Bits Blog: Love and Hate for Apple’s New Mobile Software

Kimberly White/Getty Images Apple’s Craig Federighi introduced features of the new mobile operating system, which has been significantly redesigned.

Apple this week unveiled a major redesign for iOS, the mobile software system running on iPhones and iPads. The software, called iOS 7, adopts a “flat” design principle that simplifies the look, while introducing thin typography and a vibrant color palette.

After Apple demonstrated iOS 7, Twitter lit up with reactions from designers, Apple fans and even some former Apple employees. The responses were polarized: Some loved the new design, while others despised it.

Here’s a sampling of tweets from notable people in the technology industry.

Andrew Borovsky, a former Apple designer who now works at Square, said the operating system was not designed for everyday people.

iOS (like Windows Phone) is now a type orgy that appeals to print designers not human beings.

— Andrew Borovsky (@borovsky) 11 Jun 13

John Gruber, owner of Daring Fireball, an influential Apple fan blog, could not begin to fathom why anyone would dislike iOS 7.

If you don’t think iOS 7 is beautiful, I don’t know what to say to you.

— John Gruber (@gruber) 10 Jun 13

Khoi Vinh, a former design director for The New York Times who is now an app developer, suggested that Scott Forstall, Apple’s former head of mobile software who was fired last year, did not have much to worry about.

If iOS 7 is revenge on Forstall, Forstall’s revenge may be that it’s kind of not that great.

— Khoi Vinh (@khoi) 12 Jun 13

Matt Gemmell, an Apple app developer, didn’t like some elements of the operating system, but he was otherwise positive about the overall improvements.

The least-mature aspect of iOS 7’s aesthetic change is clearly the Home screen/icons. Don’t let it ruin the excellent improvements.

— Matt Gemmell (@mattgemmell) 10 Jun 13

Sebastiaan de With, chief creative officer of DoubleTwist, the maker of a music app for mobile devices, disliked the icons and the typography of the system.

This is iOS as re-imagined by a graphic designer. Non-obvious, undiscoverable interactions, extremely poor iconography, over-Helveticated.

— Sebastiaan de With (@sdw) 10 Jun 13

Josh Brewer, a designer at Twitter, wondered whether Apple had thoroughly tested iOS 7 before going with this approach.

You gotta wonder if they took their phones outside and looked at all that thin-lined icon + transparency stuff in the sunlight.

— Josh Brewer (@jbrewer) 10 Jun 13

Article source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/love-and-hate-for-apples-new-mobile-software/?partner=rss&emc=rss