Fresh Rumors on Apple’s iOS7 hint at possible Microsoft look and feel

Apples next mobile operating system, iOS7, expected to be unveiled at this year’s developer conference, WWDC 2013, is rumored to have major  design  changes, with new reports suggesting a more muted and flat design aesthetic.

Last October, Jonathan Ive became responsible  for Apple’s hardware as well as  software and is not a fan of the skeuomorphic heavy design cues that currently dominate iOS.

Speculation has for a while been  that Ive was planning a broad UI overhaul with iOS 7, but there are still not many specific details. According to a report by 9to5 Mac Ive’s look for iOS 7 will be “black, white and flat all over.”

Many of the textures currently present in iOS — linen on the notifications panel and leather in the calendar app — will be replaced with flat black and white colors. As for the home screen, apps will no longer have gloss, shadows and shine applied to the icons, but their corners will remain rounded.

9to5 Mac also suggests that apps such as Mail, Calendar and Maps will gain a more unified look. The report suggests that all apps will share a similar white base each with its own unique color scheme.

The green felt from Game Center and the wooden shelves from Newsstand have also reportedly been removed.

The big challenge with an iOS overhaul, of course, will be balancing the need for something new with the familiarity the system has with hundreds of millions of users.

Source: Mashable