When Phil Schiller (Senior Vice President – Worldwide Marketing, Apple Inc.) took to the stage at WWDC 2013 and exclaimed “Can’t innovate any more, my ass.” amid huge applause – the future looked promising. But when iOS 7 was later revealed in enough detail, there were doubts about the word ‘innovate’ used by Phil. Innovate, really? Apple iOS 7 for all practical purposes looks like a mash-up of other mobile operating systems including Windows Phone 8, Blackberry and Android.
The icons appear flatter reminding one of Microsoft’s Modern UI concept. You can now swipe your finger from the left edge, to go to the previous screen. This feature comes directly from BlackBerry 10. Apple Music looks strangle familiar to Google Music. There are other Android features which look familiar iOS 7’s interface. The color scheme of Calendar, Safari’s UI and web page panels look Chrome-like, etc.
Let’s see a comparison photo. Check the similarity to Windows Phone design elements.
Apple indeed opted for a more flat design including bits of transparency and got rid of faux for a completely modern approach but after playing around on the iOS 7 platform, Windows Phone users will definitely throw up their hands leaving no doubt about its ‘closeness’ to the Windows Phone platform. Striking resemblance! Mere co-incidence? I don’t think so. Inspired by the Windows Phone platform? Hey of course!
About iOS 7, Apple says “The mobile OS from a whole new perspective”. I’d say “The mobile OS from a whole new Windows Phone perspective.”
The screen visible upon an incoming call is a dead give-away.
You love the multi-tasking way in iOS 7? Well, Windows Phone users have been doing it the same way much before you.
Not to forget the fact that Microsoft’s search engine Bing now powers Apple’s virtual assistant, Siri instead of Google meaning that all queries through Siri will now be primarily tracked through Bing. This isn’t news exactly as Bing is the default search engine for the Windows Phone platform with handsets even sporting a dedicated search button on screen. Bummer!
Apple’s iOS 7 is a refreshing change from its previous versions (the new changes are the largest design changes ever seen on the iOS platform) but there is no hiding the fact that it is indeed inspired by the Windows Phone Platform (the design bosses at Redmond must be smiling).
I will have to agree if a Windows Phone user, after playing around with the iOS 7 platform, quotes Phil Schiller and exclaims:
“You call that innovation, Apple? My ass”
Apple sure seems to believe in what Steve Jobs once said: Good artists copy, great artists steal!
http://youtu.be/CW0DUg63lqU
Image Source: WPCentral.
I agree … I’m using 7 on my phone right now and I like it because it looks just like Windows 8!
(By the way, that’s a little bit of a misleading quote at the first of your article: the statement about innovation from Mr. Schiller was about the Mac Pro, NOT iOS7).
I’m surprised no one can see the differences, more importantly cannot realize that this is coming from an insecure WP 8 fan, who doesn’t know how else to defend his poor phone choice ! Some examples
1. Comparison of photo album between the 2 – The concept of auto-organizing the album based on date and geo-tag into 2 categories – Momemts & Collections is not there in WP8
2. The phone screen they’ve compared – where is the ‘remind me later’ option in WP8? Morever iOS is a translucent UI. Previously the screen looked similar on iOS 6 too, it was just not flat.
3. Multi tasking – Can you flip the applications up to close them in WP8? Even webOS looks similar but the functionalities differ
4. I paused every single slide in that video of comparing the screens between the 2 – I dont see any similarity
I understand you are an Apple hater which is your opinion and its fine, but I dont understand how someone can fall for an article so lame and stupid. Here are the features of iOS 7 that this guy has very carefully ignored, because he has to – it makes WP8 look dumb
1. AirDrop – No need to NFC or tapping – you can share files just sitting there
2. Control center – You can argue Android that this in its notification center, but this is accessible from the lock screen and has a unique UI
3. Notification center – WP8 has none (which I find as the biggest flaw), is categorized into different views
4. The depth effect in homescreen when you move your phone, the wallpaper under the tiles slide – Completely unique
5. Mailbox – Gives you multiple ways of organizing and cleaning the mailbox with different types of swipes. Unique again
6. Safari – Unique tabbed view and how you close tabs
7. Facetime audio – Built in VOIP caller
8. Application specific VPN – unique again
9. Camera built in with Instagram and other options of editing.
10. There’s much more to brag about, but i’ll stop here
I’ve been using WP8 for last 3 months. I find it lacking functionality and also confusing/boring. It is fine for a middle segment smartphone user ($200-$400 phones), but is no where a competition to premium smart phones.
the comments from Imran Hassan are hilarious.
1 – “I’m surprised no one can see the differences” – nobody is saying they are identical or that differences cannot be seen. the idea behind most of the article is in the way ios7 LOOKS. And for a sue-happy company like apple to use the word “innovate” they’d be wise to watch their words. obviously the comment was made about the way the macpro looks, which is quite innovative. but regardless, fanboys like you will probably say everything they’re looking at in ios7 is “innovative” and “new”. lol. no it’s not. it’s a simple variation of the previously mentioned OS’s.
2 – How convenient it is to mention what wp8 doesn’t have to claim that apple is being innovative. Again, the fact that the notification center functions just like android, and the multitasking looks and acts so much like webos or wp8 proves the point: not innovative. it’s not a bad thing… it’s a great thing actually! I can’t wait. BUT IT ISN”T NEW.
3- “I dont see any similarity”. OMG. You should be embarrassed. you don’t even qualify to make a comment if you cannot see how these photos are similar. obviously not identical, but they are obviously similar. lol. seriously, an 8 year old can see the similarities.
I like it all. I dislike it all. I see things about ios I like, just like android, and wp8 and even webos. I also see things i dislike. currently I use both (android phone, ios tablet). I’m not a fanboy of anything so I can’t make comments like the previous poster pretending that everything written in the article is some exaggerated vicious lie. why pretend apple (or any other for that matter) is perfect??? lol. please. get real. everyone can see it. nobody is saying it doesn’t look cool (is that what hurt your feelings?). it looks cool. the point is, don’t say it’s new… if it isn’t. it’s facetime all over again… hilarious.
Good night everybody!
Funny that you also chose to ignore those features that are not available in WP8, that I stated, just the like the author of the article did.
Moreover this article is a comparison between iOS7 and WP8. If we have to discuss Android, lets start with how the first version of android was inspired (or lets use the word copy) of features first introduced by iOS like multi touch gestures, rubber band effect, finger friendly touch screen OS to name a few. But we dont have to go there as its irrelevant to the thread.
I’m also finding your analogy hilarious, that its not supposed to be ‘identical, but similar’. Take 2 smart phones of any kind, any make, at any point of time and try to put their screens next to each other. All of them have many screens that surprisingly look similar, but not identical !
Its ironic that people claim Apple has copied some other company’s innovation when this precise category of smartphones was created by Apple to begin with.
The article title did say the best feature from windows phone and android phone, not just windows phone. I am using an iPhone now and did find that most of the new features are copied from other OS or from third party apps you can get from jailbreaking your iPhone. For sure, they have some new stuff but I will have to say 90% copied, 10% new at most.
I have all Apple products, an iPod Touch, iPad, MacBook Pro, and the next time I’m up for an upgrade an iPhone 5, until this announcement. I never thought I’d say this, but Apple, my next phone will more than likely be an Android. I would rather buy from the company who originally designed the software platform than from the company who stole it and is passing it off as its own. As far as I’m concerned, Apple died with Steve Jobs and they may not see much of my business in the future.
Exactly, I am agree with you 110%
I dont agree with you with the control center, in android you have it also on lockscreen…
Pointless article really. Are there enough people using any form of a Windows mobile OS to even to appear on a graph next to iOS and Android users? Less than 1% last time I checked. Pretty much a dead OS. Be less of a waste of time to discuss BeOS! LOL
Too funny. You just contradicted yourself. Apple are the originators of everything out there we know in mobile OS. If you doubt it simply look at mobile phones BEFORE iPhone! Go on I dare you.