Looks like all those rumors about Jony Ive's extreme makeover of iOS and Mac OS are true, after all. In preparation for WWDC this week, San Francisco's Moscone Center has been draped with banners depicting thin, minimalist sevens and Xs as captured by readers of 9to5Mac. Although the banners give little away, it's clear that they mark a significant departure from the iOS and Mac OS stylings we've seen in the past.
As noted by the L.A. Times, Apple released an official app for WWDC that may give us an idea of what it's in store. Twitter user @yuize placed screenshots of the new app with those from previous years, allowing viewers to see that that the new version avoids drop shadows, the signature blue buttons, and skeuomorphic design. Indeed, with its lifeless grays and whites, it looks somewhat bland.
The "seven" and "X" used in the banners may contain hints of their own. The typeface itself remains Helvetica Neue, which Apple has used for many years, but now the focus is on the "Ultra Light" version of the typeface rather than the "Ultra Bold." Not only does that shift speaks to Ive's supposed "flattening," but it also speaks to Apple's increased emphasis of retina displays and their ability to render typefaces like Helvetica Neue Ultra Light much more clearly than on standard displays.
As Macgasm relates, several commentators have also speculated that the many colors within the seven may indicate that each main iOS app will be based around a particular color (thus possibly explaining the whites of the WWDC app).
Source: "Nick" at 9to5Mac
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