Jony Ive expected to replace iOS, OS X textures with clean edges & flat surfaces - Page 5

I see what you mean, and this probably won't mean anything to you either, but the first principle in tactile design is to use no more material or take up more space than necessary, and to look for a pleasing shape within that rule.

We're used to thinking of an object's "footprint" in relation to its surroundings. Ive is thinking of the computer's "eyeprint," or its "spaceprint." Is this part of its function? To take up minimal space? I think so, but I admit it's a stretch. I guess if you diagree, you get a Mac Mini or a Pro.

Order your ram for the iMac accordingly, in other words. And assume that Apple is making the machine so failure-proof that it won't have be opened up. Function still has to rule over form.

Jony Ive takes this task in a moment where computer design is in crisis: After the development and commercial success of "mobile toys" from several vendors, all computer operating systems have tried to get inspired by the success from tablets/phones and put such inspiration into conventional computers. However, the result hasn't been satisfactory at all, because they've just tried to "copy" the tablet/phone UI paradigm into a conventional computer, and this, of course, cannot work until conventional computers have touchscreens, and even if they had touchscreens, the tablet/phone paradigm doesn't necessarily fit into the workflow of a desktop computer.

 

As a result, all major operating systems are in crisis until they find how to overcome the tablet/phone fashion in a proper way:

 

Windows 8 tried to get the tablet-feeling. Failed, mainly because a PC is not a tablet.

Linux, with GNOME shell and Unity, also tried it. Failed, for the same reason (a PC is not a tablet).

Apple tried it with Lion. Failed for the same reason (they slightly fixed the bad step in Mountain Lion, but it's not satisfactory yet).

 

So, Jony Ive takes the role in a time like this. A really interesting time, because it's the right time for innovation in the desktop, after this tablet/phone UI copy failure.

 

Good luck! (you'll need it, Jony)

Agreed. I think some of the design cues make more sense with the Retina displays. It seems a waste of the display to me to not incorporate some world realism within iOS as we interact with it.

Wall Street Journal says Greg Christie, VP of Human Interface will report to Federighi. Not sure how they know that, Interesting note, on the majority of Forstall's patents (issued or pending) Christie is also listed. Wonder how big of a supporter he is of the current design language and how open he is to changes. Assuming he stays on. From what I've read he's a long time Apple employee (worked on Newton).

Interesting...

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-01/apple-s-minimalist-ive-assumes-jobs-s-role-setting-design-vision

You're pretty flighty,if that's all it takes, aren't you?

We don't know that. People change over the years, and taste is part of that. The idea as to what is best changes as well. It's been said that SJ liked the look of leather, wood and stone in design, so it's hard to say what he approved of or not. But it should be pretty clear that it would have just taken a minute of his day to look at a design. To think that he couldn't have had input on any of this is hard to believe. If anything, he might have spent more time on it as the end became closer.

Look at what he said about his yaht. He worked on it even though he knew he wouldn't see it completed, because he felt it would allow him to think he would be alive longer. He was very dedicated to Apple. I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't take the few minutes to look over software design, and make a decision once a week or so.

It doesn't happen with hardcover. But paperbacks are required to be cheaper, and small enough to fit into the average pocket, so size is an issue. People expect hardcover to be of good design, but not so much with a paperback. But look at magazines. Most are designed well, though, as usual with most things, not all. Never take the worst as an example, take the best.

Fully agree; iTunes coloured icons are sorely missed by me, and I'm reluctant to update Aperture - still running 3.2.3 in spite 3.4.2 being out today.

The capabilities of display technologies makes a huge difference in how you design the software to look as well. Again, it is a waste of a retina display to make everything monotone. The display is capable to deliver vibrant picture window colors so why not capitalize on that feature and make things pop a bit?

I like some of it, but not at the cost of functionality.

For example the podcast player on iphone5 is less functional. The reel to reel graphics take up space, when there isn't enough space to show the full text of the podcast title which are often very long.

http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/articles/technology/technology/2012/11/121101_TECH_nprMostEmailed.jpg.CROP.article250-medium.jpg

I am really looking forward to what Ives has in store. I think he has much of the same "Jesus" power as Jobs did. I really hope we can see him present at a keynote.

Maybe now that Scott Forstall is gone he will be more willing to go to the keynote speeches. Plus he is more of a "hunk" than anyone else around.

 

Who knows? Maybe Ive would rather offer people options than not... We'll see once his influence is directly evident on iOS and OSX. With his obsessive attention to detail, he may end up spending more time than Forstall in perfecting things!

 

There isn't anything operationally wrong with any of those designs. Notes in particular.

There is always something creepily old fashioned about American graphic design. Lets go European. I hate the green baize, mock wooden shelves and old fashioned, badly designed, mixed up type faces. Jonny Ives should rule, ok!

Three groups of iPad enthusiasts are pre-school children, first 3 graders and senior citizens.  I hope that Jony Ive's dumping of Scott Forstall's design work will not get rid of what the above groups found encouraging.

 

dons2

 

Sounds like you don't understand the point of skeuomorphism.

What about the iPhoto app, which Ive designed? He could have used an album layout like the Photos app but I think most would agree the iPhoto app looks nicer.



I don't see him banishing all physical designs in favour of abstract ones just for the sake of it. We might even see more of them. Maybe Forstall's the one with good taste and Ive was being held back from making absolutely horrendous choices. His repulsion may have been due to the current design being too subdued. The calendar will have scuff marks added, little pen scribbles and tiny pieces of binding glue.

There's also haptic feedback to think about. This tech was noted to arrive by the end of this year:



There's not much point in making tactile interaction with abstract objects as there's no familiarity. This can be used to let you feel the guitar strings in Garageband without looking at the screen or the pages of a book as you turn them.

Garageband is another app btw where I don't see the designs changing. They don't need to have representations of instruments at all - drums could be equally spaced squares to tap - but I highly doubt they'll change that.

 

Agreed! I really don't get the knee jerk hating on skeuomorphism.

are you sure he designed the iPhoto app?

Stage 1: denial.

http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/sir-jonathan-ive-the-iman-cometh-7562170.html

"Q: How do you know you’ve succeeded?

A :It’s a very strange thing for a designer to say, but one of the things that really irritates me in products is when I’m aware of designers wagging their tails in my face.

Our goal is simple objects, objects that you can’t imagine any other way. Simplicity is not the absence of clutter. Get it right, and you become closer and more focused on the object. For instance, the iPhoto app we created for the new iPad, it completely consumes you and you forget you are using an iPad."

When he says 'we', he could just be referring to a team at Apple he wasn't involved with but he wouldn't say that about the app if he wasn't happy with it. He has at the very least used the app himself and been impressed by it but it sounds very much like he was involved with it.

That is not to say that he couldn't improve on the style but to assume that all of skeuomorphism is bad because it was associated with Fortsall who the media portrays as the villain is simplistic. People always have to put things into neat little boxes:

- Forstall, bad
- Ive, good
- Forstall, skeuomorphism
- Ive, minimalism
- Forstall, out
- skeuomorphism, out

It doesn't work like that. Garageband makes the iPad mimic the actual instruments. Ive will not remove the Piano keys nor the pictures of the drums. Under that assumption, there's no reason to assume he will remove the design traits of a calendar from the calendar app. At best, the unnecessary and tasteless designs will go.

His primary role is in hardware design though and as people have said, we can't assume that the transition will go smoothly. While the core design principles can stay the same, the way they are applied isn't.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-01/apple-s-minimalist-ive-assumes-jobs-s-role-setting-design-vision.html

"The differences between the two teams may present challenges for Ive as he tries to rally employees behind his design vision. Following the news of Forstall’s departure, some engineers are questioning Ive’s ability to lead software design, according to a former senior Apple developer who has been in touch with his colleagues.

This person compares the switch to Michael Jordan’s ill- fated move from professional basketball to minor-league baseball. While both sports require good eyesight and athletic ability, they entail starkly different skills."

If you have minimalist software and minimalist hardware, where is your focus? If Ive's idea is for the hardware to disappear and the software to consume your attention, they can't be designed the same way.

We can't judge his ability or inability until we see what changes come about and it won't be made clear that it was Ive's involvement that led to it. If we see an immediate change (like the TV UI), then we can be sure the transition had something to do with it. I think any improvements will be gradual.

Excellent post Marvin! Appreciate it, thanks.

My guess is when Ive used the term "we" he meant Apple in general and not his specific team. Though the notion that he's going to turn OS X and iOS into a Metro clone seems far fetched to me. I can't see him going too cold/minimalist. I mean iPhone 5 and iPad mini do have diamond cut chamfers after all.

I think recent Apple HW design has been more hit and miss than in the past.

 

The new iPods with white plastic faces and pastel colors are downright ugly IMO.

 

The all black iPad Mini looks bland (though I do think the white one looks sharp).

 

Perhaps Ive unchecked is not the ideal state either. Jobs role in saying no to Ive sometimes seems like it will be unfilled.

Am I the only one who like to see a Black Taskbar??

 

 

And for the loved Game Center... :) I think one big problem here is that this Vegas look has the appealing that most people think that you find your Solitaere, Cards Games. And that is really unsatisfying for most Game Developers or young People who like the play Assassins Creed. There have to be a more modern, techie Look.

Instead of the interface changes, maybe they could update the calendar app in IOS to be able to create complex recurring events. This would be Very helpful.

 

Oh, yes. I'd absolutely love more advanced event controls. But not "instead of".