Designer Imagines 'Living Glass' Future for iOS Ahead of WWDC 2025

Sebastiaan de With, co-founder of Lux, the company behind popular photography apps like Halide and Kino, recently laid out his perspective on the much-rumored major redesign of iOS, which Apple is expected to unveil at WWDC 2025. In a detailed blog post, de With looks back at previous iOS design eras and explores what could be next, with a particular focus on how visionOS's design language might shape the future of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.De With breaks down iOS design history into several "epochs." His analysis begins with the "Shaded Age" of the original iPhone OS, defined by skeuomorphism—using familiar real-world textures and rendered buttons to make the new touchscreen interface approachable. This period, he notes, was "heavily grounded in creating familiarity through thoughtful, extensive visual effects."Next came the "Flat Age," introduced with iOS 7 in 2013. This update largely moved away from heavy visual effects, opting for a cleaner look that used layers and dynamic effects like parallax and frosted glass to create a sense of depth and interactivity. De With observes that over time, this design matured, reintroducing some static effects and "rounder" elements in step with iPhone hardware.Continue ReadingSpotlight Deal:M4 MacBook Air Hits New All-Time Low of $837.19 [Deal]Share Article:Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, EmailFollow iClarified:Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Newsletter, App Store, YouTube

Jun 4, 2025 - 00:50

Designer Imagines 'Living Glass' Future for iOS Ahead of WWDC 2025

Sebastiaan de With, co-founder of Lux, the company behind popular photography apps like Halide and Kino, recently laid out his perspective on the much-rumored major redesign of iOS, which Apple is expected to unveil at WWDC 2025. In a detailed blog post, de With looks back at previous iOS design eras and explores what could be next, with a particular focus on how visionOS's design language might shape the future of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

De With breaks down iOS design history into several "epochs." His analysis begins with the "Shaded Age" of the original iPhone OS, defined by skeuomorphism—using familiar real-world textures and rendered buttons to make the new touchscreen interface approachable. This period, he notes, was "heavily grounded in creating familiarity through thoughtful, extensive visual effects."

Next came the "Flat Age," introduced with iOS 7 in 2013. This update largely moved away from heavy visual effects, opting for a cleaner look that used layers and dynamic effects like parallax and frosted glass to create a sense of depth and interactivity. De With observes that over time, this design matured, reintroducing some static effects and "rounder" elements in step with iPhone hardware.

Continue Reading

Spotlight Deal:
M4 MacBook Air Hits New All-Time Low of $837.19 [Deal]

Share Article:
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, Email

Follow iClarified:
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Newsletter, App Store, YouTube