Inside Mac OS X 10.7: Apple to strip most Aqua gloss
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.
Also missing are the Aqua pill buttons in the upper right corner of windows in the Finder and certain other apps, which currently display or hide the window's toolbar. These have been replaced by the Full Screen control used in apps that support that mode.
Across the interface, while Aqua highlighting still exists, much of the "blue gel" has been dialed down. For example, the standard Font panel uses a plain slider control rather than a blue bubble.
A variety of rounded buttons are now replaced with more squared off rectangles, and popup menus now lack a blue button selection indicator, as the Cell Background control in the Table panel from TextEdit indicates.
The standard print sheet also demonstrates the more square and conservative use of Aqua highlights used throughout the interface (with the help button now lacking a purple fill).
The screen shots below also show another new feature of Lion: screen shots of a drop down sheet now include the window they are connected to, rather than just capturing the sheet itself.
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.
Also missing are the Aqua pill buttons in the upper right corner of windows in the Finder and certain other apps, which currently display or hide the window's toolbar. These have been replaced by the Full Screen control used in apps that support that mode.
Across the interface, while Aqua highlighting still exists, much of the "blue gel" has been dialed down. For example, the standard Font panel uses a plain slider control rather than a blue bubble.
A variety of rounded buttons are now replaced with more squared off rectangles, and popup menus now lack a blue button selection indicator, as the Cell Background control in the Table panel from TextEdit indicates.
The standard print sheet also demonstrates the more square and conservative use of Aqua highlights used throughout the interface (with the help button now lacking a purple fill).
The screen shots below also show another new feature of Lion: screen shots of a drop down sheet now include the window they are connected to, rather than just capturing the sheet itself.
Comments
Aqua looks quite dated and the round cornered boxes look much nicer.
I'm seriously tempted to buy a Developer license simply to get my hands on and play.
This isn't very exciting.
Not everything has to be exciting. Sometimes the best changes aren't very big or glamourous.
Not everything has to be exciting. Sometimes the best changes aren't very big or glamourous.
So how does one scroll with no scroll bar in fontbook?
I'm not liking the new look. I think it makes my screen look a little flat and boring without color. Does aqua look dated? Maybe a little in some places but i think they should update aqua not do away with it.
I have to say I really like the new look.
Aqua looks quite dated and the round cornered boxes look much nicer.
I'm seriously tempted to buy a Developer license simply to get my hands on and play.
No need to pay $100 to get Lion preview, just apply for Apple Customer Software Seeding: https://appleseed.apple.com/
I guess they have to do something to keep the graphic designers busy. Change for change sake. Steve problem threw them a bone.. "hey for working all those long hours on the icons for the iPad, I'll let you come up with a few new buttons and sliders for Lion." If it is part of a movement to standardize interfaces between OSX and iOS it could be good. But maybe the time would be better spent coming up with something better to manage your whole digital world than iTunes?
Ah yes, there is a curmudgeon inside all of us and yours just slipped out. Better if we were still using OS7 graphics, eh? The OS interface has been evolving since day one and it is still evolving. With each new major revision there is lots of fine tuning to do. Design is a living thing and it evolves in the same way our perception and understanding of design evolves. To do nothing is to go backwards. The only difference is that today we scrutinize every little change. I am sure that when some visual tweaks were done to 6.05, or whatever, it was barely mentioned in the Mac Magazines (pre web)
Humans perceive a wide range of colors with little or no conscious attention, and throwing away the ability to convey so much information so subtly is an absurd waste. This isn't a shirt or a skirt - it's a place where some of us spend huge amounts of time. Any industrial designer can tell you that color coding increases efficiency and reduces errors, and a behavioral psychologist isn't going to have anything good to say about surrounding people with shades of gray.
Seems like some of the Lion UI is going all the way back to classic Mac OS, the slightly rounded rectangular buttons look very familiar.
Only thing I wish is that everything would go slightly darker. White and more white is hard on the eyes when staring at a computer all day.
So how does one scroll with no scroll bar in fontbook?
I'm not liking the new look. I think it makes my screen look a little flat and boring without color. Does aqua look dated? Maybe a little in some places but i think they should update aqua not do away with it.
How does one scroll in iOS when there are no visible scroll bars? Apple doesn't sell a mouse without the ability to center scroll, correct?
Two button mice are no longer the standard. a center wheel 3 button mouse is the baseline for quite some time.
No need to pay $100 to get Lion preview, just apply for Apple Customer Software Seeding: https://appleseed.apple.com/
how can i apply for appleseed id? i tried but i think i must have invitation by email...
Across the interface, while Aqua highlighting still exists, much of the "blue gel" has been dialed down. For example, the standard Font panel uses a plain slider control rather than a blue bubble.
[...]
A variety of rounded buttons are now replaced with more squared off rectangles, and popup menus now lack a blue button selection indicator, as the Cell Background control in the Table panel from TextEdit indicates.
odd, all the "blue" you mention is graphite on my computer. i must have a special build?
Two button mice are no longer the standard. a center wheel 3 button mouse is the baseline for quite some time.
That was in 2008. In the past two years, wheel mice have been replaced by touch controls, first on the Magic Mouse and later on the Magic Trackpad.
and a behavioral psychologist isn't going to have anything good to say about surrounding people with shades of gray.
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.