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Just as we expected, yesterday, Apple launched the third beta for the upcoming launch of the next version of its mobile operating system. While changes to software, mechanics, and design are normal during beta testing, iOS 7 beta 3 includes the biggest change during a beta release the company has ever had.
It may seem subtle to us, but iOS 7 beta 3 has changed significantly. The font, which used to be Helvetica Neue Light, is now Helvetica Neue. According to designers discussing the update on App.net, this is the biggest change Apple has made during a beta software release.
Word on the street is that graphic designer Erik Spiekermann may have had some influence on Apple’s lead designer John Ive. According to Spiekermann, the font in iOS beta 1 and 2 were beautiful, but useless. He expressed his opinion in a video that is available on YouTube. He said that graphic artists focus on good-looking gray levels and tones, but don’t take into account the fact that the fonts are unreadable in functionality.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the new font, which is used in messages, email, and other important reading elements of iOS, will be thicker and much easier to read.
Cult of Mac has a list of animated GIFs (like the one above) showing changes to iOS 7 beta 3. Other new design features include the addition of a clock display on the Lock screen when the device is playing music, the removal of the .com shortcut button in mobile safari, Passbook passes as attachments in email, day-of-the-week indicator in the Calendar app, and new animations for app downloads.
Of course, these may not be the only changes on the horizon for Apple’s mobile operating system. The update is rumored to be available this fall, which gives designers a few more months to tweak and adjust the look of iOS 7 in response to user feedback.
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