Concept

This concept video gives us a good idea why Force Touch iPhones will be a big deal

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 5, 2015

Force Touch parts for Apple's upcoming 'iPhone 6s' and 'iPhone 6s Plus' phones have recently begun shipping in volume.

We even recently got our glimpse into the implementation of a force sensing layer on a leaked iPhone 6s screen. That being said, some people continue to be puzzled as to what benefits, if any, Force Touch would bring to their iPhone experience.

Maximilian Kiener set out to create a nice mockup video which gives us a good idea how pressing an iPhone's screen firmly could be a valuable user interface shortcut.

Upcoming ‘iOS Blocks’ tweak aims to change the way you interact with apps on iOS

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Last year, we posted information on a research paper and iOS concept called iOS Blocks. Jay Machalani (@technofou), the brains behind the concept, suggests that an interface that combines Windows Phone's live tiles and Android's widgets, would be a best-of-both-worlds-scenario for iOS users.

iOS Blocks would essentially allow users to have proper widgets on the iOS Home screen, but the concept is put together in a way that make it totally seamless and transparent to users who prefer to use iOS like they always have. The widgets would mix the uniformity and standardization enjoyed by Windows live tiles with the interaction of Android's widget system. It's a smart idea with hours of research and presentation. I highly recommend that you read the original post on Machalani's blog.

Obviously, Apple didn't bring any sort of Home screen widget system to iOS 8, but it did give us Notification Center widgets. As if it needs to be said, Notification Center widgets are a far cry from iOS Blocks—a feature that would add significant depth to the iOS Home screen experience.

So after a year, what's been made of this project and its corresponding research? Well, I have some good news: It's being developed into a real working tweak, according to this post on reddit by someone closely associated with the project.

This iPhone 6c concept looks plausible

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 23, 2015

We don't know yet whether or not Apple will introduce an ‘iPhone 6c’ when a next-gen model debuts this fall but if it does, it might resemble these curiously looking mockups posted by 3DFuture.net.

For what it's worth, the prospect of refreshing its plastic handset with a fingerprint sensor, a bigger Retina HD screen, an improved eight-megapixel iSight camera and a speedy processor is certainly tantalizing.

Check out the images after the jump and meet us in comments.

TapToScroll: add additional status bar scroll behavior to iOS

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 16, 2015

In iOS you can quickly scroll up to the top of a page by tapping on the status bar. This is an extremely convenient shortcut, one that I always sorely miss when I have to use an Android device.

But sometimes I wonder why there isn't a way to quick scroll to the bottom of a page. I mean, there's a page up and a page down key on a standard keyboard for a reason.

Since there's probably no hope that we'll ever see such a shortcut appear natively in iOS, I am, once again, turning to the jailbreak community for help. Last night, I even went as far as to create a concept video for the idea, but as it turns out, that wasn't needed. It wasn't needed because a tweak already exists that pretty much accomplishes this exact need. That tweak is called TapToScroll for Activator, and it's available for free on Cydia's BigBoss repo right now.

This concept does an ambitious rethinking of outdated handling of contacts in iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

I'm very displeased and unhappy (and I'm putting it mildly) that innovation in the iOS Contacts department has stalled out.

Argue as much as you want, but there's no denying that integration of contacts in Apple's mobile software is a convoluted mess, one that lacks consistency and completely eschews any reasonable expectations of a unified communications solution.

Product designer Frank Costa felt the same way so he went about creating a smart concept that tries to reimagine the address book experience on iOS, by envisioning an Invisible Address Book of sorts.

The ideas he proposes are quite intriguing. His Medium post, for example, describes profile pictures of frequently accessed contacts right in Spotlight for effortless one-tap interactions. From there, a list of apps that use your address book would be one swipe away, along with a handy log of your interactions with a friend.

Instagram, Google Maps, Foursquare, Uber and other apps get conceptualized for Apple Watch

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 16, 2015

As noted by Fast Company, Digital agency Huge took it upon themselves to imagine what Apple Watch editions of popular apps would look like.

A batch of believable mockups envision apps like Fandango, Foursquare, Google Maps, Chase Bank and more running on the Watch. The authors also offered a few smart suggestions on how such applications might take advantage of the Watch's unique hardware and software features.

New SideBySide jailbreak tweak concept brings true multitasking to iOS

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Hamza Sood, a well-known and well-respected iOS developer, is mulling over the possibility of creating a new iOS jailbreak tweak for true multitasking. Dubbed SideBySide, the tweak would bring true side-by-side simultaneous multitasking to iPads and iPhone, and would use Activator gestures as a means of invocation.

After seeing the progress and popularity of ReachApp, Sood is having second thoughts about proceeding with development of SideBySide. I think that would be a mistake, because SideBySide looks different enough from ReachApp to be extremely compelling in its own right.

Throwback: Concept turns iPhone 6 into old school iPod Classic

Jake Smith ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

I'm a sucker for a good product concept, and as such, Claudio Gomboli has captured my heart and mind with a smart accessory that turns the front of your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus into an iPod Classic.

New ‘WatchSpring’ tweak brings a real working Apple Watch inspired UI replacement to the iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

It started as a concept, it grew to a mockup, and now it's somewhat of a reality. Earlier today, WatchSpring, a tweak that brings an Apple Watch inspired user interface to the iPhone, was released to the public.

WatchSpring, brought to life by developer Kigg, more or less completely replaces the stock SpringBoard in favor of the radical looking Apple Watch-like interface. This tweak allows you to actually use the interface to launch the apps installed on your phone, along with perusing the Home screen. It's a real working tweak, and we have a hands-on video demonstrating it inside.

Here’s how to install the Apple Watch UI concept on your iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Yesterday, we posted an article showcasing a developer's concept of the Apple Watch UI running on the iPhone. The response was mixed, but it leaned more towards the positive end of the spectrum than I anticipated.

Seeing someone demo a concept on video is one thing, but trying it for yourself is something altogether different. Thanks to developer Lucas Menge, who made the project open source, the code has been compiled and posted as a Cydia package. This means that everyone can now try out the Apple Watch UI concept on their iPhone.

After the break, watch me demonstrate and comment on the Apple Watch UI running on my iPhone 6 Plus. I also showcase how you can get the Apple Watch concept on your iPhone to try out yourself.

Here’s what the Apple Watch UI looks like on an iPhone [video]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 27, 2014

When the Apple Watch was revealed, it displayed a fairly drastic UI change from the way a typical iPad or iPhone works. The UI showcased many app icons on screen and once, and they could be zoomed in and out via the watch's digital crown.

That UI seems to fit in fairly well with the watch, given that device's limitations on screen real estate. But how would a similar UI work on the iPhone? Would it even work at all?

Developer Lucas Menge helps to answer that question via an open source mockup showcasing the Apple Watch UI on his iPhone 5s. The result is a fairly eye-opening display that may convince some that the Apple Watch UI could indeed work on a large screen device. Have a look inside at the awesome video, and let us know what you think.

Design concept reimagines popular iOS apps for Apple Watch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

When Apple launches the Apple Watch early next year, it will mark the beginning of a new platform for developers. Thanks to WatchKit, the device will support third party applications, including extensions for current iOS apps and new standalone software.

With this in mind, a couple of graphic artists have created a design concept that reimagines what popular iOS apps would look like with an Apple Watch-style interface. Posted to Behance, the images include concepts for Skype, Instagram, Twitter and more.