Am i the only one that hates the new UI

[Kadman]

There is no touchscreen TV (what a ridiculous notion!) that's rumored. But I agree: just like Lion, the new ATV UI is an esthetic and functional step backwards. Sadly, as the months and years of the post-Steve era pass by, the Apple stuff we have will steadily diverge from the Apple stuff we liked. His ethos is gone, and Apple's feel is now in the hands of an operations guy. When Jony Ive leaves, it'll all be over.

There have been numerous rumors of a touchscreen TV (mildly ridiculous that any MR member hasn't seen them). However, I agree that it's backwards movement. The new interface is several steps BEHIND the ROKU, which I find to be very functional, but not very clever in the way of design.

 

[SilAlk]

I must agree -- overall it doesn't seem geared to large-format TVs; pretty ugly.

Netflix is so horrid on ATV vs PS3 -- maybe those two teams need to be fired!

 

[patsfan83]

Everyone was clamoring for apps, and now you get an app interface and you hate it.

So if/when Apple TV is opened up to apps, and you have 30 different apps, you want to scroll a text list like the previous UI?

I think the interface works, I just think the colors are too much and standout. The highlight border could be better. Ability to rearrange/hide apps would be nice. The option to resize the apps would be even better. They have to be big for people with smaller TVs.

 

[Wrathwitch]

LOL!! Apparently Steve Jobs did not like the UI, and threw it on the cutting floor 5 years ago.

After reading a majority of the comments here, it seems he was correct once again!!

 

[fpnc]

LOL!! Apparently Steve Jobs did not like the UI, and threw it on the cutting floor 5 years ago.

After reading a majority of the comments here, it seems he was correct once again!!

Well, Steve Jobs also said that the "OS wars are over and Microsoft has won" and in reference to the Macintosh that Apple should just move on to the next thing. He was obviously correct about the domination of MS Windows but that wasn't in dispute by anyone, but do you really think Apple should have dropped the Macintosh -- like nearly fifteen years ago which was about the time that Steve made the above comments?

As for the new Apple TV UI, I can't say I'm a fan based upon what I've seen in demos, so I haven't yet updated.

 

[BeachChair]

I don't hate the new one, I'm kind of indifferent towards it.. The old one wasn't that great neither in my opinion. I think both XBMC and Plex have done better media center UI's.

But, the new app-centric UI is clearly a sign that they are getting ready for apps, which I am very excited about.
I'm wondering if they are saving the big Apple TV App Store announcement for the actual Apple TV Television announcement.

 

[WebHead]

Well, Steve Jobs also said that the "OS wars are over and Microsoft has won" and in reference to the Macintosh that Apple should just move on to the next thing. He was obviously correct about the domination of MS Windows but that wasn't in dispute by anyone, but do you really think Apple should have dropped the Macintosh -- like nearly fifteen years ago which was about the time that Steve made the above comments?

Steve never intended dropping the Macintosh - he wanted to "milk the customer base for all it was worth" while moving on to the next big thing.

He also said for Apple to win, Microsoft didn't have to lose. Happily MS is losing anyway!

 

[fpnc]

Steve never intended dropping the Macintosh - he wanted to "milk the customer base for all it was worth" while moving on to the next big thing.

He also said for Apple to win, Microsoft didn't have to lose. Happily MS is losing anyway!

Yes, those are a reasonable summary of his comments. However, fifteen years ago Steve was obviously discounting and disrespecting the Macintosh market which is hardly reflective of what happened once he returned to Apple as CEO (at least until the success of the iPod from 2002 and later). Without Steve Jobs we wouldn't have the Apple of today, but he certainly wasn't the source of all of Apple's success (meaning that he made mistakes and like all of us could be "wrong" now and then).

If I had to characterize Steve Jobs' impact on Apple I'd say that he most often knew a good thing when he saw it and because of that and given his control over the company that meant that many good ideas flourished under his leadership. Simply put, he had good taste and he had the power to put that good taste to work within Apple.

 

[MacDaddy68]

How about this?

I started a new thread about it here in case anyone wants to add their own shot at designing a new version for themselves.

 

[Che Castro]

Image

I started a new thread about it here in case anyone wants to add their own shot at designing a new version for themselves.

I just want the old layout back

Not any icons

 

[Tharpa]

Apple is Zen not Baroque

I just want the old layout back

Not any icons

Me too. The new interface is clearly going too much in the direction of Barocco (Baroque) but Steve was all Zen! Apple needs somebody able to say strong NO to coming BS designs. Who is it going to be?

 

[ljonesj]

or even a choice old or new ui in settings

 

[steve-p]

Everyone was clamoring for apps, and now you get an app interface and you hate it.

So if/when Apple TV is opened up to apps, and you have 30 different apps, you want to scroll a text list like the previous UI?

We haven't got apps yet though, and it's not a cast iron certainty they will appear either.

There are two possible reasons for introducing the change. One reason is because apps are expected sometime between now and the next iteration of iOS. The other reason is just for the sake of it, so it looks like an iDevice even if it's not one and can't be interacted with in the same way anyway. At this point, no one knows which of those two reasons is correct.

Even if apps do appear in the next few months, some would say better to enable the new UI at that point, rather than with no obvious user benefit right now, which seems like a marketing decision.

 

[steve-p]

There have been numerous rumors of a touchscreen TV (mildly ridiculous that any MR member hasn't seen them). However, I agree that it's backwards movement. The new interface is several steps BEHIND the ROKU, which I find to be very functional, but not very clever in the way of design.

I don't remember seeing any rumours of a touchscreen TV either, but that might be because it's so implausible it could have no credibility. No one is going to make a touchscreen TV. It's bad enough cleaning an iPad screen, never mind having fingerprints all over a huge piece of glass. In addition, it makes no sense from a usability point of view to make the user have physical contact with a viewing screen designed for using at a distance. Especially when an iPhone or iPad could be used to control it via wifi instead, or just mirrored with AirPlay.

 

[heyjp]

I have a difficult time differentiating which app is highlights with the thin blue line around it.

Boy isn't that the truth. First time I turned it on, it defaults to a thin blue light around the blue Movies icon. I couldn't see it AT ALL.

That seems so obvious. Hard to believe the engineering team let it out.


JP

 

[sulliweb]

Eh, the whole thing is growing on me I suppose. I thought it looked a little cartoonish when I first updated, but it really doesn't seem all that bad.

On the plus side, when I start out at movies, all I have to do to get to Netflix is hit down...

My main complaint is the separation of local content from streaming content... We have a purchased section, right... Just change that to view section... Think of the Music interface on the iPhone now. Everything is listed when iTunes Match is turned on. Stuff that is local plays locally, stuff that isn't local has the iCloud icon. It starts downloading it when you hit play, but it's all right there.

Tiles, icons, text, whatever... Once you get past the front screen, it's all the same as it used to be anyways. I want an update of the actual way it all interacts.

 

[Aidoneus]

The new UI is great.

 

[Che Castro]

The new UI is great.

 

[WebHead]

Hard to know if there'll be apps or if Apple will push iPad + AirPlay mirroring ...

 

[Fissure]

It's very apparant the new UI is a precursor to Apps. So while it looks overly simple and toyish it's probably because all those baby looking icons will be just like the baby looking icons on our iPhone and iPad, APPS. Apps are coming!

 

[whitby]

Interesting debate.

Comments seem to center around the following:

1. Horrible, give me back the old one.
2. It is fine.
3. It will grow on you.
4. What's the problem?

Me, I stick with my original comments. It is hideous. The icons are child like, they are poorly formatted (crude nasty things), difficult to tell if they are selected (my poor old 65" 1080p Plasma has difficulty with everything except these icons or not) and the interface is just plain nasty to me (that, I admit is very judgmental). But if this is the way Apple are going they are going to loose me pretty quickly.

I am an old Unix guy who loves, or used to love, where Apple were going with OS X and iOS. My first looks at Mountain Lion have me writhing in my sleep. Still being this old, i am totally ignored as I am not in the right demographic group (funny I have spent the better part of $30K on their stuff in the last 5 years). So I guess what I have to say is irrelevant. However, if this is the way Apple is going, then Apple is destined to die the sort of slow horrible death that Microsoft is going through (and Microsoft is dying, I work in the software industry and their products are getting worse by the day/minute/month/year whatever).

Let's hope forums like this wake them up (however reading Steve Jobs Biography does not give me much hope). Farewell, I knew thee well Apple (or something like that anyway).

 

[elmo151]

takes some getting used to but it's fin

better than boxxee

 

[grumpycompuprof]

I like the expression Fisher Price design. The interface is horrible. The icons are too large and the indicator for the active selection too non-indicative. I understand progress, but let's go then and please not punish the users with this mess.

 

[urkel]

Personally, I really don't like apples trend toward Icon View for everything. It just looks so cluttered and having them all compete for your attention is sensory overload. ESPECIALLY if you know what it is you are looking for.

 

[From A Buick 8]

First urkel check your mail dude.

Second i hate the new ui, if they are bringing apps just give them a menu heading, but keep the old ui.