I cannot recall seeing a wider variety of concept ideas for a piece of software than I have recently for iOS 7, and with the tech community anticipating some big changes thanks to the increased influence of one Jony Ive, it's hardly surprising to see designers tripping over themselves to bring forth their ideas and coming up with all sorts of iOS 7 concepts. One in particular from YouTuber iamthe6ixth offers a somewhat alternative take on the vast majority of those we've looked at hitherto, and instead of playing on the idea of a dramatically altered user interface, this concept presents changes pertaining to the functionality and behavior of iOS.
Rockstar Games and their Grand Theft Auto franchise have always managed to split public opinion right down the middle. The game, originally created by David Jones and Mike Daily, has managed to court with controversy ever since the original 2D release back in 1997. With the latest installation of GTA set to hit our shelves later on this year, Rockstar could be forgiven for sitting back and getting their heads down to finalize and polish the game, but instead they have taken the time to release part of the franchise's greatest appeal - the music.
Like many jailbreakers, one of the very first tweaks I install upon jailbreaking a device for the first time is SBSettings. Its effortless toggling of any and every major setting within iOS is a commodity that cannot be enjoyed at stock level, but it's certainly something quite a few of us would love to see right off the bat. Designer Ran Avni certainly seems to concur, and has dared to dream with a very elegant design bringing toggles for alarm, orientation, Wi-Fi and others right to the home / lock screen.
Ever since an Apple patent lodged back in 2011 was rubber-stamped last month by the USPTO, the world of tech seems to have gotten itself carried away with the idea of a near-future iPhone featuring, among other things, a variant of the curved AMOLED display outlined in the filing. It didn't take long for a leak of a 'prototype' of an iPhone 5S / 6 to leak into the wild amid all the hullabaloo, and today, designers Nickolay Lamm and Matteo Gianni have come through with a rather striking render of how an iPhone with a curved display may eventually look.
HTC's One smartphone is the product of meticulous engineering, and seeing as though the Taiwanese company has quite a lot riding on its success, it would appear that extra provisions have been made to ensure this particular device has the "wow" factor. Like every high-end device on the market, though, it hasn't taken too long for the knockoff makers to come up with a cheaper alternative, and although such clone devices were once very low-end, the 'HDC One' surfacing from China is perhaps anything but low-end.
More so in 2013 than ever before, the rumor mill has been abuzz with the idea of Apple introducing a low-cost iPhone to capture a greater share of developing markets, such as India and China. As the notion continues to gain traction, designers and fanboys have been creating concept images and videos offering ideas of what form such a device may eventually take, but Matteo Gianni's iMac G3-inspired effort is by far our favorite so far. It plays on the idea of a translucent back cover revealing the handsets various innards, and would be available in a multitude of colors.
Google set the tone nicely for this year's April Fools by announcing the closure of YouTube alongside a new "Treasure Mode" for its popular Maps service, but the Big G isn't the only company feeling a little mischievous this Easter Monday. Many other big names, from Twitter to Samsung, have joined in the camaraderie, and here, we take a look at some of the good, the bad, and the downright hilarious of today's spoofs.
iOS 7 is largely expected to make an appearance at this year's WWDC, and under the influence of Jony Ive, some are expecting more radical changes than previously seen under the guidance of Scott Forstall. Ive doesn't strike us as somebody who finds it difficult to dream up new designs, but if he and his team were ever stuck, they could always turn to the multitude of designs offered by Apple fans across the world. We've seen many an iOS 7 concept during the past six months, but this demonstration of a revamped "App Switcher" concept by one Jesse Head has left us relatively awestruck.
Whether you like a nice, small smartphone or a tablet-like behemoth is very much a personal decision. Some like to have huge 6-inch screens in the palm of their hands, whilst others think that the 4-inch display of pre fifth-generation iPhones is still the sweet spot. People will never agree on which is best, nor should they ever need to.
Mobile users, even many of those with an affinity to Apple's iOS, seem in agreement that the look and feel of the fruit company's flagship operating system is in severe need of updating. With a new leader at the helm of iOS in the form of Jony Ive, there's fresh optimism that iOS 7 will break the mold and bring the radical changes and implementations so many users seem to crave. As such, we've also seen many iOS 7 concepts since iOS SVP Scott Forstall was given his marching orders toward the end of last year, and this latest one from designer Mohamed Kerroudj is one of the best to date.
