Apple reveals overhauled iOS 7 with vibrant, more colorful design

Posted:
in iPhone edited September 2014
Touting it as the biggest change to iOS since the launch of the first iPhone, Apple on Monday took the wraps off a drastically redesigned iOS 7 that marks a new direction for the company's mobile operating system.

iOS 7


Virtually everything about the look and feel of iOS has changed with version 7, including a refined typography, all new icons, and a dynamic color scheme. The new operating system was spearheaded by Apple's lead designer Jony Ive, and engineering head Craig Federighi.

"iOS 7: The biggest change to iOS since the iPhone," Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook declared.

iOS 7

iOS 7 features a completely new look from the ground up, but also packs a number of new features like AirDrop, Control Center and automatic photo organization.
As you move an iPhone in your hand, a new parallax feature will actually move the wallpaper in the background, allowing users to "see behind" the icons on their home screen.

All of the built-in applications have been completely rebuilt with a new look, including Messages, Calendar, and even the phone application.

"Game Center: We just completely ran out of green felt," Federighi joked. "And wood as well. This has got to be good for the environment."

iOS 7


In a demonstration of the new weather application, Federighi showed how dynamic weather effects are shown in the background, giving a visual representation of the current conditions.

A new gesture allows for easier one-handed use, letting users swipe from the left side of the screen to go back. Folders have also been expanded to allow multiple pages and hold more applications.

"iOS 7 is the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone," said Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "To create it, we brought together a team with a broad range of expertise from design to engineering. With what we?ve been able to achieve together, we see iOS 7 as an exciting new beginning."

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An updated notification center is slightly transparent, removing its previous textured appearance. Notification Center is also available from the lock screen as well, without the need to unlock the device.iOS 7 will arrive this fall for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

"It's a comprehensive, end-to-end redesign of the complete user experience," Federighi said.

In addition to an all-new look, iOS 7 is also a major feature release, he said. Among those features is Control Center, which allows quick access to settings like Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, brightness, and even a built-in flashlight. Control Center is available from anywhere, including the lock screen.

Multitasking has also been enhanced "for all apps with great battery life," Federighi said. iOS 7 notices users' pattern of use, giving applications background cycles based on how often users access them.

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Swiping between open applications is now a full-screen affair, offering users a larger preview of the application as it is currently open.

An updated Safari for iOS 7 has a new full-screen mode that allows users to focus on content. A smart search field also has one-tap access to favorite websites, along with a new tabbed interface. And users are no longer limited to just 8 tabs.

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New AirDrop functionality will allow users to quickly share content with friends nearby with peer-to-peer Wi-Fi. AirDrop will be supported on the iPhone 5, fourth-generation iPad, iPad mini, and fifth-generation iPod touch.

"No need to wander around the room bumping your phone with others," Federighi joked.

An updated Camera application comes with built-in filters, while enhancements to the Photos application allow individual pictures to be organized into "moments." Photos are automatically organized based on data such as where and when they were captured.

Users can even zoom out to a year-by-year view. Enhanced by the Retina display, users can "scrub" through their yearly photos to narrow down what they're looking for. And new Shared Photo Streams also allow group sharing of photos and video via iCloud.

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Additional features detailed by Apple are:
  • a new Find My iPhone Activation Lock feature that requires your Apple ID and password before you can turn off Find My iPhone, erase data or re-activate a device after it?s been remotely erased;
  • Night Mode in Maps that responds to ambient light when you use it in the dark;

  • FaceTime audio for high quality calls over a data network;
  • Notification sync, so when you dismiss a notification on one device it is dismissed on all of your devices;
  • Phone, FaceTime and Messages blocking to prevent specific people from being able to contact you;
  • Tencent Weibo support for users in China, a Chinese-English bilingual dictionary, and improved Chinese input including handwriting recognition for multiple Chinese characters;
  • the ability for businesses to more efficiently deploy and manage iPhones and iPads; and
  • enhanced in-car integration, bringing an Apple designed experience into the car for the first time.
"There is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity, in clarity, in efficiency. True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation ? it?s about bringing order to complexity," said Ive, Apple?s senior vice president of Design. "iOS 7 is a clear representation of these goals. It has a whole new structure that is coherent and applied across the entire system."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 464
    I love you!! Apple :)
  • Reply 2 of 464
    19831983 Posts: 1,225member
    Yeah baby!
  • Reply 3 of 464
    Nice!
  • Reply 4 of 464
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member


    90% like the cleaner look, 10% gimmick showing off the degrees of freedom and animations. Shoot the fool who signed off on Safari's icon.


     


    Craig's constant jabs at Scott reveals how their relationship deteriorated over the years, as each person's position of rank moved up. These guys used to get a long at NeXT and Apple when they weren't executives.


     


    Everything is a frosty view isn't wowing me. Being able to slide change the opacity in a setting somewhere with a different base color would be a nice personal touch.

  • Reply 5 of 464
    garbagegarbage Posts: 12member


    Wow. Maybe apple should ask Microsoft for some design tips.


    A washed out, over-busy version of their old over-saturated candy style. This is going to tank big time. Ive should have kept to hardware.


     


    This is quite shocking as I'm sure Apple has some top graphic designers working for them but this... ohmygod.

  • Reply 6 of 464
    Yes I love it Apple looking beautiful iOS 7 wow that wonderful are awesome is Rock yay!!!
  • Reply 7 of 464
    pendergastpendergast Posts: 1,358member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by garbage View Post


    Wow. Maybe apple should ask Microsoft for some design tips.


    A washed out, over-busy version of their old over-saturated candy style. This is going to tank big time. Ive should have kept to hardware.


     


    This is quite shocking as I'm sure Apple has some top graphic designers working for them but this... ohmygod.



     


    Ok guys, stop looking... we found the one person who doesn't like it! 

  • Reply 8 of 464
    tribalogicaltribalogical Posts: 1,182member


    What I want to know is, what is that DEVICE they are showing all the screen shots on???


     


    http://live.appleinsider.com/Event/Live_from_Apples_WWDC_2013/78887965

  • Reply 9 of 464
    Not a fan of the "flat look". Apple screwed up massively with their "Maps" and still haven't completely recovered (reason why I still use Google Maps). Now this? Goodbye visual aspect of apps. Now it looks plain, basic, and blah!
  • Reply 10 of 464


    A lot of the UI is reminiscent of Android 4.X, Webos, and Samsung Touchwiz. The multitasking without a doubt borrows on the cards interface. Overall it looks nice although to busy in some places

  • Reply 11 of 464
    pendergastpendergast Posts: 1,358member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


     


    Craig's constant jabs at Scott reveals how their relationship deteriorated over the years, as each person's position of rank moved up. These guys used to get a long at NeXT and Apple when they weren't executives.


     



     


    Getting rid of Forstall and promoting Craig is the best thing they could have done.

  • Reply 12 of 464
    pendergastpendergast Posts: 1,358member


    It's not flat design, it's clean design.


     


    There's still textures, opacity, etc.

  • Reply 13 of 464
    ghostface147ghostface147 Posts: 1,629member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by tribalogical View Post


    What I want to know is, what is that DEVICE they are showing all the screen shots on???


     


    http://live.appleinsider.com/Event/Live_from_Apples_WWDC_2013/78887965



    The iPhone 5.  It's clear as day when the presenter shows the demos.  

  • Reply 14 of 464
    overlordoverlord Posts: 59member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Pendergast View Post


     


    Ok guys, stop looking... we found the one person who doesn't like it! 



     


    Make two.


     


    But i really don't care.


    The new features shadows the ugliness

  • Reply 15 of 464
    Cannt wait to run it...
  • Reply 16 of 464
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member


    Absolutely gorgeous.  A lot like Windows 8 in some aspects and like Android in others.  But literally- It now does everything either of those do- plus what iOS already did- and easily the most attractive of any (iOS 6, Android, Windows).


    This is a huge win for Apple.  Huge.

  • Reply 17 of 464
    This looks incredible. Didn't just make it flat, but completely reconceived the physical metaphor in terms of planes, meaningful use of depth and transparency. This will be huge for the whole iOS ecosystem over the coming 2-3 years.
  • Reply 18 of 464
    allenbfallenbf Posts: 993member


    Ok first, I owe the world an apology.  I said Craig was a horrible presenter.  He's actually very good, humorous and funny.


     


    Having said that, I hope the new look of iOS grows on me.  I'm not crazy about it so far.  There is a lot to like w/ multitasking, etc, but the icon colors and such are kinda gimmicky to me.


     


    Probably not a popular opinion here, but it's mine and I'm entitled to it.  I am not hating on what Jonny has done, he's brilliant, but those icons...just not for me.

  • Reply 19 of 464
    quest01quest01 Posts: 69member
    Looks very different from ios 6
  • Reply 20 of 464
    gordygordy Posts: 1,004member
    I'm all in. Since my iPhone 5 still has two good years in it, the software updates are all I care about. I think iOS is great feature wise, and I welcome a refreshed GUI.

    Now on to the Mac Pro topic...
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