iOS 7

[Allen]

Can we get back to discussing the skeuomorphic elements Jobs was building into his systems from the first Mac, to OSX, to the mobile devices?

I agree that we should get back to being on topic. However, skeuomorphic elements are but one aspect of iOS7, correct? Some would argue a overwhelmingly large element to be sure (and I wouldn't disagree).

Ok, so skeuomorphism... what's the big deal? I used to enter notes on a screen that looked like a law notepad. Now, I enter text on a screen that's completely blank (save for menu, date/time and keypad). It's really just design, IMHO.
Yes, I know; 'skeumorphism really is a transitional design to aid us over the bridge from old ways of doing something to the new way' and since we've all (mostly all ) crossed that bridge, we don't need the old 'looks like a tool in real-like' appearance.

Would you agree that XenForo has a fairly clean UI? I wonder if you'd swap it for the monochrome, Spartan interface of a BBS message base of the early 1980's.

 

[psTubble27]

'Skeuomorphism as a transitional design' is a rather misplaced monicker. If skeuomorphism is defined as using real-world elements in the digital space, then many aspects of it should never be done away with. It is much more than the green-felt Game Center, which as I say was in bad taste. It's literally everything from glossy/reflective buttons, to shadows under windows, even to windows overlapping each other as if on a physical desk. When you look at iOS7 (and windows 8) closely, you'll see it removed much more than the green felt: it removed the shadows behind icons on the Home screen; it removed all glossy images and reflections. Whereas the old Camera icon had a gorgeous glossy lens, that's been stripped away now and the new Camera icon has an image that can mean almost anything.

So no, foundational aspects of skeuomorphism cannot be considered transitional. Elements have to be distinguished from each other, and given a hierarchy, on a screen. Either you give the active element a shadow, to indicate focus, or you give it a thick crayon-colored border as Windows 8 has done. Which imho is much worse than a green felt.

XenForo seems to have been influenced by the OSX in many ways (e.g. Spotlight Search), and this includes taking many of Apple's skeuomorphic elements.

I'm looking at the shadowed buttons, which tells me they rise 'above' the plane and can be clicked on. I'm looking at the shaded 'new post' indicator which tells me it isn't part of a post but 'hovers above' it. I'm looking at the ACP header whose large shadow establishes its hierarchy over the particular menus below. I'm looking at the large reflective 'Register Now' button, a straight copy of key Apple UI elements. I'm looking at 'pressed-in' text (in buttons and elsewhere) having an old typographic feel. See at my default avatar and you'll find a sharp diagonal running through the question mark... what is that? That's the 'sharp glassy reflection' effect Apple has pioneered in most of its graphics since SJ's return.

 

[rellek]

Sorry to interrupt you, but actually, Lisa was released before the Mac.

Well, I'm not actually sure if people got the idea of that desktop metaphor at all. I mean, a typical Windows user does not really "work" on his "desktop", he would have billions of shortcuts to programs there... Besides, iOS never had this desktop metaphor, so there was nothing to destroy with going from skeuomorphism to flat design in that matter.

I, for myself, think that Windows Phone's flat design is kind of cool, so I'm not entirely against Apple shifting into that direction too. Sure, there *are* questionable decisions made, but nothing is perfect and iOS still fits my needs best.

Edit
Whoops, there was a 12th page.

 

[oman]

They seriously stuffed the keyboard in the latest update... http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/io...eyboard-wishlist-ios-7-keyboard-tips-3506766/