New concept art shows how Apple may adapt iOS 11 to 'iPhone 8' display notch

AppleInsider

New images published on Thursday offer a glimpse at how iOS 11 could conform to the unique edge-to-edge OLED display of this fall's "iPhone 8," which will have a sensor "notch" at the top, and do away with a physical home button and its surrounding bezel at the bottom.

How iOS 11 might look on the phone will depend mostly on whether or not Apple chooses to blend the interface into surrounding lines, according to concept art produced by Max Rudberg. All of the renders assume that iOS 11's navbars will be placed next to a virtual home button for easier shuttling between menus.

Perhaps the most plausible concept involves Apple concealing the top notch with an all-black status bar, and blending the navbars and home button into what bezel remains, using a similar black color scheme. Apps could continue to use bright colors if they want, creating the illusion of a screen within a screen.

Alternately, Rudberg envisions Apple allowing app colors to "bleed" into the status and/or navbars. The result might not be as appealing however, particularly since that might make the notch an unchangeable aberration in an otherwise "clean" design.

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Apple inadvertently revealed the outline of the "iPhone 8", codenamed "D22," through early HomePod firmware accessed by developers. It also apparently confirmed features such as facial recognition, a "SmartCam,", and 2436-by-1125 screen resolution. Still in the air is whether Touch ID will be embedded in the display.

doozydozen

Stylistically, I'd prefer Apple hide the top notch instead of embracing it (in the words of designer who made the mockup).

jjredfish

I don't love the notch, but it is the optimum compromise for combining the sensors/camera/speaker while giving the phone maximum bezel-less impression. The corners need to be seen or it just looks like an old-style/S8 bezel.

hmlongco

It's a done deal. Here's the top of the same screen on iOS 11. Note how Apple increased the size of the title and moved it down, and just how much space is now devoted to the back/apps and All Categories buttons. 

Those are going to get moved down and the nav space reclaimed.

nycpizzaninja

I'm sure Jonny is dying a little on the inside accepting the limitations of the hardware dipping into software territory.



So, he'd sooner commit seppuku than sign his name this proposed (cough Android UI) - sorry Max.

mazda 3s

Where's the time?

thrang

mazda 3s said:

Where's the time?

Apple designs are timeless...

mazda 3s

thrang said:

mazda 3s said:

Where's the time?

Apple designs are timeless...

hmlongco

This makes me wonder now... will the screen be edge to edge? I mean, edge to edge both horizontally and vertically?

Cutting a notch into the screen seems... problematic. What if the top of the screen isn't part of the main screen, but instead is a pair of MacBook Pro-style sub-screens?

Heck, what if the bottom of the screen isn't a screen, but also a MacBook Pro-style screen... complete with TouchID sensor???

s'harien

I don’t see them moving the navbar into the home button area, there are plenty of times when it has to show a title in the middle. Likely many apps handle this area specially anyway and the system couldn’t just automatically move it, so having some apps with it below and some remaining at the top would look inconsistent.

One button that does cry out to be placed in the lower ‘home button’ region is the previous app button, its current location in the status bar has always been kind of a hack. I’m betting they use this area to show favorite/dock/recently used apps alongside the home button. Showing recents would obviate the need for the previous app button entirely, which is nice.

Wondering about the clock, Bluetooth, Location, and Alarm icons, though. Doesn’t appear to be enough space even with shrinking the cell signal bars... Perhaps there will be an additional bar extending down a little when necessary?

hmlongco

s'harien said:

I don’t see them moving the navbar into the home button area, there are plenty of times when it has to show a title in the middle.

Check out the new design language for iOS 11. Apple's dumping the middle title.

rogifan_new

So is this actually based on source code or leaked assets or is it just some graphic designer guessing what Apple could do? If it’s the latter why is it newsworthy?

retrogusto

I would love it if they moved all of the navigation to the bottom of the screen. It was fine when phones were smaller, but it's a pain now even for someone with reasonably large hands, unless you use both hands, and I don't see any real benefit of keeping it up top. 

Metriacanthosaurus

hmlongco said:

This makes me wonder now... will the screen be edge to edge? 

Who ever said it would be?

I mean, besides every single blogger to ever speak on the subject.

Metriacanthosaurus

I would prefer this design and any design that incorporates a better use of the BOTTOM area of the display. Every time I have to rock the phone in my hand to reach a button at the top of the display, I question why it was designed this way.

randominternetperson

retrogusto said:

I would love it if they moved all of the navigation to the bottom of the screen. It was fine when phones were smaller, but it's a pain now even for someone with reasonably large hands, unless you use both hands, and I don't see any real benefit of keeping it up top. 

I don't think I agree.  When I hold my phone one handed (in my left hand) reaching the bottom left section of the screen (to the left of the home button) with my thumb is quite difficult.  Of course reaching the top corners isn't easy either (they really did design the perfect size with the original iPhone--from the hand's perspective if not the eye's).

I don't see Apple moving the main navigation to the bottom for that reason.  Also, don't we all just swipe back without using the back link nowadays?

Soli

I love the top of the design. If the display is microLED it's going to look fantastic in black.

sans

rogifan_new said:

So is this actually based on source code or leaked assets or is it just some graphic designer guessing what Apple could do? If it’s the latter why is it newsworthy?

I would say both.

hexclock

Metriacanthosaurus said:

I would prefer this design and any design that incorporates a better use of the BOTTOM area of the display. Every time I have to rock the phone in my hand to reach a button at the top of the display, I question why it was designed this way.

A toggle would be nice so you could put it wherever you prefer. I'm still holding a 5s, so I don't have the reach problem that you do. Can't wait till the 8 comes out so I can jump 5 iterations ahead!

ericesque

nycpizzaninja said:

I'm sure Jonny is dying a little on the inside accepting the limitations of the hardware dipping into software territory.

I kinda disagree. At least with respect to the status bar -- I think the idea of putting system status icons in line with the camera is exactly the right choice from a semantics point of view. Those icons essentially surface the corresponding hardware. This makes even more sense in the context of rumors that there won't be a white OLED iPhone. If the status bar is always black and acts like a bezel, you'll basically never notice the notch. I don't think I can get behind the way the concept handles the bottom of the screen though.

SpamSandwich

mazda 3s said:

thrang said:

mazda 3s said:

Where's the time?

Apple designs are timeless...

I'm sorry, but there's no way that guy is Lando Calrissian.