Here's what I think is interesting. When design works, when it's value is immediately obvious (like the magsafe power connector), very little is ever said about motivations. But when design is controversial or has dubious merit (the blurring effect and translucency), there are a lot words spent on finding the motivation: they were playing defense, they wanted to distance themselves from competitors, they wanted to show off the hardware, etc.

I don't think there's ever been a design brief at Apple that has focused on the competition or this sort of flash over substance. I don't think Ive would have accepted the mission to make it different, well, just to be different.

I think the goal at Apple is ALWAYS the same: to delight. To create "wonder" as they like to say. Is this UI as successful as the previous UI with that objective? Ultimately, that's the only criteria by which iOS7 will be judged. I see subtle genius in places, a lot of rough edges, and some genuine missteps.