Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is set to release an update to its mobile operating system iOS this summer, but reports have begun to surface suggesting iOS 7 will be delayed because the company has pulled some of its software engineers off of the project. The situation mirrors the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) decision to pull engineers off its desktop OSX Leopard back when it was first designing iOS.
A story on AllThingsD suggests that iOS 7 will not be delayed because of the reallocation of engineers. The report, which sources individuals familiar with the matter, says that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is certain that the ship date of iOS 7 will not be delayed.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) does not have a ship date for iOS 7, nor does it usually give direct advance knowledge of when its products will launch. According to reports, the company will show off iOS 7 to the public for the first time at its World Wide Developer Conference. That event is set for June 10-14.
According to the AllThingsD report, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is bringing some major updates to iOS7, and despite the reallocation of engineers, the update is likely to be a hefty one. The major thematic changes will center around the removal of the Scott Forstall’s design ethic, which is called skeuomorphic, meaning interfaces that look like real life objects, and the replacement of it with the minimalistic design of Jony Ive, the new head of iOS design.
One of the sources was quoted as saying, “Yes, yes — it’s essentially a repeat of the iPhone/Leopard scenario.” That indicates that the company is working on a new platform of some kind. These are software engineers, rather than hardware engineers. There are a couple of options.
The Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) smartwatch is rumored to be running iOS, but perhaps there are tweaks and changes that need to be made in order to make it work properly. Apple might be going full circle and working on a full upgrade to its OSX desktop software. The platform hasn’t had a major update in years, and Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) may want to decide to widen its PC takings as the market enters disarray.
The Holy Grail is, of course, a full Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) TV. The company may be designing an all new platform in order to release a television later this year, or early in 2014.
