“The latest development build of Mac OS X Leopard [build 9A410] finally tackles issues with consistent style that many say have plagued the Apple software for years,” Aidan Malley reports for AppleInsider.
Malley reports, “While most of the test versions of the future operating system have so far handled only the many bugs still left in its code, this week’s edition allegedly contains the first signs of obvious visual differences between itself and 2005’s Mac OS X Tiger.”
“The brushed-metal look that first appeared in earnest with Panther has almost completely faded away, according to reports. Well-known holdouts for the style, including Finder, Photo Booth, and Safari, have purportedly abandoned the metallic sheen in favor of the simpler, gradiated style that first appeared in Apple Mail 2.0 and later transferred to Leopard’s version of iChat and the more widely available iTunes 7,” Malley reports.
Full article with screenshots and links to more images here.
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I liked the brushed metal.
Me too. Brushed metal was a cool look. Just got to be a bit much when the title bars are big.
I just hated the inconstant styles and pieced together look of Mac OS X. good to hear that’s getting fixed.
To be honest, I’ve never much noticed the differences – I’m too busy using my Mac to get work done.
I think that whatever the appearance of the interface is – peopel wil both like it and hate it… it is a “just is” that will get changed and overlayed, etc… And if the inner workings are half as fab as promised – the appearance will be the last thing on most people’s minds. Unless they are pretty small minded.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> Then there will be squillions of letters to the editors about it.
I never liked the brushed metal look, i like the itunes and mail look the best. Thats why i use a prog called UNO , which changes it from brush metal to itunes and mail. Can’t wait for the a consistant look throughout with lepoard
I don’t know why but I have this feeling that what with the unified windows, we’ll see different colour variations. I don’t know why but it always pops into my head when I see the unified look.
Notice the “refresh” button loses it’s angled shadow? All graphics being replaced with gradients and vectors in order to bring in resolution independence. Zooming like on the iPhone. The brushed-metal graphics would blur, the new UI will stay crisp no matter now much it’s stretched.
doesn’t matter to me … gray, brushed metal – looks so similar I could really care less. Just make it run fast.
Yesssssssss! FINALLY!
This is LONG overdue. Seeing constantly, actually inconsistantly appearing window styles has always been irksome. And yes, as a designer also getting work done, I’m sensitive to such visual disparities. Lots of us are, apparently.
Anyway, I like both gradient style and brushed metal window styles… I’ve got a thing for stainless steel. My mountain bike, and kitchen counter top and plumbing fixtures are stainless. The newer gradient style is a little bland, but it probably will work better with resolution independence. Having ALL windows use the same style is STILL overdue.
MDN Magic Word: PROGRESS… exactly!
Why can’t it look more like Windows?
Ok, I was going somewhere with this, but I just upchucked in the waste paper basket. Thank God I missed the wireless keyboard.
Does no one else think total consistency will make it more difficult to distinguish between programs at a glance?
IOW, we now have a delayed, buggy OS that sports a pretty new UI.
Sounds like a certain (p)OS that was launched earlier this year…
I freakin’ hate the scroll bar on iTunes 7! I like the aqua scroll bars that Apple has used since 10.0 much better.
Hope they fix the programs that have the white jaguar horizontal stripes visible, when in the background like mail.
Jesus, that was 4 years ago. It is especially annoying on a 30-inch display.
JJ
Oh, you mean that certain OS that took five years to release the latest Service Pack for, including one year used in an desperate, emergency effort to stop rampant virus attacks? Yeah, I can already see the similarities with the Leopard delay.
Hideous. I would wait 6 months to have Apple change back to the brushed-metal look.
That was about time. Apple definetely needs to get its HIG together.
Having switched a few months ago from Windows XP, the brushed metallic interface in Tiger was a cool, new look.
Is abandoning that for…a flat gray color…really a good thing?
Is gray cool now?
While I can perhaps see that neat-freaks like to have everything consistent and the same, I prefer my windows to be clearly different because it makes them much easier to identify when there are many windows open and overlapping. I don’t really like GarageBand’s wood grain look, but it does make it easy to distinguish from iTunes, Quicktime, Adium, and my E-mail, which all look different.
Is there a best of both worlds? Yes. It would be nice if Apple would give the user a simple ability to tint each app just a bit differently, perhaps allowing them to adjust the colours; one as greyish, another greenish, another bluish, etc.
I think the real reason behind these changes are that they remind the user of Windows. When you are focussing on getting people to switch, that’s a big issue. It gives them a feeling of familiarity. To a Mac user like me it’s blasphemy, but I won’t leave because of it, so Apple wins on both sides.
The gradients will make for faster screen draws than brushed metal.
“Lots of us?” Not likely. As a designer, the slight inconsistencies have never been a problem for me or anyone on any of my design teams. Matter of fact, some variation is a plus when navigating through many windows.
I hate brushed metal. Glad it’s gone. The current iTunes look is fine by me.
I’ve noticed a gradual introduction of depressing gray and more blandness in Tiger, perhaps to appeal to the corporation types.
I fully expect the three colored window buttons to disappear soon.
I get depressed just thinking about it.
🙁
http://mytop-in.net/go/030207160042.html
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Yeah, I’ve always thought Apple has made a mistake by not going with the glass look properly. Now we are back to flat grey. God, you could do that in Windows 3.1, but who would have? I really like the touches of black glass that you see rarely on a few Apple apps that has been copied (yet again) by Windows and apps like Toast 8.
I am still holding out for colourisation, which may be possible with this grey look, as some have already posted. But again, the problem is that idea is 15 years old. I want soemthing cool and glassy and that I don’t want to change!!!!