In 2013, Apple launched a radical redesign of the iPhone’s user interface. iOS 7 represented more than just a fresh new look. It marked a major shift in Cupertino’s design philosophy, which arose from a bitter boardroom bust-up between two of Steve Jobs’ most trusted lieutenants.
Since the launch of the Macintosh in 1984, Jobs had pioneered the use of skeuomorphism, a design motif where apps adopt visual cues from real world objects. Jobs shared this philosophy with tech genius Scott Forstall, who worked on the Aqua interface for Mac OS X, and subsequently led the development of iOS.
In the power vacuum after Steve Jobs’ passing, Ive and Forstall became locked in a battle for the company’s future. When Ive won, he wasted no time in scrapping Forstall’s cherished skeuomorphism. In a matter of months his team had developed a radical new user interface design. iOS 7’s minimalistic style was quintessentially Jony Ive, and it established a visual language that continues to influence Apple to this day.
Featuring special guest D Griffin Jones.
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LINKS
Video of WWDC 2013, where iOS 7 was launched
Nicholas Carlson for Business Insider in 2014 on Steve Jobs and Quicktime’s brushed metal
Buster Hein for Cult of Mac on the Passbook shredder
The Verge on apps that influenced the design of iOS 7