Design

New schematics leak suggests iPhone 7 won’t get any thinner, depicts bezel-less Plus model

Purported iPhone 7 schematics, leaked by Czech website LetemSvetem Applem, suggest that neither the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 nor its 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus counterpart may get any thinner than their present-generation iPhone 6s/Plus counterparts.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed last September that Apple's next iPhone would be iPod touch-thin, measuring between 6-6.5mm for the 4.7-inch model.

Suppliers ramping up hiring ahead of iPhone 7, which has ‘more complex’ design

Apple's Taiwanese suppliers have kicked off the recruiting process in preparation for an 'iPhone 7', CNBC reported Tuesday citing Economic Daily News. The mass-hirings have started earlier than usual because the iPhone 7 design is said to be “more complex than previous models,” which meant that Apple's suppliers needed to start work on iPhone 7 parts earlier than on previous iterations.

Both Foxconn and Pegatron had ramped up hiring as they prepared to assemble the upcoming iPhone 7 models, ahead of their expected September release.

Here’s how the new Instagram icon came to be

Instagram's drastic revamp which said good-bye to skeuomorphism with an all-white monochromatic interface and a rainbow-colored icon—not only for the main app, but also for Layout, Boomerang and Hyperlapse—has expectedly polarized fans and watchers alike.

A lot of people took to blogs and social media to vent their frustration with the new art direction for the beloved app they obsessively check multiple times a day.

But after all is said and done, this may not necessarily be such a bad move for Instagram. So, how did the new Instagram icon came to be and what was the reasoning behind its redesign?

Instagram revamps app with new icon and monochromatic interface

Facebook-owned Instagram today announced a major new version of its iPhone app with an overhauled user interface with bigger photos and an updated Home screen app icon.

“Inspired by the previous app icon, the new one represents a simpler camera and the rainbow lives on in gradient form,” explains the company. In addition, they've updated app icons for Layout, Boomerang and Hyperlapse, too.

Instagram is available free of charge on the App Store.

How to enable YouTube’s upcoming Material Design face lift ahead of release

YouTube is getting Google's Material Design refresh pretty soon and it looks pretty neat. Aside from the Upload button being replaced by the upload arrow graphics consistently used across Google's mobile apps, you'll notice a Material Design-inspired search field in the center.

More importantly, YouTube's new looks include the background color on the Channel pages matching the header image, rounded icons in the sidebar, more whitespace around videos in the video player and a few other minor changes.

Chrome users can have an advance look at the upcoming refresh right now. Here's how you can enable Material Design on YouTube ahead of its release, in just a few clicks.

Leaked screenshots show off minor design changes in upcoming iTunes 12.4 update

Apple is working on a minor update for desktop iTunes and MacRumors was able to obtain screenshots which show off several design improvements in tow for the app. This isn't the top-to-bottom overhaul we've been all waiting for though the changes in iTunes 12.4 should make this infamous Mac and Windows app a bit easier to use.

As per the leaked screenshots, iTunes 12.4 packs in a redesigned media picker, a persistent sidebar for quick access to different sections of your iTunes library, a slightly reworked mini player and a tad simpler menus.

Overhauled Apple Music to integrate lyrics, offer a new Browse section and more

9to5Mac's Mark Gurman has added some color to Bloomberg's report this morning which described an upcoming overhaul of Apple Music in broad strokes. According to Gurman's sources, the new-look Apple Music section within the stock Music app will be part of the overall iOS 10 refresh and include, among other things, lyrics integration.

The end-to-end overhaul includes ditching the colorful look in favor of a simpler, black and white design which emphasizes text. For example, the appearance of the albums view will no longer change based on the color of a particular album’s art.

A more intuitive Apple Music to launch at WWDC next month

Since its debut, Apple Music has received its fair share of criticism as fans complained about various issues, from the confusing, complicated user interface to a number of design inconsistencies. Thankfully, your prayers haven't gone unnoticed by the powers that be at 1 Infinite Loop, California.

As reported by Bloomberg, Apple is set to show off at WWDC next month a “more intuitive” version of Apple Music that should be easier to use.

This is what your Instagram app might look like soon

Instagram's reportedly been testing a fresh new design for its mobile application for iOS and Android, MacRumors discovered yesterday. If leaked screenshots are anything to go by, in adopting much of iOS's aesthetics the overhauled app sports a simpler, monochromatic look providing a cleaner, flatter appearance.

It's unknown when the new design will launch for everyone. For now, Instagram appears to be testing the forthcoming app refresh with a small subset of its massive user base.

YouTube’s revamped Home feed is smart, too, thanks to Google’s deep neural network algorithm

Google just said that YouTube's mobile apps for iOS and Android are gaining a revamped homepage design today. The newly redesigned Home feed within the mobile app has a clean look and a simple format “that invites you to discover and enjoy,” said Google.

More importantly, the overhauled Home feed now does a better job spotlighting content you might be interested in with smarter recommendations based on deep neural networks and larger high-resolution video thumbnails which make it easy to identify videos you want to watch.

Ultra-thin MacBooks with metal injection mold-made hinges due in second half of 2016?

Apple is expected to revamp the rest of its notebook lineup around ultra-thin MacBook models later this summer, which poses questions regarding the future of the existing MacBook Air lineup as Apple's thinnest notebooks. In a new report Friday, Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes cited local component makers as saying that they are starting to see increasing competition for related component orders ahead of a rumored launch of “new ultra-thin MacBooks in the second half of 2016.”