Apple revamps look of iPhone, iPad software

Apple's iOS7, which the company called the most significant update to the software powering the iPhone since it was first unveiled. (Apple)

The new iOS 7, unveiled at the 2013 Worldwide Deveoper Conference. (Apple)

Apple is throwing out most of the real-world graphical cues from its iPhone and iPad software, like the casino-green "felt" of its Game Center app, in what it calls the biggest update since the iPhone's launch in 2007.

The new operating system, called iOS 7, strives for a clean, simple, translucent look. Apple is redesigning all its applications and icons to conform to the new look, driven by long-time hardware design head Jony Ive.

“iOS 7 is the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “To create it, we brought together a team with a broad range of expertise from design to engineering. With what we’ve been able to achieve together, we see iOS 7 as an exciting new beginning.”

Apple demonstrated the new software at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday. The new design direction was widely expected.

The software strives for a multi-layered look, with translucent panels. On the main screen, the background image moves with the movement of the phone, creating an illusion of depth.

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