1 Underappreciated Apple (AAPL) Catalyst You’re not Considering

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)‘s Windows Phone interface has been widely hailed as featuring an innovative interface, even if that hasn’t translated into meaningful market share gains. The live tile approach is wildly different than both iOS and Android, for better or for worse.

Research in Motion, Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) is also exploring many new interface ideas with its new BlackBerry 10 platform. CEO Thorsten Heins even recently had some fighting words, calling the user interface five-years old (it’s actually six).

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was undeniably the first mover in capacitive touchscreen interfaces on smartphones, but it has been slow to embrace change as rivals continue to dream up new interfaces that now feel more modern compared to iOS.

Ive’s our man; if he can’t do it, no one can
Ive is now the head of all “Human Interface,” along with his normal duties as industrial design guru. He’s traditionally been a hardware player, physically crafting the minimalist designs for Apple products; but now investors will see him give software interface a shot. He’ll still have Craig Federighi’s engineers doing the nitty gritty work for him, but Ive will now call the shots with the overall look and feel of both iOS and OS X.

Shortly after the shakeup, an anonymous Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) designer told The New York Times: “You can be sure that the next generation of iOS and OS X will have Jony’s industrial design aesthetic all over them. Clean edges, flat surfaces will likely replace the textures that are all over the place right now.” There’s no shortage of third-party concept videos floating around out there as loyalists contemplate what iOS 7 will look like under Ive’s direction.

An iOS interface design makeover is long overdue, and Ive is just the man to deliver it. Software experiences are one of the most critical aspects of any device, and a revamped interface could translate into a meaningful boost in demand. A dramatically improved interface could spark a whole new wave of upgrades, as well as lure new users into the platform.

An Ive-designed iOS 7 could be a total game changer.

The article 1 Underappreciated Apple Catalyst You’re not Considering originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA owns shares of Apple, Apple, and Apple. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Google. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Google, and Microsoft.

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