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The Apple Goes Mushy Part I: OS X's Interface Decline

nicholaswindsorhoward.com

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Re: The Apple Goes Mushy Part I: OS X's Interface Decline

#141

Post by onion2k »

gurkendoktor wrote: post #43
onion2k wrote: post #6

I agree with the author that OSX has lost a lot of it's personality, but I don't agree with the notion that this is a bad thing. I don't want my OS to have much of a personality. It's a tool for getting things done. The less I see of the OS the better.

I agree that OS X should out of your way most of the time, but what about the unboxing experience? Buying or upgrading a Mac used to feel very satisfying because you were welcomed by a cool intro video (10.3 was playing even Röyksopp!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gov-XY7mDPE Apple still produces videos like these, but only to show them at WWDC and on their website. New users are only greeted by grey/white screen…

Apple should not be designing icons that are optimised for their initial visual impact. In fact, "impact" is not a word you really want to associate with something you use on a daily basis.

Re: The Apple Goes Mushy Part I: OS X's Interface Decline

#142

Post by pvdebbe »

56k wrote: post #31
legulere wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My computer is a tool, it's not an artwork I turn on to look at Things looking better actually has a positive effect on usability.

Yes but a flatter look doesn't necessarily look worse.

But losing color arguably worsens the usability.

Re: The Apple Goes Mushy Part I: OS X's Interface Decline

#143

Post by [deleted] »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #23
fredsted wrote: post #15

I like the minimalistic UI of El Capitan. It gets out of the way, and puts in focus what I really want to look at: the content, Web pages, my code, my photos. My computer is a tool, it's not an artwork I turn on to look at. Buttons still look pushable, input fields still look editable. The Dock didn't lose any functionality whatsoever by having the 3D effect removed. In my opinion, the El Cap UI requires just as much…

Presumably there's a setting to use the old icons if you prefer them?

[deleted]

Re: The Apple Goes Mushy Part I: OS X's Interface Decline

#144

Post by wtbob »

netheril96 wrote: post #35
krylon wrote: post #16

One thing I really dislike about 10.10 is that "maximizing" a window will - with a few exceptions - switch it to fullscreen. To maximize a window I need to press Alt while clicking the maximize-button. And there is not even an option to switch this behavior. On a small laptop screen this behaviour might be preferable, but on a FullHD display, I find it rather annoying.

Double click the title bar then. Still, the maximization in macOS is plainly stupid, as it frequently doesn't do the expected maximization.

> Double click the title bar then.

That's hardly discoverable though.

Re: The Apple Goes Mushy Part I: OS X's Interface Decline

#145

Post by verinus »

56k wrote: post #73
Angostura wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference with icons for Web browsers is that there really is no real-world equivalent of a Web browser, so producing icon metaphors is not an issue.

A globe.

for a maps app, but inet?

Re: The Apple Goes Mushy Part I: OS X's Interface Decline

#146

Post by jstru »

mmustapic wrote: post #97
Angostura wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The use of metaphors worked when people didn't know what a computer was, and the only way to make its UI make sense was to mimic real-world objects. I disagree strongly. If you were new to a machine, is there anything in the new Photos icon that tells you that it anything to do with images, photos or image manipulation? No. The new icon for Pages is fine by the way,

> is there anything in the new Photos icon that tells you that it anything to do with images, photos or image manipulation Yes, it says "Photos" below it

No it doesn't.

Re: The Apple Goes Mushy Part I: OS X's Interface Decline

#147

Post by glenndebacker »

phoboslab wrote: post #33
56k wrote: post #28

This article doesn't make any sense. The use of metaphors worked when people didn't know what a computer was, and the only way to make its UI make sense was to mimic real-world objects. Now, this is no longer necessary. It's been 40 years. While I agree that new macOS icons aren't great (see the Game Center icon), the old ones were silly. I'm 35 and I have probably seen an actual contact book only once when I was lit…

> I'm 35 and I have probably seen an actual contact book once when I was little. It doesn't make sense to have a skeuomorphic contact book as an icon for Contacts. There was a rhetoric not too long ago where OSx fanboys would make fun of Windows' interfaces for still using the disk icon as the "save" button. Now that guy is complaining that the photos app icon doesn't look like a Point And Shoot camera, when fewer an…

skeumorphism has notting to do with clear use of iconography. Even for a young kid a meaningless icon is still meaningless...

I don't follow all the points in the article but I can't count the times that I overlooked photo's for example.

Re: The Apple Goes Mushy Part I: OS X's Interface Decline

#148

Post by glenndebacker »

phoboslab wrote: post #33
56k wrote: post #28

This article doesn't make any sense. The use of metaphors worked when people didn't know what a computer was, and the only way to make its UI make sense was to mimic real-world objects. Now, this is no longer necessary. It's been 40 years. While I agree that new macOS icons aren't great (see the Game Center icon), the old ones were silly. I'm 35 and I have probably seen an actual contact book only once when I was lit…

> I'm 35 and I have probably seen an actual contact book once when I was little. It doesn't make sense to have a skeuomorphic contact book as an icon for Contacts. There was a rhetoric not too long ago where OSx fanboys would make fun of Windows' interfaces for still using the disk icon as the "save" button. Now that guy is complaining that the photos app icon doesn't look like a Point And Shoot camera, when fewer an…

skeumorphism has notting to do with clear use of iconography. Even for a young kid a meaningless icon is still meaningless...

I don't follow all the points in the article but I can't count the times that I overlooked photo's for example.

Re: The Apple Goes Mushy Part I: OS X's Interface Decline

#149

Post by typpytyper »

I'm 100% in agreement with the article. I haven't upgraded from Mavericks for the very reasons he outlined - stark white UIs with no feedback. (Well that and the WIFI issues in Yosemite.)

As for skeuomorphism, look no further than the phone icon in iOS - it's a handset from a traditional 80s phone. If Apple designers were to take their flat minimalist mantra to the next level the icon would be a picture of a black rectangle representing an iPhone.

Re: The Apple Goes Mushy Part I: OS X's Interface Decline

#150

Post by 7Z7 »

Symbiote wrote: post #125
CatsoCatsoCatso wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me the old yellow colour implies that the notes taken within the app are for easy disposal and will be poorly organised - just like how yellow paper is used primarily for quick throw-away notes and scribbles in reality (at least here in the UK). The Notes app is far better than that, the white it uses now implies a more permanent organised feel which better reflects the app. The texts I store within it are import…

> yellow paper is used primarily for quick throw-away notes and scribbles in reality (at least here in the UK). Is it? I know yellow is the default colour for sticky notes, but for everything else -- at school, university, work, home -- the paper is white. Ryman stock over 500 notepads. Three have yellow paper, and are described as "Being Yellow in colour [they] may appeal to people with dyslexia as the coloured pape…

Pretty sure the implication is that yellow is only for sticky notes.
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