Is Apple iOS7 copying Windows Phone Metro Design?

Products and Services

Looks like, on the first view, that Apple, in the newest iOS7 update, made the icons simpler, more 2D, abandoned skeuomorphism and they look now more like colourful Windows Phone Metro icons.

It is a risky move and regarding that iPhone is their main business (by revenue) so Tim Cook will maybe copy Gil Amelio saying: “Apple is like a ship with holes in the bottom leaking water. My job is to get that ship pointed in the right direction.”)

It is really amazing how one man can make such a difference when it comes to the vision, leading the company and forbidding bad product to come to the market and being innovative most of the time, not follower of others (Steve Jobs, of course)…

apple-ios7-vs-ios6

I personally don’t like the new design because:

  1. Colors are highlighted too much – there are more colors then on richest Christmas tree
  2. Simplification was not consistently finished
  3. I see similarity with Windows Metro design guidelines (which is not bad) but at Windows it is more consistent and they use monochromatic icons mostly

As Steve said: “Good artists copy, great artists steal” 🙂