Apple to Use 'San Francisco' Apple Watch Font in iOS 9 and OS X 10.11

[MacRumors]

Though iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 are set to debut in three weeks at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, we've heard little detail on the content Apple might include in the new operating system updates. Neither operating system is expected to get a major visual overhaul, but there may be one significant design change for both iOS and OS X -- a new system font.

Apple has plans to use the new San Francisco font that was introduced with the Apple Watch to replace the Helvetica Neue font used in iOS 7/iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, according to a report from 9to5Mac. The font will be used for menu items, app names, and more, throughout the operating systems.

Ever since switching to particularly thin weights of Helvetica Neue in iOS 7, Apple has been chastised for using a font that emphasizes clean lines over readability, and San Francisco is intended to solve this. According to the sources familiar with the decision to move to the San Francisco type face on iOS and OS X, Apple higher-ups also believe that the new look will serve to refresh its familiar operating systems, helping iOS and OS X to avoid becoming stale. However, some Apple engineers have told us that they are not fans of the new font, which may look particularly rough on non-Retina screens.

A condensed sans-serif that's not unlike Helvetica, San Francisco is the first new font Apple has designed in-house in many years. In the 80s and 90s, Apple used several fonts that were created in-house, but the company largely ceased making its own fonts in the early 1990s. Apple's early fonts were also named after major cities, so San Francisco pays homage to those first fonts.

Chicago, New York, Geneva, Monaco, and Cairo are all fonts that were designed by early Apple graphic artist Susan Kare. Kare even designed her own font called San Francisco in 1984, but that now-obsolete typeface looked quite different than the San Francisco Apple introduced in 2014.

San Francisco was created specifically for small displays like the Apple Watch, with extra spacing between each letter to increase legibility on the wrist. Since its debut, there has been speculation that it could be brought to iPhones and Macs in the future, due to its clean look on larger Retina displays in addition to the small display of the Apple Watch. That idea was further reinforced with the introduction of the Retina MacBook, which uses the San Francisco font for the lettering on the keyboard.

We may get our first official glimpse of San Francisco as a system-wide iOS and OS X font on June 8, when Apple is expected to show off iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 for the first time. Not much else is known about the two operating systems, but Apple may be opting to focus more on internal upgrades, improvements, and bug fixes over external changes to further polish features introduced with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite.

Article Link: Apple to Use 'San Francisco' Apple Watch Font in iOS 9 and OS X 10.11

 

[ButteryScrollin]

tbh, I like the look of it on iOS and OS X. Makes sense to have a consistent UI across all devices.

 

[viperGTS]

Please no. That font would look terrible on iOS. If anything, give us a choice!

 

[MrLoL]

I prefer the thin font, looks more hot to me

 

[otozuz]

Maybe it's not a good move on OS X, but I can be wrong.

 

[KrazyBear15]

yuck, no thanks!

 

[johnmacward]

Do not Androidify iOS.

It looks too serious and utilitarian.

 

[iTom17]

I really gotta admit, that this would look fantastic! I mean, from the very beginning Apple announced the Apple Watch, I thought that font looks more 'luxury' in some way. And it's by far easier to read compared to Helvetica.

Yes, I would love to see the San Francisco font being used in iOS 9!

 

[bmd0019]

No!!!

Shoot me now. I hate that font. It looks to much like Android. What is happening to my Apple, that I love.

 

[Cougarcat]

Please no. That font would look terrible on iOS. If anything, give us a choice!

You know they won't, which is why this bothers me. On iOS you're stuck with it, but there's ways to fix it on OS X.

Can't say I'm surprised--the new MacBook uses this on the keyboard.

 

[bushido]

eww this looks way too androidish

 

[tkermit]

For whatever reason, I hate looking at the Apple Watch font in screenshots but I have to admit that it looks very nice on the device itself.

 

[johnnyjibbs]

Great. I hate Helvetica and Helvetica Neue. Cursing the loss of Lucida Grande though on Mac OS X since Yosemite. The font was great.

 

[saintforlife]

San Francisco Neue?

 

[ttss6]

It definitely helps with readability, especially with the retina HD displays on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus! So excited for 3 weeks from now at this time!!

 

[Siannath]

I still prefer Lucida Grande, however I think that San Francisco is nicer than Helvetica Neue. Also, it would give a nice consistency between all Apple platforms.

Now, I would like to test San Francisco on Yosemite…

 

[nelsonammo]

Looks good but honestly unless I really look for it, it's hard to tell the difference between the new and old fonts.

 

[497902]

I wish Apple were less patriotic about their home state.

 

[alvindarkness]

One thing I love on MacRumors is font debates and font rants by font-o-philes. Some of my favourite comments in the last 12 months were on helvetica neuve vs lucida grande. This is going to be an entertaining thread, cant wait.

 

[antonis]

After the major update containing the new emojis, a new operating system featuring a new font ? Wow, slow down Apple ! Too much innovation, too fast.

 

[djang0]

God no!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umDr0mPuyQc

 

[Steve121178]

I won't be happy with yet another OS X release. How about letting 10.10 mature a little and get back some of that famous OS X rock-solid stability that we haven't seen for years?

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I wish Apple were less patriotic about their home state.

I agree, it's really corny.

 

[imanidiot]

Shoot me now. I hate that font. It looks to much like Android. What is happening to my Apple, that I love.

Someone named Steve left the building.

 

[neuropsychguy]

Can we start a poll?

Clearly there are only two serious font options for Apple to use - Haettenschweiler or Comic Sans (yes, both in Microsoft Office products). If Apple decides to go with something else, I'm through with iOS for good.

/s

 

[The Monkey]

Maybe it's not a good move on OS X, but I can be wrong.

Way to go out on a limb...