Apple’s latest iteration of its mobile operating system, iOS 7, introduces a number of long-awaited features. For everyone other than iPhone devotees, however, much of what Apple presented on stage looked eerily familiar. The new interface, devoid of leather, felt, and stitching, invites comparisons with Microsoft’s “Metro” UI found on Windows Phone and Windows 8. Apple has played a game of design catch-up to some extent, adding settings toggles, a simpler multitasking interface, and swiping gestures to its OS. Pre-made innovation: Apart from a few remarkable examples, almost every concept in modern mobile UI has its origins elsewhere. Let’s take a look at Apple’s new multitasking menu. The simple icon-based multitasking is gone, replaced by a horizontally scrolling set of page previews. Immediate parallels can be drawn with Windows Phone’s multitasking menu.
