Apple's Federighi talks about WWDC's biggest hit (the new custom Lock Screen)

Perhaps the most exciting new iOS 16 feature that was discussed at WWDC last week was the new customizable iPhone Lock Screen. Unusual for Apple, the new Lock Screen has the opposite attributes of a walled garden which means that iPhone users will be able to set up the Lock Screen in the manner that they want it to appear.

Apple SVP of Engineering Craig Federighi spoke with TechRadar this past week and noted that the Lock Screen is the first thing that iPhone users see when they pick up the device. The changes made to the display, Federighi said, were always considered to be more than a one-act play. "We saw a real opportunity to take that area that really has evolved slowly over time but has never seen this kind of massive step forward, and to do something really big -- but something very Apple and very personal. So, this is an act of love this year."

Apple VP of Design Alan Dye said something similar. "The Lock Screen is a key part of  'the icon of the iPhone," Dye said. In other words, if you had to choose one element of the iPhone that loudly yells "iPhone" over the device's 15-year history, you might select the clock. While Apple considered doing away with the large centered clock, it decided against it. Instead, Apple changed the fonts and is allowing users to select their own for the first time in the history of the iconic handset.

"Typography is such a huge passion of ours, the design teams,' and we have a number of other Apple design typefaces, even some non-Latin scripts. So, for the first time, we’re letting users choose their favorite."

Personally, this writer finds that there is usually something new found on the manufacturer's new product video that makes users truly desire the new phone. With the iPhone 11 Pro Max it was the battery life and the handset's durability. With the Pixel 6 Pro it was the AI and Machine Learning Features like Magic Eraser and  Live Translate that sold me on the device. And now, the customizable iPhone Lock Screen and the ability to edit iMessages have me (and countless others, we're sure) drooling and contemplating a change.