In 2013, Apple launched a radical redesign of the iPhone’s user interface. iOS 7 represented more than just a fresh new look. It marked a major shift in Cupertino’s design philosophy, which arose from a bitter boardroom bust-up between two of Steve Jobs’ most trusted lieutenants.

Since the launch of the Macintosh in 1984, Jobs had pioneered the use of skeuomorphism, a design motif where apps adopt visual cues from real world objects. Jobs shared this philosophy with tech genius Scott Forstall, who worked on the Aqua interface for Mac OS X, and subsequently led the development of iOS.

In the power vacuum after Steve Jobs’ passing, Ive and Forstall became locked in a battle for the company’s future. When Ive won, he wasted no time in scrapping Forstall’s cherished skeuomorphism. In a matter of months his team had developed a radical new user interface design. iOS 7’s minimalistic style was quintessentially Jony Ive, and it established a visual language that continues to influence Apple to this day.

APPLE CORE MERCH

Check out our new merch store on Teepublic, featuring t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more in retro-geek designs:
https://applecore.dashery.com

LINKS

Video of WWDC 2013, where iOS 7 was launched:
https://youtu.be/hIigp_bxUcQ?si=41rq99ofJLeaG9pl

Nicholas Carlson for Business Insider in 2014 on Steve Jobs and Quicktime’s brushed metal:
https://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobss-signature-design-style-2014-10

Buster Hein for Cult of Mac on the Passbook shredder:
https://www.cultofmac.com/news/ios-7-passbook-ditches-forstalls-dumb-paper-shredder-animation

The Verge on apps that influenced the design of iOS 7:
https://www.theverge.com/2013/10/9/4817146/taskmasters-how-israeli-intelligence-officers-helped-inspire-the-look-of-ios-7

Joshua Topolsky’s hot take on iOS 7 for The Verge:
https://www.theverge.com/apple/2013/6/10/4416726/the-design-of-ios-7-simply-confusing

Jony Ive designs things:
https://www.tumblr.com/jonyiveredesignsthings

Griffin’s website:
https://www.dgriffinjones.com/

Sherlock was introduced in 1998, as a tool for finding files on Mac OS 8.5. It used advanced search technology harvested from the carcass of Apple’s failed next generation operation system, Copeland. Sherlock revolutionized search on the Mac, enabling users to search within files for the first time.

But its file searching prowess is not the reason Sherlock is remembered today. By competing with a similar third-party app called Watson, Apple was accused of putting an indie developer out of business, which coined the term “sherlocking.”

Sherlock was a technical marvel, featuring a breakthrough user interface that continues to influence how we use the Internet to this day. But its reign was short-lived. Just seven years after its launch, Sherlock was replaced by Spotlight.

APPLE CORE MERCH

Check out our new merch store on Teepublic, featuring t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more in retro-geek designs:

LINKS

Original Sherlock page on Apple.com via WayBack Machine (you might need to scroll down to see it)

Phil Schiller demos Sherlock 2 at WWDC 1999 (at 59:28)

Sherlock 3 page on Appe.com, via WayBack Machine (you might need to scroll down to see it)

Steve Jobs demos Sherlock 3 at Macworld New York 2002 (25:08)

Karelia Software’s Watson website

In 2011, Steve Jobs made his final public appearance, presenting his plans for a second Apple campus to Cupertino City Council. He proposed a circular building, one mile in diameter, surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds that concealed a subterranean parking garage.

With a whopping $5 billion budget and a prestigious international architect attached to the project, Jobs’ ambition was to build “the best office building in the world.” Drawing on his learnings from Pixar’s headquarters, Jobs believed the “donut-shaped” design would result in to unexpected encounters that prompted innovation.

Completed in 2017, Apple Park quickly an iconic part of the brand, featured in every product launch video. But the building’s Pentagon-style “groundscraper” design epitomizes car-dependent suburban bureaucracy rather than innovation, and with the rise of post-COVID home working, large campus sites have become less relevant. So, in this episode, we explore the history of Silicon Valley office parks and consider if Jobs achieved his goal of building the world’s best office.

MERCH STORE

Check out our merch store on Teepublic for retro-geek t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more:
https://www.teepublic.com/stores/apple-core-podcast

LINKS:

Video of Steve Jobs’ presentation to Cupertino City Council
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtuz5OmOh_M

The Glendenning Barn
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/story-behind-random-century-old-162804565.html

History of the Apple Park site
https://s3.amazonaws.com/Apple-Campus2-DEIR/Apple_Campus_2_Project_EIR_Public_Review_5e-Cultural.pdf

Hewlett Packard’s Garage on Apple Maps
https://maps.apple.com/?address=367%20Addison%20Ave,%20Palo%20Alto,%20CA%20%2094301,%20United%20States&ll=37.443018,-122.154640&q=367%20Addison%20Ave

Steve Jobs’s parents’ garage on Apple Maps
https://maps.apple.com/?address=2066%20Crist%20Dr,%20Los%20Altos,%20CA%20%2094024,%20United%20States&ll=37.340323,-122.068897&q=2066%20Crist%20Dr&t=h

The A1844 Door Assembly With Reader
https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-mystery-device-a1844-photos-user-manual-2017-3

Satellite image of Apple Park by Apple Maps.