iOS 7 To Feature ‘Very Flat’ Design [Rumor Mill]

2013 is shaping up to be the year of flat web design, and, if today’s rumor is correct, Apple will follow suit with the release of iOS 7.

A new rumor from a source at 9to5Mac suggests that Apple’s next iOS version will be “very, very flat” in design.

The report suggests that Apple is looking for something along the lines of the Metro interface found on Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices.

While Apple has had success in creating intuitive interfaces, many critics have often complained that the company’s attempts to make icons look exactly like their functions has been distracting. Case in point, the Calendar app with its leather daybook design.

Last year iOS head Scott Forstall was shown the door, and iOS 7 will usher in the first Apple software platform to be controlled by his replacement Jonathan Ive. As you may be aware, Ive is the mastermind behind Apple’s mobile hardware designs. According to sources close to the project, Ive is majorly opposed to skeuomorphism and has worked endlessly to end the practice with the Apple iOS 7 platform.

According to the report, Apple is working to create “glance-able” information that works like the Notification Center. The goal appears to be along the lines of creating a system that can be viewed quickly while providing wanted and needed information.

There’s a good chance Apple is going for a “glance-able” design in response to the Google Now feature on Android phones, which allows users to glance at their devices so they can quickly grab localized and relevant data.

Apple could show off iOS 7 at the WWDC in June, and, if it does, some rumors today clais that the device would be unveiled in June and start shipping shortly afterwords.

Developers have not yet gotten their hands on iOS 7, and, until they do, any news of a potential release date will just have to wait.

Do you think iOS 7 needs a major flat design update to compete with other nicer looking software options?