“When Steve Jobs takes the stage Monday at Apple’s programmers conference, he’s likely to give the world a glimpse of an upgraded Mac operating system that could herald the biggest changes to the machine’s interface in 30 years,” Scott Gilbertson and Leander Kahney report for Wired.
“At the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Jobs will probably show off Leopard, a Mac OS X update due in October that he has promised contains ‘top secret’ features. But perhaps the most important feature is one that has been overlooked by many Apple fans: a new set of tools for building program interfaces called Core Animation,” Gilbertson and Leander Kahney report.
“Core Animation will allow programmers to give their applications flashy, animated interfaces. Some developers think Core Animation is so important, it will usher in the biggest changes to computer interfaces since the original Mac shipped three decades ago,” Gilbertson and Leander Kahney report.
“The Core Animation ‘revolution’ is already starting to happen. Apple’s iPhone at the end of the month will see people using their fingers to flip through media libraries, and pinching their fingers together to resize photos,” Gilbertson and Leander Kahney report.
“Some Mac developers are so excited by Core Animation they are going to drop support for previous versions of their software, which won’t display their new interfaces on older versions of OS X, “Gilbertson and Leander Kahney report.
“Austin Sarner, an interface designer and engineer at software company madebysofa, says that the new style of Apple apps isn’t just about glossy effects — there’s a usability payoff as well,” Gilbertson and Leander Kahney report. “‘Animation in general creates continuity and more direct feedback to a user experience. In addition to obvious graphical speed boosts, the elegance (that animation) can add to a UI is pretty substantial,’ he says.”
Much more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “David A.” for the heads up.]
Maybe the Core Animation explains why Microsoft showed their new table surface interface, they were in a hurry to show off something or anything related to what could rip some hair out of Leopard.
Back in late 90’s we were playing with the SmartBoards and thinking how cool it would be to be able to use couple of pens at the same time. The problem was that computers were designed only for one mouse. Some of the geeks were saying that a new multilayered interface system is needed, it would be burried deep in the OS and would change how we use computers. It would be a bit like replacing the steering wheel of the car. Maybe Apple is up to something, and what is that talk about expanding universe?
Big deal. Vista already has this–and another thing you Mac lemmings wish you had: GAMES! Nice try, Apple.
Your potential. Our passion.
grifterus: The Vista Aero interface is already obsolete.
“…likely to give the world…”
“…could herald the biggest changes…”
“…will probably show off Leopard…”
“…perhaps the most important feature…”
“…Some developers think…”
….you know…the writers could get me roused with their coulds and likelys …they could likely be in for a surprise, themselves …they could be furry, reclusive and anatomically abhorrent …they could be. I think Charleton Heston said it best …”get your hands off me you damn dirty ape.” thank you, thank you all to hell ..but seriously, I could just cry.
Zune Tang, buy a Mac and run your VISTAROID alongside Tiger.
I bet you won’t be in Vista for long. It’ll just be your secret. Just don’t drool, and nobody will know.
The Games issue yet again…is that all you have left…should we call you Red Zune Tang now? The odds of people spending real amounts of time on multiple games are very low, not to mention
the fact that most people use a Playstation to get their fix.
C’mon Red Zune, you can do better than this.
I hope developers use constraint. Otherwise Mac OS could end up looking like a bad Flash site.
BOOM, BOOM, incredible, one more thing…
Somehow I doubt that, as cool as Core Animation may be, it will really usher in the “biggest UI change in 30 years.”
At least not on the desktop. Now its role in the iPhone, on the other hand…
The “animation” in Core Animation is not hampsters dancing, nor is it some “shoot the rapper” flash crap. It relates more to the effects in the iTunes ad where small cards, each displaying its own video are displayed in a 3D environment and the user can select a card and then (with animation effects) interact with the card while it is playing the video. The power is the developer doesn’t have to do any of the coding, Core Animation just does it automatically, all they need to do is set a flag or variable when creating the application.
The Leopard overview available in iTunes for several months actually shows a lot of the CA in action and that is indeed fscking cool
MacGrumpy:
You forgot “And you kids! GET OFF MY LAWN!”
I still keep an original iMac DV on my desk. I’ll give it up when I stop breathing.
I’m sure Apple will make any or at least most animations added USEFUL and not bloat. There may be one or two things that will surely annoy some, but most I’m sure will do just fine with it. I hope they give use good options to turn off individual animations for what we don’t want. Apple waited to see Redmond’s hand first and then waited for the Vista dust (primary ingredient of Vista’s OS actually) to settle first. Can’t wait to see what they will unleash
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
That’s not the real Zune Tang
S Ballmer only has very few hair strands left……I’m sure even those will be gone come october.
@No Squirt For You:
Um, instead of webpagesthatsuck.com, did you actually mean to say “99% of the pages on MySpace”?
This animation isn’t something to fear. It’s not dancing monkeys or rhinos or whatever. It’s going to be animation like life. (To animate is to give life.)
when you open a door it moves. When you go down stairs you move. To turn on water the handle moves from one position through many intermediate states very quickly to the other position.
Right now computers are too jerky. Click a button and a screen suddenly just appears. Click another button and a screen suddenly disappears.
Core animation will be 90% background, but it will make your brain very happy.
We don’t have to worry about overuse of Core Animation. The Mac using public will decide which apps use it effectively.
An Apple pundit from a while back said “crap does not survive on the Mac platform”. I still believe this is true.
Woody: 99%? That’s too generous.
Is core animation not just the codename for multi-touch for the mac?
New imas with touch-screens in october??
Nice post anti-creative cretin. So true!
I can’t wait to see what Uncle Steve brings us tomorrow in Leopard. I sense big things!!!
It’s like Christmas in June!