It may seem like such a small refinement, but it really makes a huge difference. iOS 9 feels so much more polished and sophisticated especially vs iOS 7.
It goes back to looking like a high end software after the truly awful 7.
For Helvetica, or any other font they ever used to market their hardware and software
Adobe owns Helvetica Neue and you can license it, but not for use on the web using @font-face because it is not part of TypeKit. By creating a similar font, Apple can now make all of their OS, apps, packaging and web presence consistent. San Francisco has 9 font weights so it should be as versatile as Helvetica Neue.
They probably didn't rework the whole font because there are thousand of glyphs to cover with Asian characters, Arabic etc.
Helvetica Neue does not have any Arabic glyphs and only has Japanese and Korean for Asian languages. No Chinese as far as I know. Who knows what Apple will do in regard to foreign fonts?
There are things you "notice" consciously, and thing your notice unconsciously. I suspect even people who look at font examples and don't see a difference, will still find using their device "easier", less tiring, etc.
There's a lot of naysaying here, like a broken septic pump hose spraying crap in every direction. If Apple did anything, it's nay nay nay. And someone was trying to defend naysaying as not mindless...LOL.
Had I not known about the font change, it would have probably taken me a while to notice that "something is different, but I can't put my finger on it". Knowing about the change beforehand helped me to immediately notice the subtle differences. While I like the font itself, it doesn't appear as "solid" as the previous font on my iPhone 6 - similar to how a thin font looks on a non-Retina display - as if the anti-aliasing in the rendering engine needs some tweaking.
From what I understand you change something because there's a noticeable difference.
key word being "you". typeface design isn't for everyone. my dad doesn't know the difference between all kinds of stuff on computers (iOS 7, 8, 9?), doesn't mean they're bad.
Bezier functions are great, and produce beautiful lines. I don't know why Ive has to pretend they don't exist, or why he has such allegiance to building his fonts out of perfect circles and lines. It's elegant in the way Schoenberg is -- some theoretical appeal, but looks terrible. It's like we've regressed to 15th century woodcut technology.
Exactly, why make a big deal about it when almost no one will notice.
Cosmetic changes to typefaces can be significant for those with vision difficulties. If you personally don't appreciate the difference then move on. Those that benefit will be posting positive comments on those improvements.
Bezier functions are great, and produce beautiful lines. I don't know why Ive has to pretend they don't exist, or why he has such allegiance to building his fonts out of perfect circles and lines. It's elegant in the way Schoenberg is -- some theoretical appeal, but looks terrible. It's like we've regressed to 15th century woodcut technology.
I find the new font easier to read (70-year-old eyes). Helvetica letters are too close together so it;s hard to tell a lower case R followed by a lower case N from looking exactly like a lower case M. Not so with the San Francisco font. which spaces out better.
A Ferrari has nicer lines and more elegant than a Honda, but not very practical for most people.
Yes, I get what you're saying. That's why Helvetica is a classic...but is not optimized for small screen devices i.e. watch
In this case, usability trumps aesthetics. And it's not like San Francisco font is garish.
Yes true, and consider that Helvetica was designed a very long time ago. Things have been learned since then about readability and character form. I have to wear reading glasses but it is impractical to put them on every time I whip out my phone. So I have the text set to a larger size on the phone. I also had it bolded until today. I find the San Francisco easier to read and the keyboard case shift a much better design. It's a win for me.
Where can I find the wallpaper for the cityscape in the screenshot at the top of this article? I love it! I love the new San Fran font too. Feels very clean and refined.
Readability is about more than size. It has a lot to do with letterforms being distinct and having all the nice little cues that tip off your subconscious about which letter is which. Typing something in all caps will be "larger", but it will also be less readable because uppercase letters are more similar to each other compared to lower case letters.
Good move. Helvetica was released in 1957 and was never designed for screen usage (or even for long copy and small point sizes... even in the 1950's). It was a horrible choice for a graphical user interface.
Comments
It may seem like such a small refinement, but it really makes a huge difference. iOS 9 feels so much more polished and sophisticated especially vs iOS 7.
It goes back to looking like a high end software after the truly awful 7.
Great job.
But it's actually weighted more evenly and will likely be more legible for folks with less than ideal vision.
So it's a win.
I personally will miss the Helvetica Neue however. Especially the Ultralight.
For Helvetica, or any other font they ever used to market their hardware and software
Adobe owns Helvetica Neue and you can license it, but not for use on the web using @font-face because it is not part of TypeKit. By creating a similar font, Apple can now make all of their OS, apps, packaging and web presence consistent. San Francisco has 9 font weights so it should be as versatile as Helvetica Neue.
They probably didn't rework the whole font because there are thousand of glyphs to cover with Asian characters, Arabic etc.
Helvetica Neue does not have any Arabic glyphs and only has Japanese and Korean for Asian languages. No Chinese as far as I know. Who knows what Apple will do in regard to foreign fonts?
Maybe they shouldn't be driving if they can't see?
What an utterly dumb comment.
Drivers' licenses are not (at least, in principle) issued without an eye test.
Had I not known about the font change, it would have probably taken me a while to notice that "something is different, but I can't put my finger on it". Knowing about the change beforehand helped me to immediately notice the subtle differences. While I like the font itself, it doesn't appear as "solid" as the previous font on my iPhone 6 - similar to how a thin font looks on a non-Retina display - as if the anti-aliasing in the rendering engine needs some tweaking.
key word being "you". typeface design isn't for everyone. my dad doesn't know the difference between all kinds of stuff on computers (iOS 7, 8, 9?), doesn't mean they're bad.
durr.
Just did my iPhone6, seems easy now, of course...
But everything looks smaller, and that is NOT good for
old eyes and pudgy, careless fingers...
And why "Wallet"??? Isn't that Googlese?
And, as someone else mentioned, why does iCloud storage say
on the downgrade page that I've already lowered to the 50GB level,
while the "available" page still says I have 180GB?
Cosmetic changes to typefaces can be significant for those with vision difficulties. If you personally don't appreciate the difference then move on. Those that benefit will be posting positive comments on those improvements.
No, almost everyone will notice. A few plebeians will not notice, but right now they are mostly using Android and think it's "just like" an iPhone...
I find the new font easier to read (70-year-old eyes). Helvetica letters are too close together so it;s hard to tell a lower case R followed by a lower case N from looking exactly like a lower case M. Not so with the San Francisco font. which spaces out better.
A Ferrari has nicer lines and more elegant than a Honda, but not very practical for most people.
Yes, I get what you're saying. That's why Helvetica is a classic...but is not optimized for small screen devices i.e. watch
In this case, usability trumps aesthetics. And it's not like San Francisco font is garish.
Yes true, and consider that Helvetica was designed a very long time ago. Things have been learned since then about readability and character form. I have to wear reading glasses but it is impractical to put them on every time I whip out my phone. So I have the text set to a larger size on the phone. I also had it bolded until today. I find the San Francisco easier to read and the keyboard case shift a much better design. It's a win for me.
I love the new San Fran font too. Feels very clean and refined.
Readability is about more than size. It has a lot to do with letterforms being distinct and having all the nice little cues that tip off your subconscious about which letter is which. Typing something in all caps will be "larger", but it will also be less readable because uppercase letters are more similar to each other compared to lower case letters.
Good move. Helvetica was released in 1957 and was never designed for screen usage (or even for long copy and small point sizes... even in the 1950's). It was a horrible choice for a graphical user interface.