It’s been almost three months since Apple officially sunset the iconic Dark Sky weather app. A new “Eulogy for Dark Sky” published today does a great job of honoring Dark Sky, calling it a “data visualization masterpiece.”
‘A Eulogy for Dark Sky, a Data Visualization Masterpiece’
Apple originally acquired Dark Sky in March of 2020 and has used the technology to make a number of upgrades to its built-in Weather app. Apple had previously planned to begin shutting down the Dark Sky app, website, and API at the end of 2021, but this was ultimately delayed until January 1, 2023.
In this Dark Sky eulogy, Nightingale’s Srini Kadamati does a great job articulating what made Dark Sky so unique – particularly from a design standpoint:
But Dark Sky was much more than just an API or a set of “forecast technologies.” The design of the Dark Sky mobile application represented a hallmark of information design because the team clearly obsessed over how people would actually use the app on a daily basis.
The design of Dark Sky was so wonderful that I could understand the shape of the weather at a glance, even from a zoomed out view of the app.
And while Apple has done a lot to make the default Weather app more powerful, there’s still work to be done. Kadamati also suggests that the Dark Sky design philosophy should be extended to other app categories as well: “The world needs more Dark Sky-like experiences to help us improve our spending habits, help us sleep better, and more.”
I won’t spoil too much. Head over to the Nightingale website to read the excellent Dark Sky eulogy and take a walk down memory lane.
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