A week before its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) begins, Apple on Monday released the official companion app for this year’s event. Available now free in the iOS App Store, the universal app appears to foreshadow the long-rumored changes coming to the iOS 7 design.
After former iOS chief Scott Forstall was fired last October, longtime industrial hardware design guru Sir Jonathan Ive was put in charge of software design as well. Rumors immediately began circulating that Mr. Ive was preparing a complete revamp of the iOS look and feel, which has remained largely unchanged since the iPhone’s release in 2007.
A major criticism of Apple’s design has been its inconsistent use of skeuomorphism which, in this case, means the company’s attempts to design digital interfaces to mimic their real-world counterparts. Examples include the iOS Notes app, which looks like a yellow legal pad, and the Calendar app, which resembles a real-world desktop calendar, complete with untorn bits of paper at the top of each page.
An example of skeuomorphic design in the iOS Calendar app.
Many argued that skeuomorphism, a favored design of Mr. Forstall and Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobs, was not keeping pace with customer demands for modern looks and consistent design, which are found on many competing platforms. Mr. Ive therefore set out to relentlessly scrub all signs of the design style from the look of iOS, resulting in a “flatter design” for the upcoming iOS 7.
Some typical blurry shots have “leaked” in recent days, but, as pointed out by RazorianFly, the best indication of what will be unveiled in San Francisco next week may be the new WWDC app.
A comparison of official WWDC apps, from left: 2011, 2012, 2013 (via @yuize)
A comparison of the WWDC app from 2011, 2012, and 2013, shows Mr. Ive’s reported preference for “flat” design. No reflections, no rounded edges, and a more muted color palette all support the rumors that have escaped Cupertino in the last 8 months.
WWDC kicks off Monday, June 10 at 10:00 AM PDT (1:00 PM EDT). Videos of Apple’s headline keynote and developer sessions throughout the week will be available via the WWDC app and iTunes.
