For the first time in a while, Apple design looks unlike Apple

What made Apple so successful, and what Steve Jobs understood so well, was knowing that most people don't have good taste and need help with design choices.

They seem to have forgot this.

I’m an Apple fanboy. Through and through. But some of the design decisions from the latest WWDC seem off.

On the bright side, the feature updates were top-notch. This was the most powerful WWDC we’ve had in a while. I’m pumped about iPhone mirroring, the new Passwords app, Math Notes, the new Controls API, and the revamped Wallet.

These features are fantastic.

But I am disappointed with the design

1. Tinted home screen app icons.
   
   

   

   
   People want to customize the look and feel of their home screen to some extent. The Apple way would have been to allow dark mode icons and stop there.
   
   With tinted app icons, the home screen starts looking more like Android than iPhone. I think this is an issue. Apple always had its unique way of doing things. And this isn’t it.

   
   

   

   
   This change also raises some accessibility concerns. As accessibility guidelines gain importance (consider the EU Accessibility Act and the ADA in the US), users might pick incompatible color combinations and hide app names.
   
   For example, the purple and black combo fails both the APCA (Lc 11) and WCAG 2.2 (2.03 ratio) contrast checks. This likely won’t be a legal issue since users choose this setup, while the default OS settings are fully accessible.
   
   While it’s their choice, we shouldn’t let users mess up their home screens. Yet, they likely will.

   
   

2. The Siri logo got a new look as well
   
   

   

   
   Well. Most people from the design community are disappointed with this new, simplistic approach. At least the new one is not a system icon, and it won't show up on the UI. I think upgrading the current logo was an option, and I'm curious why they chose to retire the old concept.
   
   Siri has grown on us over time, even if we haven’t always been happy with it.

   
   

3. The Siri halo.
   
   

   

   
   At first glance, this looks promising, but I have some accessibility concerns. It’s harder to see when it’s active compared to before, especially for people with visual impairments.
   
   I understand why they got rid of the floating logo (to avoid covering the app it’s interacting with — smart move), but there needs to be something more visible. Perhaps they could use the Dynamic Island.
   
   The animations they added will be helpful. There's also a good chance there are other visual cues they didn't fully showcase during the keynote.
   
   

4. Microsoft? Design? Language?
   
   

   

   
   Relying heavily on gradients for AI is something you’d expect from any up-and-coming designer. It’s also the approach Microsoft took with Copilot. The similarities are crazy.
   
   

   

   
   I would’ve loved to see something more understated. Reduced colors, subtle micro-interactions, and some transparency with background blurs to give it that classic Apple feel.
   
   This is what ChatGPT does, by the way.
   
   

5. Built-in image generation
   
   

   

   
   These AI-generated images may come off as too playful and artificial for an OS feature. It's not Apple's fault; it's just how these models work. Seeing them in third-party apps is one thing, but integrating them into the OS doesn't seem like a win to me.
   
   Opinions may vary, but it's certainly an unusual addition.
   

   

   
   Genmojis are a nice touch though. They seem like the perfect way to integrate image generation into iOS. Apple has always wanted to make iMessage more engaging, and their clear visual guidelines for emojis make this feature work well.
   
   I would have stopped here.
   

6. There’s one feature concern as well
   
   

   

   
   I was impressed by Apple’s commitment to on-device processing and their adoption of new privacy standards in AI for the cloud. It’s a powerful statement.
   
   However, integrating ChatGPT at the OS level seems contradictory and might present security vulnerabilities. Elon Musk has already brought up this issue on Twitter:

   If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation.

   — Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
   8:35 PM • Jun 10, 2024

No, I don’t think Apple is losing its touch. Instead, I believe they’re adapting to meet the desires of Gen Z and other generations. But they’ve gone too far. They used to stick rigidly to their own principles, less swayed by public opinion.

I still love and will love Apple. But I think they need to reflect on the reactions from the tech and design community.

That’s it for this week. If you're liking this, could you do me a favor and pass it along to a friend? Thanks!

Have a pixel-perfect day!

István

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