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iOS 8 concept revamps homescreen icons with widget functionality

In the concept above and below, UX/UI designer Jay Machalani completely reimagines the home screen design of iOS icons and in the process introduces us to his vision of Android-style widgets on an iPhone and iPad. Machalani also has a lengthy analysis attached to his concept laying out how Apple has fallen behind Android and even Windows Phone when it comes to offering users the ability to customize their experience.

What he imagines for iOS is a “block”, interactive icons that fold out to a square widget taking up the space of 4 normal icons and providing media controls, toggles, or quick access to info without having to launch the app. It’s certainly not the first time someone suggested Apple should revamp its iOS homepage and possibly bring app icons that do more than display a notification indicator. Apple is planning some big new features for future iOS releases, however, including a split-screen multitasking feature similar to what Microsoft offers on its Surface tablets.

A full gallery and videos of the concept are below.

A Block has three possible sizes. 272 x 296px for the iPhone, 504 x 474px for the iPad in portrait orientation and 544 x 434px for the iPad in landscape orientation. Of course, these are Retina resolution and Blocks would only be compatible with Retina-equipped devices as the extra pixels would be necessary to ensure quality and sharpness on-screen as it gets pretty small on your display.

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Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.