Aqua To See Leopard Refresh?

[Hobofuzz]

I'm excited about this news but a little scared also.
I think mac os' GUI was at its best in panther and it has gone all over the place with a lot of wrong choices (mostly iTunes)

Coincidentally, I went into the macheist site (advertised here in macrumors) and saw details about the Disco CD burning app.
"everything encompassed in a stylish, custom window that might offer an early peek at where Apple may take OS X's UI"

The app looks great http://discoapp.com/
if they make mac os look like this I'll be relieved and happy (so long as it's unified, maybe nothing is more important than this)

Disco is crap. Just use it for a few minutes and you'll absolutely HATE its UI. It uses transparency where transparency is not needed (Think 10.0 transparent title bars, except it's the whole freakin' app minus the title bar this time)

I hope to God/Buddha/Satan/Vishnu/Jeebu/Etc. Apple doesn't go that route.

 

[benbow]

the new black

Lately I have been running virtual Windows XP on an auxillary 23" monitor next to my new iMac. I was fiddling with Windows appearance and finally discovered an all black background to go behind "classic motif" windows. Suddenly, the XP visual experience did not look so dorky.

I thought I could find a similar almost glossy black background for the iMac but no such luck. I'd have to create a all-black image and import it to get the same effect. I'm for ditching all the obnoxious hot color patterns or stale scene backgrounds plus the goofy screen savers and adopting this "depths of empty space" motif. Maybe the Vista and Leopard GUI designers are heading in this direction.

 

[shrimpdesign]

For those of you who want a black GUI before Apple does or doesn't make one ...

http://www.macthemesforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=16777342

 

[Superdrive]

from their site:

“Apple continues to gloss over the interface, refining it even more and there is an overly presence of black gloss.”

An overly presence?? Thats not even english.

I could maybe see a black theme for the menubar and menus, with all the aluminium stuff left as-is. Like another theme, like the rest of the black/white thing apple has going on. I dont think it'll be a radical redesign though.

like this....
snip

That looks about right, but I would imagine a complementary desktop in the blues or greens. I'm up for options when it comes to this next UI. Just in case one sucks, give us that "classic" look.

 

[Diatribe]

for people who are speculating as to it's looks, here's the obvious answer:

Wooh, how did you get CoverFlow to be in a separate window?

 

[grahamtearne]

Wooh, how did you get CoverFlow to be in a separate window?

before itunes 7 coverflow was a seperate app. this was bought by apple and implemted into itunes 7.

http://www.steelskies.com/coverflow/

 

[Diatribe]

It does like look a matte background for a Star Trek episode, but I like the sense of space and time it gives. I like the image.

I'd would have loved the animation of the millennium falcon from star wars when they go into hyperspace...

 

[Diatribe]

before itunes 7 coverflow was a seperate app. this was bought by apple and implemted into itunes 7.

http://www.steelskies.com/coverflow/

Now that you say that, it really looks like the old coverflow. On first glance I thought it to be the iTunes one and I'd really like that in a separate window.
Or at least in FrontRow. Please Apple put coverflow in FrontRow.

 

[Evangelion]

First thing I was reminded of when I read "black glossy look" was the fullscreen-UI in iPhoto and in various Apple pro-apps, not Vista.

 

[reflex]

I wouldn't mind a few more options for the UI than blue and graphite. And I have to say I like the black in Vista.

 

[slackpacker]

Disco is crap. Just use it for a few minutes and you'll absolutely HATE its UI. It uses transparency where transparency is not needed (Think 10.0 transparent title bars, except it's the whole freakin' app minus the title bar this time)

I hope to God/Buddha/Satan/Vishnu/Jeebu/Etc. Apple doesn't go that route.

Like everything you can turn it off. Disco works pretty good... I don't know why you are being so harsh? Its still beta ya know.

 

[Evangelion]

"Illuminous" is like "irregardless" -- not a word!

Yes it is! it means "Without lack of regard"!

 

[Evangelion]

god. apple's decision to make major os updates as dot-releases has to be one of their worst marketing moves ever. so many people spread FUD about this, even from with the mac community it's not even funny.

10.1 was the only true dot release in X's history. 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5 are the equivalent of 7, 8, 8.5 and 9. they are major releases.

I see no problems with Apple's policy regarding updates. They seem to be consistent with other major projects. 10.x all retained the same look and feel (with some tweaks to the UI), bundled apps were updated to new versions, and new features were introduced. They also retained binary-compatibility. Take a look at different versions of OS X. While there are differences between versions, they are all clearly very closely related to each other. That makes it sensible to call all of them "OS X". I see no reason why Apple should have released OS11, OS12, OS13 and so forth, as opposed to 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4. If anything, this helps Apple to build a solid brand for the OS.

 

[cwedl]

Regardless of any interface change, I'm looking forward to the release, Macworld 2007 and anything else Apple releases, whilst I Have become more rational about what I buy I always like what Apple brings out.

 

[sparksinspace]

how about allowing the menu bar to attach to the app window?

[attn, possible flame bait]
all this glossy aqua illuminous aero stuff is just at the surface.... what about giving us something useful - like the option to have the Menu Bar attached to its application window? I find it anoying having to move the mouse across acres of other windows and desktop to go to the menu bar. it was appropriate in Lisa and original Mac days with their tiny screens but not when large screens are the norm. why not allow the user to choose?
[flame bait off]

 

[SpaceJello]

Am I the only one that doesn't like Aqua as much? The big chunky traffic light buttons, the lovely grey pinstrips, the bad looking brush metal, the schizophrenic dock icons (i wish they matches more. Have you seen the new time machine icon? it looks absolutely out of place)...etc

The worst I must say is the Spaces icon. Its ugly.

The times I install new OSX, I quickly install shapeshifter right after to rid the brushmetal. Even the unified look is getting boring. I do love how final cut/pro apps look. I seriously wish apple would move towards that look for the whole UI experience. When ever I use final cut, and switch to finder at the same time I feel like I am going back to kindergarden with bright bulky shapes.

With that said, I would love a black or a dark grey version of aqua and by that I don't just mean having the buttons change color or a glossy vista black. If you look at the leopard previews on safari's dashboard ability, its a totally different icon from the rest. It is a black button (a bit too glossy I say) but nonetheless, beauitful. I am sure at the end either that button is going to be like other safari buttons or the whole safari will change to fit that button.

 

[SpaceJello]

[attn, possible flame bait]
all this glossy aqua illuminous aero stuff is just at the surface.... what about giving us something useful - like the option to have the Menu Bar attached to its application window? I find it anoying having to move the mouse across acres of other windows and desktop to go to the menu bar. it was appropriate in Lisa and original Mac days with their tiny screens but not when large screens are the norm. why not allow the user to choose?
[flame bait off]

Have you ever opened photoshop when you have a lot windows or other things already opened? It's horrendous trying to find your palettes, tools and files because each of them is a different window.

 

[iMeowbot]

The app looks great http://discoapp.com/
if they make mac os look like this I'll be relieved and happy (so long as it's unified, maybe nothing is more important than this)

Yep. Every time I find myself at the shell using some überdorky sed command I wish I could have forgotten 20 years ago to rename a batch of files because the Finder isn't smart enough, I mutter to myself "gosh, this would all be so much better if the windows only emitted smoke."

Like everything you can turn it off. Disco works pretty good... I don't know why you are being so harsh? Its still beta ya know.

I'm not sure that use of the word "beta" is a legitimate excuse when it's accompanied by:

 

[Nym]

You're all ungrateful IMO Apple has given us the best GUI so far and everyone just disses Aqua. I love it, I installed shapeshifter and there's not a single theme that I saw (and applied) that actually looks as good, solid and coherent as the Default OSX Aqua. The only Hack I installed was UNO, and that was all I wanted, I didn't like the brushed metal at all..

I think we're all used to the best, so it's easy to say bad things about it, take for example some posts above, a user complaining about OSX icons (especially the Time Machine one) and you can see what I'm talking about, turn on a PC and look at the Windoze Icons (even in Vista) they're nowhere as crystal clear as Mac OSX ones, why are we complaining after all? Is there any doubt that OSX Aqua beats any other mainstream GUI available?
I guess Apple could improve the GUI in Leopard, but a black one? geez, that is the opposite of what they want to do IMO. Clear, Clean, Smooth, doesn't decribe black to me...
And whatsup with having the title bars on top of every window? that would look awful, it's one of the things that make me look to my Mac and think, "I'm glad there's an alternative to Windows".
Anyway, I trust Apple's designers, whatever they come up with will be top notch, and we all should know that by now, have a little faith and use UNO while Leopard isn't here

FWIW - I LOVEEEE MY BUBBLE/GEL/CANDY GUI! WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE TURDS INSTEAD?
Sorry....Just got a little nervous for you all flaming the Aqua GUI, have some respect for the poor baby, he loves you all!

 

[Panu]

Illuminous?

I have a Dell and an iMac across from each other in the same room. I'm running Tiger on the iMac, and the final version of Vista Ultimate on the Dell (I was a beta tester). The graphics card on the Dell lets me see the Aero interface. Next to XP's Playskool interface, Tiger looked professional, but next to Vista's photographic interface, I think most people would rightly or wrongly find it a tad cartoonish.

Before you fling that tomato, let me tell you I have already gotten a blue screen in Vista when I tried to install--not use--a driver that turned out to be incompatible.

I have been hoping that Apple would tweak the Aqua interface. I'm sure that whatever they do will be better and more professional looking that what Microsoft has come up with. I'm sure they already have Vista. It shouldn't be hard for them to outdo it.

So no fear. Leopard's interface, assuming it changes, will be better than Vista.

 

[fraggle]

I would hate to see "Aqua" go. If they do change the UI theme, at least make it a choice for the user.

Historically Apple is not very good at giving users choice. Normally they (=Steve) decide what is best for the user...

 

[Mainyehc]

[attn, possible flame bait]
all this glossy aqua illuminous aero stuff is just at the surface.... what about giving us something useful - like the option to have the Menu Bar attached to its application window? I find it anoying having to move the mouse across acres of other windows and desktop to go to the menu bar. it was appropriate in Lisa and original Mac days with their tiny screens but not when large screens are the norm. why not allow the user to choose?
[flame bait off]

Not to flame you, but if you want to have menu bars attached to windows, why don't you stick up with Windows instead?

Apple has had the menu bar at the top, detached from the app window, since the Lisa and the Mac System 1, for two reasons: to save screen space, and to take advantage of Fitt's Law... Unless you work with a 60'' screen or something along those lines, you'll still be better off with Fitt's Law for the menu bar... Windows only takes advantage of it on the Start button, and on the close button and the app icon menu on maximized windows...

 

[kalisphoenix]

Am I the only one that doesn't like Aqua as much? The big chunky traffic light buttons, the lovely grey pinstrips, the bad looking brush metal, the schizophrenic dock icons (i wish they matches more. Have you seen the new time machine icon? it looks absolutely out of place)...etc

"big chunky traffic light buttons"? They're considerably smaller than the mouse cursor.

Maybe it's just me, but I spend way more time looking at text entry fields than I do looking at scrollbars and comparing dock icons. I spend more time bitching about iTunes 7's seeming inability to properly order album tracks than complaining about the new scrollbars, and I certainly spend more time wishing Front Row would play VIDEO_TS folders than I do staring at the traffic light buttons.

Apple needs to renew their attack on goals like stability, power, and versatility. Apple's really good at making something 90% great and then leaving off the last 10%, even though it's no more difficult to implement (and, in certain cases *cough* Front Row *cough* they actually explicitly remove functionality the apps already have).

 

[aLoC]

Has the music on the Time Machine video changed? I swear it was different when it first came out...

 

[lorductape]

Wooh, how did you get CoverFlow to be in a separate window?

no idea. picture from google. cool though, I'll see if I can figure it out