WWDC2006 T-shirt

Or why leopard skin is the new green

My last post on the subject of WWDC t-shirts came to the conclusion that the WWDC2006 t-shirts would be green. However, after careful consideration and with absolutely no evidence whatsoever, I’ve changed my mind. The WWDC2006 t-shirt will be leopard skin.

What’s more, the Keynote Address at WWDC2006 will not only feature a preview of Leopard, but also a comparative look at a certain other operating system that should ship at some undetermined point in the future. In keeping with the leopard theme, this preview will be to the tune of “That don’t impress me much” by Shania Twain.

Or is this all too obvious? Let’s have a look at the Mac OS X logos so far:

The original aqua ‘X’ that was introduced in Mac OS X was a wonderful piece of artwork: the subtle highlights and shadows, and the reflective quality of the artwork was mesmerizing — this wasn't just a Garamond ‘X’ and a couple of Photoshop filters, although it spawned a whole slew of tutorials on how to re-create the effect.

Along came Mac OS X 10.2, and the first real time the code-name became part of the shipping name. This time the ‘X’ was rendered in jaguar skin by Pixar, although it has never been seen chasing a beach ball around a desk.

Panther was next, and those who expected the logo to be rendered in panther skin, or to be endorsed by the Pink Panther himself, were disappointed. The boxes went black, the ‘X‘ went shiny and silver, the serifs got chunkier, and the mood seemed to get a little more serious.

On the heels of Panther was Tiger, and it kept the same black box, although the Apple logo hopped to the centre from its previous location in the top-left corner. The ‘X’ became a St. Andrews Cross, and a large spotlight appeared to highlight the shiny metallic texture, and serve as a subliminal message that Spotlight was an important feature in Tiger.

So, is the Jaguar logo to be the only outing for animal fur? Or can I look forward to seeing a leap of Leopard-t-shirt-wearing developers at WWDC2006?