Is Apple's iOS 7 Inspired By Windows Phone OS? | TechTree.com

Is Apple's iOS 7 Inspired By Windows Phone OS?

Here are some prominent things that Apple's latest OS seems to have borrowed from its Microsoft counterpart.

 
Is Apple's iOS 7 Inspired By Windows Phone OS?

Amidst much fanfare, Apple announced the latest iteration of its mobile platform at the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2013. As many of you already know, the good-old glossy and curvy design language is gone. The Cupertino-based company is going ahead with a flatter and more modern look on the iOS 7. For the last few years, Apple has been consistently leading the innovation in mobile industry. Needless to say, I had high expectations from a brand that's regarded as a trendsetter. Its new OS did impress me to some extent. Especially, I loved a few new features such as the iTunes Radio and Control Center. In the iOS 7 promo video, you must have heard Sir Jon Ive saying how they "brought together a team with a broad range of expertise from design to engineering to achieve the new look". Now that might be true to a point, but I have a feeling that some key members of this team might have been ex-Microsoft employees as certain UI elements seem to be lifted from Microsoft's mobile platform. Find it hard to believe? See for yourself:

Multitasking Screen
Till now, the multitasking bar on the iPhone would only show the icons of the recently used apps. There's no provision to show the current state of the app in a thumbnail preview. However, in it's latest version, iOS has added card-based multitasking interface, made famous by Windows Phone. That's a complete rip-off, and I doubt even apple fan-boys would be able to deny it.
 

Lock Screen
Apple has finally dumped that flashy unlock slider for good. Thanks to the minimalistic typography, the new lockscreen looks undeniably elegant. But, wait a minute... I've seen it somewhere!

Call Screen
The new Call screen definitely looks better than what we have on the current version of iOS. However, while copying the sharp rectangular Windows Phone buttons, Apple seems to have forgotten that its OS still features curvy icons. In short, you get rounded corners and sharp edges in a single UI. This hurts the design uniformity, which has been Apple's strength for years.

Image Gallery
Up to iOS 6, the Photos app used to bring up a long list of snaps on iPhones. However, with the latest update, the gallery will now be in a more organised manner. As you can see in the image below, the photo grouping is somewhat based on date, much like how it's done on Windows Phone devices.

 

They say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Wonder how flattered Microsoft would be feeling right now, or if their legal eagles would be sharpening their beaks to have a bite of the Apple.


Tags : Mobile Phones, Apple, iOS

 
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