3d Interfaces for Leopard?

[MacRumors]

An Ars Technica blog entry claiming that one of Apple's secret Leopard features will be 3d user interfaces sparked a bit of discussion across the Mac web.

The article is self-described as "wild speculation" so no specific inside knowledge is claimed. The author imagines:

We've already seen the iPhone seamlessly zoom in, zoom out, and flip icons, windows, and screens. Think about what a real computer could do here. Cover flow and multi-party iChat video show a glimpse of what a 3D accelerated user interface could look like, with light sources, reflections, and more.

While this is based in speculation, we have heard rumors that much of Apple's new Finder interface will take advantage of the new technologies in Leopard -- specifically Core Animation. Apple is already promoting the use of Core Animation in building better user interfaces. From a WWDC 2007 session titled "Building Animated Cocoa User Interfaces":

Delight your users with dynamic, responsive user interfaces. In Leopard, standard AppKit NSViews can be rendered and animated using Core Animation. Learn how to combine familiar Cocoa controls, views, and event handling with the power of Core Animation layers to create stunning user interfaces.

Apple is already using Core Animation in Leopard's Time Machine and details about Core Animation's capabilities are listed on their site.

[markfc]

Sounds good!

Now lets speed this baby along so I can get my new MacBook!

[Barabas]

I've been waiting for this since the first Jurassic Park movie...

[nickane]

Originally Posted by Barabas

I've been waiting for this since the first Jurassic Park movie...

That's exactly what I thought of when I read the article, only I was thinking of how pointlessly clunky it would be. I seem to remember joking about that UI with a room full of Maya guys recently, when we were discussing that movie's VFX. Why would anybody want 3D icons when they're moving a 2D cursor around a 2D display?

[serpico]

Oh, great, more eye candy. How does this help me with improving my day to day tasks? Just bring out the new iPod already.

[zombitronic]

Anyone watch Cowboy Bebop? Ed's "swim-through" 3D web browser...how pointlessly cool would that be?

[Skrilla™]

Originally Posted by Barabas

I've been waiting for this since the first Jurassic Park movie...

you have been wasting your time then, its been out for ages:

http://www.sgi.com/fun/freeware/3d_navigator.html

[surferfromuk]

I am willing to be 'pleasantly surprised' but I don't see the kind of total revolution people are expecting to come in 10.5 unless somewhere Apple have their own Xerox Parc thing going on that we don't know about. Maybe an OSX 11 perhaps...but a 10.5 ?.

Fundamentally neither OSX or Windows have made a substantial paradigm shift from the researches done over 30 years ago, indeed I believe there are still research elements and ideologies that remain untapped even today.

That's not to say OSX hasn't substantially evolved into the most refined, efficient, fun and exquisite user interface available to the modern world today.

Quite clearly it has but that said the 3D window in Vista genuinely gives expose a run for it's money but is a one trick pony. I would certainly welcome a 'new approach' if it's truly as remarkable an invention as the 'fork' in a world that has hitherto only know finger eating. Multi-touch appears to hold all that promise for me.

I'd say 'this thing' your all imagining is more likely to come from a couple of hackers in a garage somewhere and right now they're too busy playing with their PS3's to get it finished!...then Apple will buy it and if it works use it. Steve, ( and Bill) for that matter aren't going to allow a 'couple of goofy upstarts' to queer their patch the way they did!!

Of course I would LOVE for Apple to do something genuinely radical but part of me wonders if Apple is simply too huge to make such 'revolutionary' departures anymore.

[dashiel]

Originally Posted by surferfromuk

I am willing to be 'pleasantly surprised' but I don't see the kind of total revolution people are expecting to come in 10.5 unless somewhere Apple have their own Xerox Parc thing going on that we don't know about. Maybe an OSX 11 perhaps...but a 10.5 ?.

it's so nice to see some people with realistic expectations.

[povman]

You crazy people, noone in their right mind would implement a GUI that looked like a first-person shooter. And, unless they invent a touchpad replacement for the mouse, I don't think they'll implement a multi-touch interface.

My vision for the new Finder is something akin to Quicksilver, but with a more mouse-friendly interface (for everyone else!). That would be so much better than the current finder, or any other file manager.

[SeVeN]

Originally Posted by Barabas

I've been waiting for this since the first Jurassic Park movie...

lmao

[SheriffParker]

I hope it makes Aero look like a socially challenged teenager from the early 90's.

[yagran]

mwhaha microsoft should have thought to emulate what leopard might be rather than copy tiger. haha. vista gets pwned again

[MacVault]

Originally Posted by yagran

mwhaha microsoft should have thought to emulate what leopard might be rather than copy tiger. haha. vista gets pwned again

But, unlike Mac OS X, at least Vista is out

[Skrilla™]

http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost...3&postcount=18 repost!

Originally Posted by yagran

mwhaha microsoft should have thought to emulate what leopard might be rather than copy tiger. haha. vista gets pwned again

and how did vista get pwned? you and everybody else here has no idea what (if any!) UI changes are coming in Leopard!

[CoreWeb]

Originally Posted by SheriffParker

I hope it makes Aero look like a socially challenged teenager from the early 90's.

Aero already looks like an immature... something. Actually, it seems to be Microsoft's philosophy overall; they seem to be into the "yeah, cool dude" style (Try to imagine someone saying it in a somewhat spaced-out and dumb manner). That style is quickly fading, in my opinion - it is too... immature, really.

Apple's style is more of a sophisticated, elegant, grown-up design. It seems more... mature, more proper. This style is in, I think.

Originally Posted by justflie

I'd say the new UI is a slam dunk. Here's why: The same black (or dark gray) and white color scheme is popping up not only in Leopard builds (ie Time Machine, Quick Look, DVD player), but also in some very prominent Mac software titles (Toast Titanium, some bits of Acrobat, as well as in CS3, and on the lesser side of things, VLC in full screen mode). Unless all of these important software makers are taking a shot in the dark and all just happened to come up with very similar themes, I think this is what we will see in Leopard.

Actually, VLC is open source. Toast is probably copied off of Apple's other programs. But yes, Apple is moving towards an iTunes-y look and feel. But here's what throws me off: the drop-down list box shown on the New York Time's web page on the iPhone is styled differently to any Apple UI style I've ever seen.

[yagran]

Originally Posted by CoreWeb

the drop-down list box shown on the New York Time's web page on the iPhone is styled differently to any Apple UI style I've ever seen.

could u gimme a link to this?

[justflie]

Originally Posted by CoreWeb

the drop-down list box shown on the New York Time's web page on the iPhone is styled differently to any Apple UI style I've ever seen.

Interesting. I just ran through the nytimes quickly but didn't see anything. Do you have a link? Now you have me curious!

[louden]

Originally Posted by CoreWeb

Aero already looks like an immature... something. Actually, it seems to be Microsoft's philosophy overall; they seem to be into the "yeah, cool dude" style (Try to imagine someone saying it in a somewhat spaced-out and dumb manner). That style is quickly fading, in my opinion - it is too... immature, really.

I agree, Aero looks cool, but isn't extremely useful. However, aero is just as theme - the fact that 3D graphics are built into Windows is the important thing. Check out wikipedia for more information.

To me, Vista (however slow it is) is a step towards revamping the UI. The important thing is, it will be easy to change as people think of creative ways to exploit 3D. I'm sure a year from now there'll be really cool things you can do with either Apple or MS's 3D interface and I'm sure there will be all sorts of copying going on.

As always - I love the mac for what it does well, and I love the PC for what it does well. I'm a pacifist in the OS wars...

[Arcady]

Originally Posted by Gumpy

I've always wondered how he customized his login interface like that on Unix in 1993.

Because it was a Macintosh Quadra 700 running System 7.

[twoodcc]

Originally Posted by markfc

Sounds good!

Now lets speed this baby along so I can get my new MacBook!

that's what i'm saying......this sounds great! now i just can't wait for it!

[sionharris]

"whatever vista can do, we will do better"

[johnee]

do you think a feature like this would be better suited for mac osx 11.0? Or would this be a response/reaction to vista?

speaking of which....
when do we expect osx 11.0 ?

[nickane]

Originally Posted by johnee

do you think a feature like this would be better suited for mac osx 11.0? Or would this be a response/reaction to vista?

speaking of which....
when do we expect osx 11.0 ?

Exactly. This won't be quite the overhaul ppl are making out. The 10.x releases have been fairly incremental despite all the hullaballoo they generate on MR. Leopard will probably be more substantial, because Vista finally poses a long-expected threat, but not by much. Its only been 2 years since Tiger came out, where as MS had almost 7 years since XP to pilfer 3-4 OSX releases worth of ideas.

But 11.0 can't be that far away: we're running out of cat names.

[dmw007]

Originally Posted by nickane

But 11.0 can't be that far away: we're running out of cat names.

What do you mean, there are still a couple left.