off base?
- zmmmmm 13y ago
  Particularly ironic since Apple made such a big deal out of their slide to unlock patent, being a competitive advantage etc. and specifically tied to moving something from two explicit points along a predefined path. Now after all that fuss they just threw it away and copied their competitors?
  - _pmf_ 13y ago
    > Now after all that fuss they just threw it away and copied their competitors? No, you're not using the right lingo. If it's Apple, they do not throw away; they "evolve". They also do not copy, they "refine the experience".
noginn 13y ago
My two year old daughter figured out how to unlock my iPhone by sliding her thumb across the slider. Interested to see how she'll find the iOS 7 interface. Toddler usability testing :)
- marpstar 13y ago
  My son, also two years old, can unlock iOS6. He cannot, however, unlock my Galaxy S3, which offers no visual "unlock" slider. It's insane how well a two-year-old can interact with touch devices.
- Pxtl 13y ago
  My 2 year old did it on my winphone, which uses a full-screen slide to unlock.
soundoflight 13y ago
Actually, I think Zune HD was the first Microsoft product with the slide up to unlock. (Obviously close enough)

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

Recoil42 13y ago

The lock screen looks much closer to Android's than it does Windows Phone, as Droid Life points out: http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/that-moment-when-ios7-became-android/ http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/that-moment-when-ios7-b...

makomk 13y ago
I actually first saw the new lock screen linked by some random comment poster on one of the tech sites and had to double-check that it wasn't some Android variant and that they weren't having me on. Not joking.

richkuo 13y ago

In a general sense, this is natural design evolution - where Darwin's mutation and natural selection concepts can be applied (generally) to the evolution and advancement of good/effective design. The windows phone likely took some of its design concepts from previous iOS and Android designs, and now iOS7 is 'evolving' the same way. This (evolution) can be described as a recursive process: keep the things that work (natural selection), try something new (mutate) with the things that didn't work. I would also like to note that I find iOS7's weather app design closely resembles Yahoo's weather app, more so than the Windows' phone.

richkuo 13y ago
great post btw
dubcanada 13y ago
In regards to the Yahoo weather app, if you look very closely in the bottom right you will see they are pretty much the exact same thing. Both taking from the same location (Yahoo Weather) and both formatting it similar to how Yahoo does already. No sense in redoing something that is already well done.
JosephHatfield 13y ago
The Yahoo Weather app is quite well done and I think one of the best weather apps on the iPhone. Apple couldn't have chosen a better weather app to "steal" from.
- Samuel_Michon 13y ago
  Apple likes Yahoo!’s Weather app so much they gave it a Apple Design Award. Their review: “Yahoo! Weather stands apart with its simple, uncluttered, and beautiful visual design. This highly-rated app displays weather details with stunning photography based on time of day, location, and current conditions. Yahoo! Weather has great layout and typography, compelling animations, fast image processing, and clear iconography. This attention to detail means that in a saturated category, an app can rise above the crowd.” https://developer.apple.com/wwdc/events/awards/#yahoo-weather https://developer.apple.com/wwdc/events/awards/#yahoo-weathe...

bane 13y ago

You know, I can see that. If Android is ripping off iOS that really means that for iOS to step up and get modern, Android isn't the template to follow -- Android is stuck with innovating off of iOS's past accomplishments...it's innovating while walking backwards. WM, being a ground-up re-imagining of how smart phones work is looking forward...better to co-opt some of those ideas instead...be in a position of innovating while walking forwards.

cheald 13y ago
What makes you think that Android is ripping off iOS?
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- bobsoap 13y ago
  Perhaps the same thing that seems to have convinced most every Apple user that their products are magical and categorically superior to every other product in existence: good marketing paired with illusory naivety on the receiving end.
da_n 13y ago
You obviously have not used modern Android, or are ignorant of Android's own innovations and design language. See here where iOS7 "borrows" a lot of stock Android features and design language. https://securecdn.disqus.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/516/528/original.jpg https://securecdn.disqus.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/516/5... http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/ios7-vs-android-a-quick-comparison-after-the-wwdc-keynote/ http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/ios7-vs-android-a-quick... https://plus.google.com/112995668742108647641/posts/dmSKzTwC57c https://plus.google.com/112995668742108647641/posts/dmSKzTwC...

gte910h 13y ago

The OS looks far better on a device in front of you than on a static picture on a website or on a projector on a wall.

myko 13y ago
Everything except the home screen icons/default background. Those are still fairly hideous. Still time to fix it though, I don't expect Apple to leave it in this state. I'm more concerned with why hasn't Apple made lower case keys show up on the keyboard yet? This is a no brainer.
- gte910h 13y ago
  Of all of those, only the settings one really bothers me
- omni 13y ago
  As I look at the upper-case keys on my 2012 Macbook Pro, I'm not sure why you think they are going to do this.
  - myko 13y ago
    The keyboard could easily switch between upper and lower case depending on what the user is actually entering. Why wouldn't they do that? It just seems like an easy win.
    - kunai 13y ago
      I don't really see how this is a huge step up in terms of usability...
      - dschep 13y ago
        Dunno about myko, but every time I use an iOS device it really confuses me. Comparing it to a physical keyboard isn't fair, since on software keyboards shift is stateful. lower/UPPER casing the keyboard is a much larger (very convenient) indicator of that state than the altered shift button.

philthesong 13y ago

We are talking about smartphone screens. There are not lots of flexibilities for UI design. You either slide up or to the side for a lock screen. And what about time?

cheald 13y ago
Sure there are. Android has seen a lot of different lock screen types - drag the small circle out of the big circle, drag the small circle into the big circle, "rotary dial" unlock, pattern unlock, and Samsung's (or was it HTC?) "fling the whole screen" unlock style. Contextual gesture unlock/launch mechanisms are actually pretty popular. Here's an example with 4 options, but that is by no means the only option set. http://cloud.addictivetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/MIUI-4-Launher-Port-Android-Lock-Screen.jpg http://cloud.addictivetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/MI...
- SEMW 13y ago
  The reason for all that creativity is to try and get around Apple's breathtakingly broad patent for unlocking a phone by moving along a "predefined displayed path". http://www.google.com/patents/US7657849 http://www.google.com/patents/US7657849

_progger_ 13y ago

It's a cross between WP and Android. It's a very strange feeling when you realise you could do a better job at UX design then a multi-billion company.

mattermill 13y ago
Unfortunately, not many others would be willing to put much faith in someone with the grammar of a 6th grader to do a better job at UX design than a multi-billion dollar company.
- infinitone 13y ago
  https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/ad-hominem https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/ad-hominem
  - benaiah 13y ago
    It's actually not an ad hominem. A firm grasp of language, grammar, and communication is actually recognized, albeit informally, to be a good signal of technical skill and design effectiveness. If he can't refine his linguistic communication well enough to convey such a simple sentence, how can he be expected to refine his visual communication (i.e., UX design) well enough to surpass one of the leading UX teams in the industry? There are further reasons it's not an ad hominem - I recommend you read The Ad Hominem Fallacy Fallacy [1]. I don't mean to criticize - I made the same mistake until recently, so I offer the article in a spirit of goodwill, not superiority. [1]: http://plover.net/~bonds/adhominem.html http://plover.net/~bonds/adhominem.html
    - gurkendoktor 13y ago
      I'm not saying that it is an ad hominem, but I've read through the page and I think the connection between grammar and design skills is a red herring. The page considers this an ad hominem too, even though having a grasp of logic is clearly important for making A's statement: A: "All rodents are mammals, but a weasel isn't a rodent, so it can't be a mammal." B: "Well, you've never had a good grasp of logic, so this can't be true." Maybe I'm not seeing the difference though (not a native speaker, just curious).

shurcooL 13y ago

I don't understand this obsession with complaining about copying or imitating in design. As long as good things are taken and worse things are left behind, the consumers benefit. It's like being upset that the 2014 cars have the same steering wheel and pedal layout, or that a manufacturer "stole" the idea of using a USB port in a car.

hawleyal 13y ago
No, it's like someone having a good idea, and someone else saying it was theirs.
- myko 13y ago
  When did this happen?
  - dirkgently 13y ago
    When Apple patented Rounded Corners(TM)(R)(C) and declared it to be theirs.
    - deleted 13y ago
      [deleted]
    - Volpe 13y ago
      When did this happen? Or did you mean when they took out a design patent for a touch screen device of iPad like dimensions with very specific rounding on their corners that is reflected in the rest of their product line as well. I'm pretty sure, that particular patent of Apple's is EXACTLY what design patents were invented for. Disclaimer: I don't believe in the patent system at all, but the system exists, so the players play it.
jspark 13y ago
Different people have different reasons for idolizing Apple, and one would be its role in the past half decade as the innovator, the leader, or the envelope-pusher. Taking cues from other companies' products goes against the refreshing originality we've enjoyed from Apple so much. Disclaimer: I'm not saying I personally agree or even think this viewpoint is entirely true; just offering some insight.

batbomb 13y ago

Get over this already. "Flat" design or whatever the hell we all want to call it has been the application of the International Typographic Style to UI elements across phones. If you are worried about somebody ripping somebody off, worry about the works from Jan Tschichold, Adrian Frutiger, or Josef Müller-Brockmann being ripped off, not MS, Apple, Android, or whoever else.

marknutter 13y ago

Cached: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:chris.millr.org/ios-7-looks-familiar-cant-quite-put-my-finger-on-it/ http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:chris.m...

emehrkay 13y ago

Ha. Apple removes some gloss and all-of-a-sudden it looks like OSes that post-date it.

nivla 13y ago
You do realize that there is more to flat design than just removing gloss? If I were to agree with your statement then I would say the opposite is also true. Draw a rectangle, add some gloss and voila.. Apple's design right?
- emehrkay 13y ago
  Put the iOS images side by side, shit even ignore the ios7 images, and the difference is gloss(and button shape). My point is that layout/placement of elements seem to be a constant, while it is actual dress that is the differentiator. Functionally it seems that iOS hasn't changed. The lock screen looks different, but seems to behave as it does now (the bokeh effect is the only thing that compares from this article). And I can't fault them for taking WebOS' multitasker, every small-screen os should use it.

taktix 13y ago

I have the Lumia 920 and Microsoft absolutely nailed the design of the OS. It works seamlessly with Office Live/Online/365 whatever the heck they call it too. The home screen of the phone agitates my OCD something fierce because I have to get it just right or... I'll... die... Seriously though, its a great phone and if you need one for work like I do, might as well get one you really like.

Gigablah 13y ago
Lumia 900 owner here. OS is nice, but the apps... just as an example, I got really frustrated with IE this morning because it didn't recognize StartCom as a trusted certificate authority, and it doesn't cache my response (to ignore the warning and browse the page anyway). The https page loaded the first time, but subsequent pages just showed blank screens. And that stupid SSL warning page just kept popping up. It's 2013 and I can't browse certain web pages with my expensive smartphone...

snowwrestler 13y ago

Where oh where did Microsoft get the idea to totally rebuild their mobile OS around the concept of a full-face capacitive touch-screen?

DaemonHN 13y ago
I don't see what this has to do with iOS7 looking similar to Windows. See: https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/tu-quoque https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/tu-quoque
SEMW 13y ago
Microsoft and Palm have been building full-face touch-screen mobile devices since the late 1990s. Full-face Touch-screen PocketPC phones started coming out in 2002ish. Yes, they were resistive rather than capacitative touch-screens. That wasn't because it didn't occur to anyone to use a capacitative touch-screen before Apple, it was because the technology wasn't mature enough before around 2006/7. And if even you want to make the (silly) argument that whichever manufacturer happens to be the first to bring out a full-face capacitative touch-screen phone can somehow claim to have invented the concept, that honour goes to the LG Prada.

CanSpice 13y ago

During the WWDC keynote I tweeted this: "Not sure what's worse about WWDC keynote days: Apple fans cheering for new features or Android/WP fans saying "we have that already"." It's boring and repetitive and expected. Yeah, they mimic. Big deal. Get over it.

infinitone 13y ago
Samsung would like to have a word with you. (motioning the lawsuit that Apple took up against them last year over petty things like rounded corners)
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]

greghinch 13y ago

These arguments always strike me as coming from people who don't actually understand what design is. The folks who think that design is the font face, the weight of lines, the colors used. Those are all facets of design, but they are essentially just tools to accomplish the goal: experience and engagement. What you are noticing are just trends, and this is nothing new. Look back over the history of even just twentieth century graphic/print design, and you will see how marked trends define periods in time. The fact that one product or group uses the same or similar elements to another does not say that one is the copy of another, simply that they are both products of the same era. I haven't used iOS 7 yet, so I can't say this with certainty, but based on my experience with Apple, I feel pretty confident to say that they may have integrated similar graphic motifs you're familiar with from other platforms, but the end experience will be leaps and bounds better than others who've tried to implement the same elements. There is real thought put into how a person will best use this product, not just how clean and pretty the UI can look.

thezilch 13y ago
These arguments always strike me as coming from people who only spend time with Apple's designs. The folks who think that only Apple designers are leaps and bounds better, are the only thoughtful producers, and are the sole visionaries beyond just the UI. Let's face it; look to the Samsung vs. Apple case to see how it is the laymen making billion dollar calls. Not designers. It's not designers that Apple has a majority rule over.
- nilliams 13y ago
  >> The folks who think that only Apple designers are leaps and bounds better Parent doesn't say that at all, or make any comparisons.
  - James_Duval 13y ago
    S/he's illustrating how meaningless it is to say "this is the kind of argument made by people like x", and how easily such an 'argument' can be turned on its head.

andyhmltn 13y ago

You see the thing is that it's nothing like windows phone. Having had it all day, I can definately not see any such 'copying.' The style of the design is not the design itself. To copy is the act of replicating something.

jwarren 13y ago

Everyone is so quick to judge the static pictures. But Apple took great pains to point out how this is a reactive system, how movement, suggestion and gesture follow the user's interactions. Sure, the current culture of design appreciation that they played a big part in has now started moving faster than they are. But that's mistaking visual decoration for how something works. Based on past experience, I trust Apple to make it more than skin deep.

mtgx 13y ago

Another one: http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/ios7-vs-android-a-quick-comparison-after-the-wwdc-keynote/ http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/10/ios7-vs-android-a-quick...

emehrkay 13y ago
Apple clearly took ideas from Google/Android. However, Apple's offerings look to have a level of polish that the Android ones do not have. Each and every comparison on that page looks like Google's engineers' visuals vs Apple's artists' -- thats the thing that "regular" people will instinctively gravitate to -- the one that is pretty.
- JacobSkyler 13y ago
  The only Android screenshots that look less pretty to me are the ones taken in the middle of doing something, e.g. the Android lock screen notifications which is in the process of being pulled down vs. the Apple one which looks a lot cleaner because it's fully extended.

hdra 13y ago

I actually think the homescreen icons look kind of similar to the one in Symbian (especially Safari - Ovi Maps).

jsz0 13y ago

You could put Android, WP and iOS side-by-side and they are going to look (and work) more alike than different in most areas. That's what happens when these products reach a huge mass market. There is too much risk (for established players) to diverge too far from what is familiar to so many people. Also why it's so difficult for non-established players to compete. They can't diverge very far from what people are familiar with. We're locked into basically the same SmartPhone flavors until the hardware changes so radically that the software has to change radically to accommodate it.

andyharl 13y ago

"Good artists borrow, great artists steal." ~ Pablo Picasso All these interfaces are pillaging the Bauhaus! Shame on them! Shame Shame Shame! (-; http://www.effectiveui.com/blog/2013/04/26/an-historical-perspective-of-flat-versus-rich-usability-design/ http://www.effectiveui.com/blog/2013/04/26/an-historical-per... In all seriousness though, there isn't any original design. To think that the goal of design is to snatch something from thin air in moments of lighting like brilliance is a gross misconception. Designing is solving problems.

jroseattle 13y ago

The similarity to Windows Phone and some concepts I first saw on Android were what caught my eye here. And do I think that's a bad thing? No. I think what has everyone generally up in arms is that, with Apple, they never look like they're copying anyone. Until they do. And what frustrates others is when users try to explain away how it's not really a copy, it's something different because it's done oh-so-much better. I don't really care all that much, but one thing is certain -- the new iOS7 design looks more like designs of competitors than it does the previous iOS line.

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

shortstuffsushi 13y ago

When I see the new screenshots, I can only think of the old, maybe 2003 era Microsoft Powerpoint themes. I haven't quite been able to pin down what about it is drawing the parallel for me, but it is. Having an unfortunately difficult time finding a relevant link :(

daddy2twin 13y ago

Flat design has been around for a while. I remember seeing them on phones before iPhone 1, and also on various Linux desktops. People says Microsoft or Google did this first hasn't been around enough. Personally, I like previous version better. As for other features, iPhone jailbreaking community should take more credit then Google or others, quick access to wifi and other settings. I remember seeing them on jail broken iPhone way before Android.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

brown9-2 13y ago

The incoming phone call and last screenshots are unfair - the iPhone of today would look a lot more similar to Windows Phone and iOS 7 if there was a facial photo of the caller and if the background image was a bunch of dots.

Oculus 13y ago

"We(Apple) have always been shameless about stealing great ideas" - Steve Jobs We progress by improving upon the current best. Clearly Apple felt that Microsoft had taken some steps in the right direction.

Sealy 13y ago

I'm getting a 404 for that link. Anybody got a mirror?

nikster 13y ago

iOS7 after day 1. This Steve Jobs quote comes to mind: "Design is not how something looks; design is how it works" Everything about iOS, and all the included apps, has been taken apart, and put back together. Everything has been questioned. This is amazing because I think it's the basis that will take Apple and/or iOS to a whole new level. iOS 7 is not an evolution - it's a revolution.

jmduke 13y ago
iOS 7 is not an evolution - it's a revolution What the hell does that even mean? We can wax poetic about design and UX or we can accept that what they did was change the way something looks and feels, which is ultimately not the same thing as changing what something does. I'm not underplaying the importance of design, but I think calling something that ultimately does not affect the capabilities of the device a 'revolution' is a bit of an exaggeration.
- eddieroger 13y ago
  I'm not necessarily going to defend waxing poetic, but the visual changes (which everyone has been harping on) are being driven by some pretty significant changes in UIKit that really are a revolution in how iOS apps will be written and used.
- nikster 13y ago
  Repeat as you maybe missed it the first time around: "Design is not how something looks; design is how it works" iOS 7 doesn't change the looks. It changes how everything works. All the built in apps have been changed completely. The entire OS layer has been changed completely. A revolution is not poetic - it means a significant change where all the old paradigms are thrown out and replaced with new ones. I was up until 1:00 am yesterday night finding more and more features and changes, and I am still finding more changes. I know it's not technically but it certainly feels like iOS has been re-written from scratch.
krichman 13y ago
I disagree that it's a revolution but think it's a much needed refresher. They also introduced some features that I think they've been lacking. It's a much better upgrade than 5 and 6 IMO.

smegel 13y ago

I'm not convinced. They seem to share a very high level "clean" theme, but there are enough differences to make me feel it is not a knock off. It does make their old design look rather gaudy though.

mambodog 13y ago

Considering iOS 7 is a 'flat' redesign, it's hardly surprising that it bears stylistic similarities to other flat mobile UI designs. The flat trend in web and app UI design has been building for the last couple of years. We're at a point where flat is simply the present zeitgeist of UI design. However, 'flat' largely covers superficial aspects of design. Where iOS still differs is in the actual meat of the design; the interactivity and user experience. Also, as the page was down for me, here's the Google cached page: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:FATZrqhzREAJ:chris.millr.org/ios-7-looks-familiar-cant-quite-put-my-finger-on-it/ http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:FATZrqh...

skeletonjelly 13y ago

Mirror anyone? Edit: Text: http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/ios-7-looks-familiar-cant-quite-put-my-finger-on-it/ http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/ios-7-looks-familiar-ca... Images: http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/01-Weather.jpg http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013... http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/02-Call.jpg http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013... http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/03-Multitasking.jpg http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013... http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/04-Lockscreen.jpg http://chris.millr.org.nyud.net:8080/wp-content/uploads/2013...

6ren 13y ago

good artists copy, great artists steal (and yes microsoft does work worth stealing). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU

Tomis02 13y ago
Yes, and when Apple steals it's called "innovation".

harel 13y ago

Apple on Anderoids

harel 13y ago

Apple on Anderoids

harel 13y ago

Apple on Anderoids

harel 13y ago

Apple on Anderoids

harel 13y ago

Apple on Anderoids

wisty 13y ago

Honestly, I think iOS has gone too flat. Flat is beautiful, and easy to use, if it strips away non-functional chrome. It's even more beautiful, but a little hard to use, if it obscures the controls. A pro user (say, one who's trained on a previous version, and knows what functions are available) might feel at home, but it's just not intuitive anymore.

harel 13y ago

Apple on Anderoids

harel 13y ago

Apple on Anderoids

harel 13y ago

Apple on Anderoids

tomelders 13y ago

You first have to start with the fact that every smartphone has copied the iPhone† From there, it's impossible to see how Apple could possibly change anything without someone somewhere claiming that they've ripped off something from somewhere else. But the people they're allegedly ripping off have in turn ripped off Apple, rendering the entire debate pointless. †Not that it's a bad thing, once the iPhone came out, everyone else had to copy it. The first iPhone was the starting point for how all smartphones from that point on shoud be.

pizu 13y ago

Noooooooooooooooo? OMG!

outside1234 13y ago

no, you don't understand. when Apple copies people it is "amazing" and "revolutionary". when other people copy Apple it is a "lawsuit" and "evil." get with the program. :)