See last year OS X names shifted from cat breeds to California landmarks, like the famous Mavericks surf spot in northern California. Hence the water theme. So why is a watery background, that appears to be an underwater shot, showing up this year for iOS 8 ?
iOS 7 Banner at WWDC 2013
It could just be cool looking. But Apple is a company that pays extreme attention to every little detail. Even the tiniest things mean something. They put it there by design. Whether is a UX design, a hardware product, a UI or an ad. Even something very small can have great meaning and purpose. Especially in marketing. And they have a history of hinting at something in the marketing just before an event like this one.
Is it a hint at a new naming scheme for iOS versions, similar to what they did for OS X last year when they shifted from cat breeds (Lion, Mountain Lion, etc.) to California landmarks (Mavericks, Yosemite, Mohave, etc.) ? Apple trademarked a number of these names in April and more just recently.
I think the convergence of Mac OS X and iOS is inevitable. Consider this:
Apple’s mobile processors increasing in power every year.
The features and APIs being implemented more and more in both of the two OSes. Which is detailed quite nicely in quite some technical detail in The State of the Apple Developer Ecosystem by Nik Fletcher.
UX and feature convergence like Launchpad on OS X, App Stores, iCloud, and tons more. The new OS X 10.10 is expected to implement the flat UX in iOS 7.
Rumors of testing ARM processors in Macs with large-format Magic Trackpad. A large trackpad could be a way to enable a better touch UX on a MacBook without using a touchscreen
So, is the water theme on the iOS 8 banner related to the water them of Mac OS X ?
Although I do think convergence is inevitable, I don’t think we’ll see it occur this year. It takes a lot of work to create a great convergence device. The UX with a touch device is fundamentally different than a notebook. A tablet UX is very different than a smartphone, and although related, requires different app design techniques to create a great UX. And Apple is all about creating great user experiences.
But the competition is trying to innovate all the time. With Microsoft pushing the Surface and Windows 8 touch PCs, with their merging of PC and tablet. With Google and Android pushing convergence devices. They still need a lot of work, but eventually they will get there. So Apple must be and seems to be working towards it too. And I’m sure that they are putting in the care and effort to create a great user experience, so that when they finally do launch convergent devices, they will blow the competition’s attempts out of the water.
WWDC iOS 8 Banner Hinting at Something ?
Naming scheme for iOS ?
Convergence of OS X and iOS ?
So, is the water theme on the iOS 8 banner related to the water them of Mac OS X ?
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