> This is ultimately a good move, and matches trends and emerging best practices on the web and elsewhere.

It solves some issues and creates others. Icons are more helpful than words in the menu bar, particularly as it gets more monochrome. And the complete confusion between buttons that look like text, links, actual buttons, and weird typography we find on the web is not exactly a good model to emulate. I really would not call that “best practices”, as they are responsible for a significant worsening of the UX on all mainstream platforms.