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Apple Draws Suspicions As iOS 14 Mirrors Designer’s Concept… From 2014
By Mikelle Leow, 23 Jun 2020
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Image via Apple
Is Apple’s success the fruit of its own brilliance, or is there more than meets the eye? One designer, along with many who have seen his work, has the impression that the tech giant might have followed his concept from 2014.
The UX designer’s hunch isn’t ungrounded. Joseph Machalani’s spec work for iOS 8, which he created six years ago, delved into a striking feature that Apple only introduced to iOS 14 during the WWDC conference on Monday with undeniable similarities to Machalani’s version.
So @Apple ... can I at least get a little something? https://t.co/PUCgL5OANy
— Jay Machalani (@technofou) June 22, 2020
Machalani imagined an integration of widgets with apps into the home screen in his iOS 8 concept, ‘iOS Blocks’. Like the iPhone home screen’s new App Library and Widgets, Machalani’s extensive project—which he demonstrated in detail in a YouTube video and blog post—included resizable widgets that let users view core details, such as the weather, at a glance.
The UX designer’s spec work received considerable media attention as soon as it was published, and was picked up by tech publications. At least one Apple employee would have seen the concept too.
The resemblances certainly made Machalani do a double-take. He’s posted a video on Twitter scoffing at Apple for allegedly taking inspiration from his work six years later, which, as you would imagine, is an eternity in the fast-evolving tech realm.
Hello @Apple, Congrats on iOS 14. Took you 6 years to implement my designs, but hey: Better late than never. I'd love to tackle the many other UX/UI challenges in your products. It's never too late to say hi and reach me; take a page from @Microsoft with my Windows 8/10 project. pic.twitter.com/pTk5wzuqd8
— Jay Machalani (@technofou) June 22, 2020
“Congrats on iOS 14. Took you six years to implement my designs, but hey: Better late than never,” Machalani mocked. He also said he would “love to tackle the many other UX/UI challenges in your products.”
However, he reiterated in his blog post that he wasn’t asking to be compensated or to have due credit given to him. “I just want to say that it’s a bit sad that Apple, in six years, didn’t try to reach me,” he explained.
“I never expected money and I don’t even want the credit or anything; I just want better tech and better UX/UI,” the designer elaborated.
He also recounted that Microsoft had graciously contacted him after his ‘Fixing Windows 8’ concept. “Take a page from Microsoft with my Windows 8/10 project,” he nudged at Apple, later clarifying with InputMag that Microsoft had rewarded him for the project as well as extended a job offer to him.
You can make your own inferences between the two projects by checking out the videos below.
Joseph Machalani’s ‘iOS Block’ concept
iOS 14’s home screen widgets
[via InputMag, cover image via Apple]
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