Apple’s iOS 7 was the revolutionary overhaul that had been rumored for months. Gone is the stitched leather, faux notepad and other elements of the now infamous skeuomorphism. Apple has redesigned iOS to be minimalist with pastel colors and translucent effects.
For developers the changes to iOS are largely positive. Full multi-tasking capabilities and 1,500 new APIs will give plenty of ways to strengthen applications. The App Store got some tweaks to better highlight different apps, including offering suggestions based on the user’s location.
The visual overhaul, however, feels rather elementary. While the excessive mimicking of real-life objects was getting out of hand, some of the new icons are equally unappealing. The pastels combined with the translucent smudges feels almost child-like. Where Windows Phone is overly modern and Android too utilitarian, iOS now looks like one’s first smartphone operating system. And the idea of live information on the home screen, even a working clock, seems like a dream worth surrendering. [Read more...]
