Latest iOS 11 beta contains new Maps icon featuring Apple Park, updated App Store icon

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone edited August 2017
Apple's latest iOS 11 beta release, issued on Monday, contains a few graphical tweaks that bring a fresh feel to the operating system, including a new Maps icon that appears to feature Apple Park's main "spaceship" structure.




Seen above in an image of old and new iOS icons aggregated by iCulture, the new Maps asset appears to show a car indicator passing over Interstate 280 as it heads north on Wolfe Road past Apple Park. A corner of Apple's circular office building can be seen in the top-right corner of the icon.

First-party app icon updates are relatively rare for Apple, though the company consistently releases major software revisions with each new version of iOS. The Maps icon goes beyond the usual graphical adjustments, however, and represents something of an "Easter egg" for those familiar with the company.

Aside from Maps, Apple has updated the main components of the iOS App Store icon for the first time since its release in 2008. Replacing the pencil, paintbrush and ruler are three overlapping lines with rounded ends. The updated graphics complement major changes to the app itself, which will also see its first major redesign since launching nine years ago.

Finally, the Clock app icon benefits from bolder numbers done in Apple's bespoke San Francisco font.

The icon changes are just a small part of iOS 11, which is due to arrive alongside new iPhone hardware this fall. Previewed at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, the next-generation operating system comes with a host of new features including a revamped user interface with updated Control Center and 3D Touch support, person-to-person Apple Pay transfers, AirPlay 2, ARKit, a new Files app and much more.

Apple earlier today released the sixth beta version of iOS 11 to developers for testing, which was immediately followed by a public evaluation iteration.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 31
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Odd change for the App Store. The Apple Park icon is quite nice, though.
    doozydozencornchipsuperklotonAvieshekjony0
  • Reply 2 of 31
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,198member
    Apps are held together by popsicle sticks.
    No, wait, they're tongue depressors. This symbolizes the move into healthcare.
    edited August 2017 StrangeDaysSnickersMagooneil andersonRacerhomieXtallest skildoozydozenretrogustocornchipsuperklotondysamoria
  • Reply 3 of 31
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    1) The "popsicle sticks" I'm sure I understand—I guess they're just going more abstract. I though the old one was clever.

    2) I wondered if and when they'd change the Maps icon to reflect Apple Park.
    cornchipAvieshek
  • Reply 4 of 31
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,022member
    The new App Store icon is a bit more fitting. The prior icon was based on the old AppleWorks suite. The App Store represents a lot more than just paint and drawing apps.
    cecil444robjncornchipmejsricAvieshekjony0lolliver
  • Reply 5 of 31
    doozydozendoozydozen Posts: 539member
    It's cool how the Map icon denotes park space in green around the Apple Park building (spaceship). Fitting because of the massive rehabilitation project with native flora. 
    edited August 2017
  • Reply 6 of 31
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    JinTech said:
    The new App Store icon is a bit more fitting. The prior icon was based on the old AppleWorks suite. The App Store represents a lot more than just paint and drawing apps.
    I see your point. 👍
    JinTechdoozydozen
  • Reply 7 of 31
    bonobobbonobob Posts: 382member
    repressthis said:
    It's cool how the Map icon denotes park space in green around the Apple Park building (spaceship). Fitting because of the massive rehabilitation project with native flora. 
    There's a parking garage in the green area below the "spaceship".
    doozydozenlolliver
  • Reply 8 of 31
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,877member
    Bespoke is an odd choice for a site that doesn’t write in British english. Style aside, bespoke is intended to mean a custom good made for a person. Like a custom suit or custom kitchen cabinets. Not sure it’s a good fit for an internally designed custom font for use across massive user base.  :p


    edited August 2017 radarthekatcornchipsuperklotonjony0
  • Reply 9 of 31
    dr hawkdr hawk Posts: 22member
    StrangeDays said:
    Bespoke is an odd choice for a site that doesn’t write in British english. Style aside, bespoke is intended to mean a custom good made for a person. Like a custom suit or custom kitchen cabinets. Not sure it’s a good fit for an internally designed custom font for use across massive user base.  :p


    Its just a label for a custom design font for Apple (its single customer) but rumors of Apple suits, Apple Shoes and other custom items will now abound on Appleinsider......personally I blame Jony Ive for the Britishness of this statement B)

    Cheers Dr Hawk
  • Reply 10 of 31
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,241member
    I'm surprised they didn't go with 9:04 on the clock icon.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 11 of 31
    regurgitatedcoproliteregurgitatedcoprolite Posts: 280member
    I’m already finding the new App Store icon to be easier to locate — getting rid of the circle and making the “A” simpler makes it a better design. 
    doozydozen
  • Reply 12 of 31
    robjnrobjn Posts: 283member
    Bespoke is an odd choice for a site that doesn’t write in British english. Style aside, bespoke is intended to mean a custom good made for a person. Like a custom suit or custom kitchen cabinets. Not sure it’s a good fit for an internally designed custom font for use across massive user base.  :p


    "Bespoke" is commonly used for anything that is custom made to meet special requirements or have a unique design. In this case the font is made by Apple for Apple and is more or less unique to Apple products. The font was specially designed for to be clean and easy to read on the small display of the Apple Watch - it had specific design requirements and a specific application - that makes it "bespoke". The user is quite limited, Apple didn't make it available to us all in Pages, it's intended for iOS and Application assets.
    edited August 2017 doozydozenlolliver
  • Reply 13 of 31
    retrogustoretrogusto Posts: 1,111member
    coolfactor said:
    I'm surprised they didn't go with 9:04 on the clock icon.
    It shows the current time, so the time you see here just reflects the time at which the screenshot was taken. 
    superklotondysamoriasphericlolliver
  • Reply 14 of 31
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    retrogusto said:
    coolfactor said:
    I'm surprised they didn't go with 9:04 on the clock icon.
    It shows the current time, so the time you see here just reflects the time at which the screenshot was taken. 
    And the secondhand is smooth unless you do a long press on the icons to get them to "wiggle" so you can rearrange and/or delete them at which point the secondhand starts to tick.
    cornchipsuperklotonireland
  • Reply 15 of 31
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,949member
    Solid.
  • Reply 16 of 31
    djames4242djames4242 Posts: 651member
    JinTech said:
    The new App Store icon is a bit more fitting. The prior icon was based on the old AppleWorks suite. The App Store represents a lot more than just paint and drawing apps.
    I'm pretty sure the icon's origins were from NeXTSTEP. I worked on a NeXT-based tool twenty years ago and remember the icon for its application folder (and possibly even Project Builder) was made up of a pencil, ruler, and paintbrush.
  • Reply 17 of 31
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,022member
    djames4242 said:
    JinTech said:
    The new App Store icon is a bit more fitting. The prior icon was based on the old AppleWorks suite. The App Store represents a lot more than just paint and drawing apps.
    I'm pretty sure the icon's origins were from NeXTSTEP. I worked on a NeXT-based tool twenty years ago and remember the icon for its application folder (and possibly even Project Builder) was made up of a pencil, ruler, and paintbrush.
    I searched for screenshots online. Didn't find anything with those icons. I'm not saying you're wrong, just couldn't find anything. I use to have a NeXT cube but it went the way side when my storage got taken over (as well as a bunch of awesome Apple posters!)
  • Reply 18 of 31
    dysamoriadysamoria Posts: 3,430member
    They've successfully removed all meaning from the app icon. I can't wait for this flat fad to effing die.
    ylonireland
  • Reply 19 of 31
    ylonylon Posts: 49member
    What a FUGLY App store icon! This is the most ugly icon I've seen Apple ever make. Looks like some logs thrown together as a tee pee or someone playing with the tongue depressors at the doctor's office... O.O
    ireland
  • Reply 20 of 31
    ylonylon Posts: 49member
    dysamoria said:
    They've successfully removed all meaning from the app icon. I can't wait for this flat fad to effing die.
    I still turn on my old 3G just to admire the old UI design from time to time. I too curse this flat fad and am looking forward to a return to sanity.
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