“Not surprisingly, iOS 7 got most of the attention at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month. Given the importance of the iPhone and iPad to Apple’s bottom line, that makes sense. But Apple does still make computers and spent some time showcasing the next version of its desktop/laptop operating system, OS X Mavericks,” Michael deAgonia writes for Computerworld. “Unlike iOS 7, which is getting an overdue UI overhaul, the changes coming to OS X aren’t as obvious, but they’re still important.”
“At first glance, Mavericks looks much like its predecessor, although clearly Apple’s designers are getting away from highly detailed UI ornamentation — skeumorphism — and turning the focus more toward content,” deAgonia writes. “With that design minimalism in mind, all of the built-in apps in Mavericks — everything from Safari to Mail to FaceTime, Messages, Calendar and Notes — have adopted standard OS X interface elements, ditching of the leather/metal/paper backgrounds that users have grown accustomed to.”
deAgonia writes, “The move to less UI ornamentation isn’t a surprise, given Apple design chief Jony Ive’s penchant for minimalism when it comes to hardware (and he’s now in charge of software design). But Mavericks does offer some delights that users should appreciate.”
Read more in the full article here.