What does metal really mean?

placeboplacebo
Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Although metal is now infamous for being inconsistent (or for the UI people at Apple being inconsistent with metal), I think I figured out what the "new" metaphor of metal is. I think that any app that is metal is an app that lets you browse and organize files.
  • Finder? An application for browsing all files on a computer.

  • Safari? Browse files on the internet.

  • iTunes? Organize your music files.

  • iPhoto? Browse and file your images.

See where I'm going with this?



Of course, there are still little problem apps like calculator.



What do you think? Will metal EVER have a metaphor that is consistent?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 42
    1337_5l4xx0r1337_5l4xx0r Posts: 1,558member
    No, metal will never be consistent, especially when it is available to developers to abuse.
  • Reply 2 of 42
    stevesteve Posts: 523member
    And iChat?
  • Reply 3 of 42
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    QT?
  • Reply 4 of 42
    ipeonipeon Posts: 1,122member
    iMovie?
  • Reply 5 of 42
    1337_5l4xx0r1337_5l4xx0r Posts: 1,558member
    I've just de-brushed metaled Calculator, iChat and Safari.



    Doesn't this look so much better?
  • Reply 6 of 42
    henriokhenriok Posts: 537member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R

    Doesn't this look so much better?



    No it doesn't! The metal-scheme is good because it separates the window and window controls from its contents. Most web sites are white, most documents are white, the contents witch Finder manage have white background, lists in Address Book, iTunes, iPhoto, iChat and so forth are mainly white.. When the control surfaces of the windows also is white it is harder to separate from the content.



    A white Aqua window might look better for some, but that's a matter of taste. I think it would be easy to show that a metal scheme is better UI design. I simple usability test will prove that.
  • Reply 7 of 42
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    I agree. The apps that used brush metal, in my opinion, look much better than the traditional Aqua UI. I for one am welcoming the new Finder with open arms.



    However, I really wish Apple would explain what the metal UI is all about. I'd just feel much better about it if I understood it, and I don't. It's frustrating.
  • Reply 8 of 42
    mac the forkmac the fork Posts: 722member
    The 'metaphors' we're coming up with are all so convoluted and irrelevant, it's pretty safe to say that brushed metal doesn't mean anything. Even the incidental usability benefits don't mean anything, or else they would be applied universally.
  • Reply 9 of 42
    macusersmacusers Posts: 840member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R

    I've just de-brushed metaled Calculator, iChat and Safari.



    Doesn't this look so much better?



    it does not look better at all, id prefer the brushed metal over that any day
  • Reply 10 of 42
    mrmistermrmister Posts: 1,095member
    It means Apple would like to move over to all brushed metal in time. Don't expect the individual apps to make sense.
  • Reply 11 of 42
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    metal = apple thinks it looks cool because it matches their pro line
  • Reply 12 of 42
    mac the forkmac the fork Posts: 722member
    Quote:

    It means Apple would like to move over to all brushed metal in time. Don't expect the individual apps to make sense.



    It looks like you could be right, but if Apple would like to move over to all brushed metal, they could use Aqua exclusively for now, keep the tests to themselves, notify developers that they're changing themes, and do it all at once.
  • Reply 13 of 42
    mrmistermrmister Posts: 1,095member
    They could do that, but that sounds entirely too reasonable.



  • Reply 14 of 42
    naghanagha Posts: 71member
    Increased use of Metal and they graying of Aqua is an admission of Aqua's failure. The fact is that the old Platinum look worked and most people don't like Aqua for the very reason that it's excessive.



    I expect that these two themes will merge. Aqua will gain the textured look of Metal and thus, we will have a uniform look once again.



    na
  • Reply 15 of 42
    chef ramen noodlechef ramen noodle Posts: 42member
    Coming Soon, in Mac OS X 10.4 Kitty, Metalliqua
  • Reply 16 of 42
    1337_5l4xx0r1337_5l4xx0r Posts: 1,558member
    I for one would prefer all metal to some metal/some aqua. And I dislike metal.



    How hard can it be to include themes? Every other unix desktop environment/window manager is configurable at least in colours if not themes.



    BTW, you'er all wrong, safari et al look better as aqua!
  • Reply 17 of 42
    johnqjohnq Posts: 2,763member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by 1337_5L4Xx0R

    BTW, you'er all wrong, safari et al look better as aqua!



    It would if they got rid of the ugly shadows of the bezels in the icons which were meant for metal not Aqua...
  • Reply 18 of 42
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    It's clear the use of metal is rather arbitrary. Basically, any app that Apple deems to be "consumerish" gets the metal appearance.



    I'd rather see Apple treat the index type applications with one theme/appearance (iPhoto, iTunes, possibly iMovie, possibly Safari, the Panther Finder, etc.), and have Aqua for all document-centric applications.
  • Reply 19 of 42
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    I don't even think the consumer/pro distinction holds. It seems to me that at this point it's mostly a matter of "which works better?" Safari, for example, is metal because they thought that worked better for separating the interface from the web page contents.



    And that's pretty much what it comes down to at this point, as far as I can see.
  • Reply 20 of 42
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    What is the latest released Apple software that didn´t have metal cover?
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