They say that any past time was always a better time. This is a very relative thing—and not precisely in terms of the theory of relativity—since the existence of a past time itself is inexact, interpretive, and intangible. Time doesn’t exist; it passes.
But it’s true that when we look back on the past, nostalgically, we always tend to idealize what, at the time, like this present in which you are reading my words, seemed like nothing more than another moment in your life.
And this is what’s happening with iOS 7, the great design revolution of the iPhone’s graphical user interface. An update that would mean, per se, the biggest change in the history of iOS and the definitive goodbye—or not—to skeuomorphism. No, I didn’t get stuck on the keyboard… It’s a type of design, but we’ll talk about that later.
The design of iOS 7 marked an era
Those were the days. Apple released iOS 7 in 2013. Imagine that, 12 years ago. Jony Ive was the main architect of what is now considered the biggest change in iOS history.
I believe there is a profound and lasting beauty in simplicity. In clarity. In efficiency.
Jony Ive’s reflections on the design of his creation seemed to resonate in the depths of a profound echo of elegance, class, and elitism. If a man persists in his folly, he becomes wise. Apple was in its prime .
Its redesign changed everything. App icons stopped being so realistic and “meaningful,” if you’ll pardon the expression, and became much more minimalist. This also happened with buttons, text, menus, and other system elements.
A system that, in turn, also introduced transparency and blur effects into its user interface. Apple championed a design with a much cleaner aesthetic that celebrated clarity and simplicity.
What is skeuomorphism?
Skeuomorphism, a term derived from the Greek words “skéuos” (vessel or tool) and “morphê” (form), is a design technique that involves imitating or recreating physical objects in a digital environment. It’s a fast track for users to become familiar with graphical interfaces. It’s a much more elaborate and detail-packed style.
So the Notes app resembled a notebook, or the Reminders app resembled a to-do list. The origins of skeuomorphism in Apple and its products date back to the 1984 Macintosh 128K, whose desktop was filled with elements very representative of documents, trash cans, and other objects of everyday life.
What was iOS 7 like?
The iOS 7 software update was notable for its completely revamped app icons, translucent menus, and sleeker, more elegant fonts. Skeuomorphism suddenly became minimalism, also known as “flat design.”
Apple wanted to “bring order to complexity” and provide its users with a more modern and more functional operating system. All of these elements, ultimately, contributed to a much more intuitive operating system.
iOS 19 could be the next iOS 7
The transition from skeuomorphism to minimalism was immediate. Starting with iOS 7, subsequent software updates would arrive with minor modifications to further refine every detail, introducing new effects and other improvements.
However, along came the Apple Vision Pro and changed everything. Apple’s design team fell completely in love with VisionOS, its operating system, and according to leaks, everything points to iOS 19 being inspired by VisionOS with more transparency, grayish tones, and more oval-shaped elements like app icons, which are rumored to be slightly more circular.
