Ive’s Flat iOS 7 to Emphasize Black and White Design Elements

With only a short time to go before the highly anticipated (post-Forstall) iOS 7 is unveiled, 9to5Mac has obtained further details about how Jony Ive’s push for a flat design will influence the mobile operating system’s appearance. According to their sources, we are going to see a new look dominated by black-and-white design elements.

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Sources have described iOS 7 as “black, white, and flat all over.” This refers to the dropping of heavy textures and the addition of several new black and white user interface elements.

Sources say that over the past few months, Apple has re-architected iOS 7?s new interface several times, so until the new software is announced at WWDC, interface elements could dramatically change from what Apple has been testing internally in recent weeks.

Now that over half a billion devices running Jobs’ and Forstall’s iconic system have been sold, Ive has the immense challenge to make Apple’s software as clean and seamless as his glass and aluminum devices, all while making the software remain simple enough to resonate with customers.

For the upcoming operating system, which Apple says will be unveiled at its June Worldwide Developers Conference, Ive has not simply picked areas of the software design to tweak. He has essentially made his mark on every corner of the operating system, according to descriptions from sources, all while mostly keeping the essence of what has made iOS so ubiquitous.

A number of specific changes are reported in the iOS 7 currently under development, and these changes are also subject to a further change before the major release will take place. People familiar with the matter point out that the design changes appear to alter the home screen, notifications, lock screen and native apps.

The report goes on to detail the new design elements:

In addition to the Home screen buttons, most of Apple’s apps have been redesigned to fit the white, black, and flat theme of the new operating system. For example, the shredding animation for deleting virtual passes has likely been removed from Passbook.

Additionally, the iPhone’s Notes app has replaced the yellow notepad design for a flat white look. Apps such as Mail, Calendar, and Maps have also gained a more uniformed look with flat white textures. While the core elements of those apps are mostly white, each app has been given a unique button color. Essentially, each app has a white base with a respective color theme.

But that isn’t all: besides the new look, iOS 7 will also bring several new features. We’ve told you about the Flickr and Vimeo integration, but there will be much more.

After Apple (not surprisingly) confirmed the keynote for June 10, we are counting the days already until we finally see the iOS 7’s beta version.

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