Rumors about iOS 7 and what changes it may bring have been swirling for the past couple of months, with a new "flat" design and refreshed app icons being just two of the changes that Apple SVP of Industrial Design Jony Ive is rumored to be bringing to the platform. The Next Web notes that during an interview at the D11 conference this evening, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that Ive is "really key" to the next version of iOS, which Cook also confirmed will be shown at WWDC next month.

While Cook didn't go into specifics about the changes iOS 7 will bring, the CEO did explain that Ive has "contributed significantly to the look and feel of Apple for many, many years," going on to say that Apple felt that the designer could do the same for its software that he'd done for its hardware. Cook went on to describe that the work Ive has done for Apple as "absolutely incredible."

An executive shakeup late in 2012 saw Scott Forstall, then SVP of iOS Software, exit the company. Jony Ive was then put to work on the iOS software as part of his new Human Interface duties. Speculation over exactly what changes Ive will bring to the tablet has been rampant ever since, with the exec expected to toss most of the skeuomorphism and realistic-looking textures that Forstall brought to iOS in favor of a flatter, less glossy look.

Our first look at iOS 7 will come at WWDC, which runs from June 10 through June 14. It's not known when the new software will roll out to John Q. Public, but the past two versions of iOS have been released in the fall, and it wouldn't be a shock to see iOS 7 continue that trend.

Via The Next Web