What Might Jony Ive's Flat iOS 7 Look Like?

If 9to5Mac's usually reliable sources are correct, the persistent rumors that Apple's new version of iOS will be fundamentally redesigned to have a "flat" look are correct.

Today, the Apple-centric tech site published an in-depth, anonymously sourced glimpse at what Jony Ive, Apple's senior vice president of industrial design and all-around celebrity designer, has been cooking up for the new user interface of iOS 7.

The new software is going to be announced at this June's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), but until then, here's a peak at what some features might look like, using concept art from designers unaffiliated with Apple to get an idea of what 9to5Mac's insider is talking about.

No More Skeuomorphism

Apparently, Ive is not a fan of skeuomorphic interfaces, which is the fancy designer term for the "3D," shiny, bubbly look that dates back for Apple as far as the early 90's, when OS 7 introduced a little texture into the Mac's operating system.

Part of Ive's reasoning for leaving the skeuomorphic effects behind is that iOS applications have several different design schemes within this bubbly space, leaving the user with a confusing, dissonant user experience. Supposedly he's also stated that software designs that try to mimic actual physical environments don't hold up over time.

Here's an example of how application icons might look in the new iOS 7 by Anton Kovelev (via The Tech Block's Abdel Ibrahim and Gizmodo), with flattened graphics and clean edges (though, according to 9to5Mac, the Game Center icon will get an entierly new graphic this year). The icons on your home screen are slated to still be rounded, but they will lose the bubbly look, shine, and shadows.

App Color Changes

iOS apps will all conform to a black and white color scheme, with their own accent colors unique to each app. White will dominate the design, and some apps with other central colors are either going to be redesigned or replaced - for example, the very yellow Notepad is going to be replaced by the iPhone Notes app and the Game Center will be adjusted to strip away its green felt background.

This concept of the calendar app and a music player, part of design site Simply Zesty's concept video for their version of iOS 7 might be close to how Ive envisions the look of iOS apps. Note the mainly flat, white color, accented by either a red or orange theme, depending on the app (though remember, this is just a concept, and the radically different designs for Calendar and, especially, "Music" are neither Apple-approved nor a preview of iOS 7).

Lockscreen and Notifications

The iPhone's lockscreen is also getting flattened - it's losing its luster and getting a clean new look under iOS 7. The transparent time bar at the top is apparently going to be replaced with a flatter, black one, and the Lockscreen's notifications will gain some gestural functionality, but don't expect a radically new welcome when you turn on your new iPhone for the first time. Additionally, the notifications pull-down, which currently has a thatched linen background, is going to change to go with the flat black and white theme. Here's an iOS Lockscreen concept from Kyle Adams with a more minimal and flat interface (via Gizmodo). The top bar has definitely lost the 3D shine, though the "slide to unlock" feature in this concept is still a little too skeuomorphic to fit what Ive seems to be planning.

Other Changes

Wallpaper: iOS 7 will likely include the swipe-through panoramic wallpapers. This makes sense, since new Apple devices can take panoramic photos. It's also something that Android has featured for a long time, so it's nice for Apple users to finally get that feature.

Integration: It looks like iOS 7 will be coming with Flickr and Vimeo integrated and a better driving mode for Maps and their voice-controlled assistant software, Siri.

Weather: According to 9to5Mac's source on Ive, iOS 7's new Weather application will have animated images that change with the weather outlook, and actually looks similar to this flat concept weather app, by Dirk Jan Haarsma (via 9to5Mac).