The only thing that really stood out to me and that I’m excited about is, “AirPods automatic device switching”. Which IMO they should have had from day one when launching the AirPods.
macOS Big Sur Preview
181–190 of 391 posts
Re: macOS Big Sur Preview
#182The UI and UX seem to be getting worse on macOS with the “iOSification” of the OS. I thought Jony Ive’s exit would stop that trend. It’ll be interesting to read perspectives from John Gruber, M J Tsai, Marco Arment, etc. I still haven’t upgraded from Mojave to Catalina because of serious bugs reported by other people (including data loss issues in Mail). I’ll see if Big Sur shows improvements (reported by others) and…
It’s a little too early to see the effects of Jony Ive’s departure. He left less than a year ago. He probably had a decent role in designing Big Sur. Plus all the remaining designers were probably hired by Jony. I doubt we’ll see big change until a few years out.
Also didn't he leave to create his own design firm, whose biggest client is Apple? His influence will be all over their products for a while.
Re: macOS Big Sur Preview
#183Is there a reason why Apple updates their Mac apps with each OS release, instead of individually through the app store? I would imagine the changes to Safari could've been made without having to upgrade the OS.
Because the apps that are considered part of the OS are tightly coupled to the OS itself, and often those app updates are intended to showcase new features of the OS that they want developers to take advantage of. Things that are considered standalone apps like Logic, etc. get updates through the App Store like other apps.
Re: macOS Big Sur Preview
#184interesting. I'd love to give the new macOS a try, but I don't have any apple hardware. Does anyone know the process for downloading the macOS .iso so I can bring it up under VMWare?
It is unlikely that the custom kernel extensions and other processes used to support the "in violation of terms of service, exposing you to risk of relation by Apple up to and including termination of iCloud/iTunes services and/or legal action seeking recompense and damages" macOS installation process for non-Apple hardware that you seek will be ready today for the macOS 11.0 beta released an hour ago.
Re: macOS Big Sur Preview
#185I'm not sure why I continue to look forward to new Mac OS announcements every year when Apple continues to focus on consumer apps/features and not pro/developer features. Literally nothing in that preview page excites me as someone that uses Mac OS mainly for developing software. I wish they would use WWDC to announce developer and pro features and not consumer OS features. I don't really care for the UI changes, but…
> Most interesting: This appears to be the end of "OS X" as version was listed as "11.0" in the keynote. "Mac OS X" was dropped for macOS in 2016. https://fortune.com/2016/06/13/apple-mac-os-sierra/
Right, but the version number on the last few releases was still "10.x"
Re: macOS Big Sur Preview
#186I swear they're just trying to see how far they can go with these names until people are unable to say them with a straight face
Re: macOS Big Sur Preview
#187Earlier quoted context omitted.
Personally I’ve had zero issues upgrading to Catalina, it seems to perform better than Mojave for me, and more stable too.
I've had tons of graphics issues (lockups, glitches), and it seems i'm not alone [0][1]. [0] https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/constant-kernel-panics-... [1] https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/strange-chrome-browser-...
I've recently switched jobs. At my previous role, the 15 inch retina 2016 MBP I was using never had issues on Catalina.
At this new role, the 2019 13inch retina MBP I was given seems to have one or two kernel panics a week on Catalina.
Also, I haven't noticed this other issue lately, but for a couple of months my laptop screen would flicker/distort and times for a moment or two; have not noticed that issue since setting up a home office with external monitor for obvious, current reasons.
Re: macOS Big Sur Preview
#188Requirements: Mac Mini 2014 and later. So, no upgrade for my Mac Mini late 2012. F*ck you, Apple. Why on earth I need a less powerful machine to run your latest OS?
Um, your computer was designed EIGHT years ago. Upgrade if you care about getting all of the new toys.
Wait, are you telling me that is ok that a capable machine (much more capable than a 2014 Mac Mini, anyway) expires by date?
I have more recent Apple hardware (Mac Mini 2018, TB Macbook Pro) and I can tell you this: this Mac Mini is my favorite device, fast, user-upgradable, never had a single problem. It's a pity I have to replace it just because it's expired. By date.
Re: macOS Big Sur Preview
#189I'm mixed on the design. I really, really dislike the way macOS has looked since Yosemite, and compared to that, I think this one is an improvement overall. The icons have more depth, and there's far more use of color across the UI. But, it also looks extremely mobile-inspired—I suspect Apple's primary goal was to make iOS ports and apps look less out of place. That's a fine objective, but it also means they weren't…
To add to that, the interactions they showed during the demo appear to be by finger, not mouse. They are treating it as iPad first, bubbling into laptops/desktops.
Apple took off with the .com boom and became a staple of every startup. But since the iPhone they've shifted to being a consumer focused company, and I don't see any reason why they would dedicate too much resources to improving their products for developers/designers.
It's pretty sad because they are still the best option. But people are not happy with them, and it's been getting worse over time. I really think Microsoft has an opportunity to cater to power users and release a really beautiful OS. But not Windows - would have to be something new
Re: macOS Big Sur Preview
#190I appreciate aesthetic beauty of rooms, buildings, and interfaces, but to me what has jumped the shark is the entire conversation about icons, fonts, and toolbars.
No one can explain why the icons, fonts, and toolbars from 3 years ago aren't good enough anymore. No one can explain why we need constant "refreshers".
Let's say you have a new microwave. Every microwave's controls are a little different, but you know generally the conventions of their limited interfaces. There are presets; separate non-microwave functions like timers; maybe a light and a fan control.
The first few times you use it, it's a little weird. But you use the same one for like 5-10 years at a time. It becomes effortless, second nature. Food in, door shoot, beep-boop-beep by muscle-memory. Your food is ready.
Imagine someone snuck into your home and rearranged the buttons, and changed some underlying functions. Now, when the timer is done, you don't hit the timer button to clear the display--you hold the cancel/stop button that also turns off the microwave. They think it's more logical that way.
It doesn't matter, but it's frustrating. "Why was that necessary?", you might ask yourself. Neither way is fundamentally more or less logical. It's just different.
It's not that changes are bad, but semi-annual changes for utilitarian things seem excessive. You accept a certain amount of change when you replace your microwave, or your car, or your computer. But not when you take your car to be tuned up. They don't replace the break pads, and then change the location of the stereo's volume knob.
I think he philosophy of heavy handed redesign was useful in bringing computer interfaces to up to new hardware specs early on in tech, but we're reaching a point where they should be slowed down in favor of utility. The claim that it is design in the name of usability is no longer true. Call it what it is. It is merely seasonal fashion and nothing more. Some fashions are timeless. We should find them and stick with them as defaults that we are very hesitant to change.
Consistency can facilitate clean design, allowing you to conceal and expose complexity by strongly established conventions, helping to achieve balance on the beauty-utility continuum.