I like gray for the interface. I think all the color should be coming from the content not the interface. Grays and blacks are timeless. Psychologically they represent both power and submission. Whites represent purity and innocence. Bright colors are interpreted differently by different cultures and Mac is global so it makes sense to be neutral. I don't think you should worry about the interface becoming too monochromatic, it will feel natural after you get used to it. I have always set my desktop to gray since I do a lot of color work. That way I don't have any conflicts when designing.
I couldn't agree more. Timeless, neutral, and professional are the words.
The rounded blue scrollbars, the blue buttons, etc of the current Aqua UI are a bit childish and reminiscent of the original all-plastic imac G3. Those elements have nothing to do with the brushed aluminum of today's macs.
Apple's next desktop operating system release will tone down much of the Aqua user interface and change how screen captures handle windows' drop down sheets.
The most obvious Aqua gloss stripped from Mac OS X Lion involves scroll bars, which are replaced with iOS-like, grey segments that disappear when not in use. The Finder and Mail also drop the use of bubbly, colorful toolbar and source-list icons, indicating a general preference for simpler, monochromatic icons similar to those used in iPad apps.
Is this the new Apple, post Steve Jobs?
I don't like what I see, especially the reverse scrolling through pages where I have to move the finger UP if I want to scrool down the page. I really don't like it.
Apple: Please give users a System Preference to set the direction for scrolling down a page.
Also, visual cues and ornaments are useful for visually impaired users. Please maintain the present level of user friendliness of Mac OS X interface.
I don't like what I see, especially the reverse scrolling through pages where I have to move the finger UP if I want to scrool down the page. I really don't like it.
Apple: Please give users a System Preference to set the direction for scrolling down a page.
there is a preference option for this - was ghosted out for me though cos i was running it on an old macbook with the old style trackpads
I like the changes. OS X had a kind of cartoony feel to it. I always thought they went a little overboard with the Aqua elements. I like that they are toning it down.
I've been using Macs since the 512Ke with System 4 (I think - in those days when an update came out you took a floppy to your Mac store and they gave you a copy). System 6 was a breath of fresh air and System 7 was a game changer. I've used OS 10.3 - 10.6 and I cannot see myself 'upgrading' to Lion as there does not appear to be anything under the hood. It appears to be all about unifying MacOS and iOS.
That is all very well and good for many I am sure, but I simply don't need that. However, I am willing to keep an open mind about it.
I've been using Macs since the 512Ke with System 4 (I think - in those days when an update came out you took a floppy to your Mac store and they gave you a copy). System 6 was a breath of fresh air and System 7 was a game changer. I've used OS 10.3 - 10.6 and I cannot see myself 'upgrading' to Lion as there does not appear to be anything under the hood. It appears to be all about unifying MacOS and iOS.
That is all very well and good for many I am sure, but I simply don't need that. However, I am willing to keep an open mind about it.
Although I cannot really disagree with what you said, how do you know that there is nothing "under the hood"? Personally I know nothing about it and I think we will have to wait for the release to find out more.
A problem with not updating is that you are going to be left out in the cold from a system-update point of view. Apple generally offers software updates up to one major OS version back. I am still on Leopard and I get regularly security and software updates. But I am afraid that after the Lion release, Apple will focus on Snow Leopard and Lion.
The first day I used Lion DP2, I didn't like it. But the more I use it, the more I love the toning down of Aqua and the subtle changes (and some of the drastic ones like Mail).
Lion isn't complete yet, so we still may see some more changes/features. But I like where they're going with it so far.
I'm more than happy to eliminate eye candy if it means a more streamlined powerful efficient operability. I've never found myself so entranced by rainbow colored jelly bean buttons not to notice a spinning beach ball.
If we're going to be talking about transitioning these users to the iOS, then we're going to have to deal with their real world usage (top level only):
Applications = 53 Items, 4.61 GB used
Documents = 77 Items, 4.19 GB used
Movies = 78 Items, 448.21 GB used
Music = 3 Items, 381.89 GB used
Pictures = 244 Items, 158 GB used
And that's just from a grandma who belongs to a garden club (and composes monthly newsletters in Pages) and has a couple grand kids (she's the typical "snap-happy" grandma who loves her digital camera, and fills it routinely).
448gb of movies and 381gb of music. is your grandma ripping blu rays and a full time DJ?
448gb of movies and 381gb of music. is your grandma ripping blu rays and a full time DJ?
LOL, not that I'm aware of, but you never know. From what I saw, it's her inability to NOT save any attachment she gets in an email. Remember, that I just wrote down the top level and didn't drill down. She organizes well, and everything is in folders. She has so many videos on quilt making that it boggles the mind, and I'm pretty sure everything Bob Ross did too.
On another note, I do find it almost amusing that we live in a world where grandkids have to wonder whether or not their grandparents will actually fill up a 2TB HD! The music folder includes the movies in iTunes (and more importantly the thousands of video podcasts she has - and she's watched them all). So far, she hasn't figured out how to save YouTube videos on her computer (and I won't show her) otherwise, she'd likely have maxed out the HD by now.
I just realised scrolling is inverted in Lion(???) This is messed up. I'm not liking Lion. Lack of cohesion at Apple, as I say. They're struggling to iOS-ify OS X and we're seeing some weird stuff happening.
I think we can easily dismiss everyone in the chat room here who disses this new look, to which I'm quite neutral, as a "windows lookalike". Personally I like the concept of toning down aqua which seemed always cocky and childish to me, don't know if this is the right answer to it.
Now, these people do not understand neither windows nor apple, and should not be listened, period. Specially those who argue as "but I'm like a ten year user with lots of expensive machines, and I should be listened to!".
I don't have any axes to grind to those who simply do not like the new look. I don't think they have good taste, but that's subjective.
But to say this is "windows" is just mind-boggingly stupid. Windows never used this subtle grey color scheme, with its subtle gradients and minimalistic look. Windows was always about the fugly grey boxes and hugely bordered blue windows, peaking with its FisherPrice look in Windows XP. To say that this is "Windows 95" just shows how suffering from amnesia so many people are. How I'd hope that Windows 95 looked like this! It never did, and Windows in general never will.
Windows 7, from which I'm a user, btw, is a mix mash of designing tendencies, from minimalistic, to fisherprice, to aqua, etc., even discarding the skins pc manufacturers like hp like to add in front of it. It has no coherence, and certainly it is not the minimalistic OS like the one here being tested.
Windows never was minimalistic. Do not confuse minimalism with simplism, which is what windows always was.
I like the changes. the round buttons is a bit too early 2000. One of my few gripes with the interface. The dropdowns looks better now as well.
Scrolling the reverse direction I'm not sure of until I've tried.
I'm looking forward to Lion. However I'm wondering why quicktime have a totally different color scheme. I thought it was a sign of times to come, but nothing else have followed suit.
Me too. The only thing that i very dislike are the new scrollbars, even in iOS!! I want to see them. F.e. i want to know how much is hidden of the document or view, with no scrollbars i can see that.
Yep. I can't see that there is more content in the list this way. The scrollbars indicate 2 things: 1: (obviously) they indicate there is more content, and 2: how much more content there is.
This is really really really important information and the new scrollbars hide this information.
I don't want to move my mouse over everything that looks like it might possibly be scrollable to see if some scrollbars show up indicating that, yes, there is more.
Stupid.
It works on the iPhone and also really on the iPad because you are always touching the screen (or the scrollview) and when you touch the screen scrollbars show for a moment and then disappear if the system figures out you are not trying to scroll. This behaviour just does not work on a larger screen where you are not using touch (ie you are using a mouse or trackpad instead) or other direct input method (like a pen on the screen, no not like a Wacom tablet).
Anyway, I haven't tried Lion yet (will pay and download during May sometime)... and remember: it is still in development. Any developers that are using Lion please submit feature requests for normal scrollbars (even if it is just a Finder preference).
Comments
Not sure which version of Windows everyone is referring to, but the new interface looks nothing like Windows.
The actual Windows still look different, but the control changes outlined in this article make OSX look more Windows-ish.
Here is the Snow Leopard/Lion comparrison with a mock up of what the same dialog looks like using default Windows 7 UI components.
What do you think?
I like gray for the interface. I think all the color should be coming from the content not the interface. Grays and blacks are timeless. Psychologically they represent both power and submission. Whites represent purity and innocence. Bright colors are interpreted differently by different cultures and Mac is global so it makes sense to be neutral. I don't think you should worry about the interface becoming too monochromatic, it will feel natural after you get used to it. I have always set my desktop to gray since I do a lot of color work. That way I don't have any conflicts when designing.
I couldn't agree more. Timeless, neutral, and professional are the words.
The rounded blue scrollbars, the blue buttons, etc of the current Aqua UI are a bit childish and reminiscent of the original all-plastic imac G3. Those elements have nothing to do with the brushed aluminum of today's macs.
http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...i=g10&aql=&oq=
It was time for a change.
I would now love to see Apple release a 20" (or higher) macbook pro.
Apple's next desktop operating system release will tone down much of the Aqua user interface and change how screen captures handle windows' drop down sheets.
The most obvious Aqua gloss stripped from Mac OS X Lion involves scroll bars, which are replaced with iOS-like, grey segments that disappear when not in use. The Finder and Mail also drop the use of bubbly, colorful toolbar and source-list icons, indicating a general preference for simpler, monochromatic icons similar to those used in iPad apps.
Is this the new Apple, post Steve Jobs?
I don't like what I see, especially the reverse scrolling through pages where I have to move the finger UP if I want to scrool down the page. I really don't like it.
Apple: Please give users a System Preference to set the direction for scrolling down a page.
Also, visual cues and ornaments are useful for visually impaired users. Please maintain the present level of user friendliness of Mac OS X interface.
Is this the new Apple, post Steve Jobs?
I don't like what I see, especially the reverse scrolling through pages where I have to move the finger UP if I want to scrool down the page. I really don't like it.
Apple: Please give users a System Preference to set the direction for scrolling down a page.
there is a preference option for this - was ghosted out for me though cos i was running it on an old macbook with the old style trackpads
That is all very well and good for many I am sure, but I simply don't need that. However, I am willing to keep an open mind about it.
how can i apply for appleseed id? i tried but i think i must have invitation by email...
Sign up for this year closed after 1 Apr 2011 and won't start again until next year.
I've been using Macs since the 512Ke with System 4 (I think - in those days when an update came out you took a floppy to your Mac store and they gave you a copy). System 6 was a breath of fresh air and System 7 was a game changer. I've used OS 10.3 - 10.6 and I cannot see myself 'upgrading' to Lion as there does not appear to be anything under the hood. It appears to be all about unifying MacOS and iOS.
That is all very well and good for many I am sure, but I simply don't need that. However, I am willing to keep an open mind about it.
Although I cannot really disagree with what you said, how do you know that there is nothing "under the hood"? Personally I know nothing about it and I think we will have to wait for the release to find out more.
A problem with not updating is that you are going to be left out in the cold from a system-update point of view. Apple generally offers software updates up to one major OS version back. I am still on Leopard and I get regularly security and software updates. But I am afraid that after the Lion release, Apple will focus on Snow Leopard and Lion.
Lion isn't complete yet, so we still may see some more changes/features. But I like where they're going with it so far.
If we're going to be talking about transitioning these users to the iOS, then we're going to have to deal with their real world usage (top level only):
Applications = 53 Items, 4.61 GB used
Documents = 77 Items, 4.19 GB used
Movies = 78 Items, 448.21 GB used
Music = 3 Items, 381.89 GB used
Pictures = 244 Items, 158 GB used
And that's just from a grandma who belongs to a garden club (and composes monthly newsletters in Pages) and has a couple grand kids (she's the typical "snap-happy" grandma who loves her digital camera, and fills it routinely).
448gb of movies and 381gb of music. is your grandma ripping blu rays and a full time DJ?
448gb of movies and 381gb of music. is your grandma ripping blu rays and a full time DJ?
LOL, not that I'm aware of, but you never know. From what I saw, it's her inability to NOT save any attachment she gets in an email. Remember, that I just wrote down the top level and didn't drill down. She organizes well, and everything is in folders. She has so many videos on quilt making that it boggles the mind, and I'm pretty sure everything Bob Ross did too.
On another note, I do find it almost amusing that we live in a world where grandkids have to wonder whether or not their grandparents will actually fill up a 2TB HD! The music folder includes the movies in iTunes (and more importantly the thousands of video podcasts she has - and she's watched them all). So far, she hasn't figured out how to save YouTube videos on her computer (and I won't show her) otherwise, she'd likely have maxed out the HD by now.
odd, all the "blue" you mention is graphite on my computer. i must have a special build?
System Preferences -> Appearance-> Apparance:Blue
I like the graphite apparance more, is the one I use all day,
hated the Aqua Blue apparance.
Now, these people do not understand neither windows nor apple, and should not be listened, period. Specially those who argue as "but I'm like a ten year user with lots of expensive machines, and I should be listened to!".
I don't have any axes to grind to those who simply do not like the new look. I don't think they have good taste, but that's subjective.
But to say this is "windows" is just mind-boggingly stupid. Windows never used this subtle grey color scheme, with its subtle gradients and minimalistic look. Windows was always about the fugly grey boxes and hugely bordered blue windows, peaking with its FisherPrice look in Windows XP. To say that this is "Windows 95" just shows how suffering from amnesia so many people are. How I'd hope that Windows 95 looked like this! It never did, and Windows in general never will.
Windows 7, from which I'm a user, btw, is a mix mash of designing tendencies, from minimalistic, to fisherprice, to aqua, etc., even discarding the skins pc manufacturers like hp like to add in front of it. It has no coherence, and certainly it is not the minimalistic OS like the one here being tested.
Windows never was minimalistic. Do not confuse minimalism with simplism, which is what windows always was.
There. I hope I've clarified something for you.
The actual Windows still look different, but the control changes outlined in this article make OSX look more Windows-ish.
Here is the Snow Leopard/Lion comparrison with a mock up of what the same dialog looks like using default Windows 7 UI components.
What do you think?
I think that you got the causation backwards. And that it should be obvious.
Scrolling the reverse direction I'm not sure of until I've tried.
I'm looking forward to Lion. However I'm wondering why quicktime have a totally different color scheme. I thought it was a sign of times to come, but nothing else have followed suit.
Me too. The only thing that i very dislike are the new scrollbars, even in iOS!! I want to see them. F.e. i want to know how much is hidden of the document or view, with no scrollbars i can see that.
Yep. I can't see that there is more content in the list this way. The scrollbars indicate 2 things: 1: (obviously) they indicate there is more content, and 2: how much more content there is.
This is really really really important information and the new scrollbars hide this information.
I don't want to move my mouse over everything that looks like it might possibly be scrollable to see if some scrollbars show up indicating that, yes, there is more.
Stupid.
It works on the iPhone and also really on the iPad because you are always touching the screen (or the scrollview) and when you touch the screen scrollbars show for a moment and then disappear if the system figures out you are not trying to scroll. This behaviour just does not work on a larger screen where you are not using touch (ie you are using a mouse or trackpad instead) or other direct input method (like a pen on the screen, no not like a Wacom tablet).
Anyway, I haven't tried Lion yet (will pay and download during May sometime)... and remember: it is still in development. Any developers that are using Lion please submit feature requests for normal scrollbars (even if it is just a Finder preference).