Jonathan Ive to rid skeumorphism in iOS and OS X, says report

Now that Scott Forstall is out at Apple, speculations about the future of iOS and OS X are hot as hell. With much respect to Jony Ive, we can pretty much say that the future is bright. But as to what the new Human Interface chief is planning, they are still shrouded in mystery. But according to the New York Times, a major design shift is coming. Rumor has it that Steve Jobs was a huge fan of skeuomorphism – a design element that replicates real-world objects digitally. Scott Forstall too was a skeuomorph, and it was evident in every iPhone, iPod and iPad.

Jony Ive, on the other hand, reportedly has a distaste for the visual ornamentation that is skeuomorphism. Ive, also Apple’s Industrial Design chief and widely known as a proponent of minimalist designs, is expected to make his own mark. “You can be sure that the next generation of iOS and OS X will have Jony’s industrial design aesthetic all over them,” one unnamed Apple designer told The New York Times. “Clean edges, flat surfaces will likely replace the textures that are all over the place right now.”

Gene Ryan Briones
Categories: Apple