Apple iOS 7 Rumors: Skeuomorphism Features Gone, Replaced With New ‘Flat’ Design [VIDEO]

We’re expecting Apple to unveil its newest mobile operating system for iPhone and iPad at WWDC 2013, which lasts from June 10-14. Though its release is roughly a month away, Apple users have high hopes for iOS 7, which will be the first version of iOS directly managed by Apple’s lead designer, Sir Jony Ive.

Ive, who took over “human interface” duties in October after longtime iOS chief Scott Forstall got the boot, has reportedly removed many of the skeuomorphic interface choices in iOS – specifically, ornamental elements that serve as decorative metaphors instead of functional features, like the yellow Notepad app – and replaced them with “flat,” simple textures and features.

“Jony, who I think has the best taste of anyone in the world and the best design skills, now has responsibility for the human interface,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a Businessweek interview in December. “I mean, look at our products. (Cook reaches for his iPhone.) The face of this is the software, right? And the face of this iPad is the software. So it’s saying, Jony has done a remarkable job leading our hardware design, so let’s also have Jony responsible for the software and the look and feel of the software, not the underlying architecture and so forth, but the look and feel.”

According to alleged inside sources at Apple speaking to 9to5Mac, iOS 7 -- codenamed “Innsbruck” --resembles the flat colors and shapes of Microsoft’s metro interface, which is currently featured in its Windows Phone devices, to become more intuitive and less flashy.

“While the look of the updated system may be surprising to some, iOS 7 is reportedly not more difficult to use than earlier versions of software platform,” Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac said. “There is apparently no new learning curve in the same way there was no learning curve when the iPods went color. While iOS 7 does look different, its core apps and system fundamentals (like the Lock and Home screens) mostly operate in a similar fashion to how they do today.”

Apple has also reportedly redesigned the icons for all its first-party iOS apps, including Messages, App Store, Settings, Safari and others. iOS 7 will also reportedly come with “polarizing filters,” which decreases the chance an onlooker can see what you’re looking at or doing on your phone.

Apple has also reportedly considered adding more ways to access important System Preferences and phone information -- as jailbreaking app Auxo showed us in December, the multitasking tray can be used for so much more than its current uses.

Apple is also said to introduce major improvements to Maps and Siri in iOS 7, which have become two of the most unpopular, albeit most used, Apple-made applications.

For those looking to see what iOS 7 may look like, Brazilian designer Rafael Justino created a concept video of features he believes Apple will include in iOS 7.

What do you think of Apple’s alleged design changes in iOS 7? What features are you hoping to see in the new mobile operating system for iPhone and iPad? Let us know in the comments system below.