I use graphite, and I still see jelly bean scroll bars and jelly bean buttons everywhere.
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Leopard UI - Any news on changes?
- Thread starter Skrilla
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I use graphite, and I still see jelly bean scroll bars and jelly bean buttons everywhere.
Its a mac not a sweet shop. I dont want jelly beans. I tried the graphite but then theblue apple and the spotlight thing goes grey and its a bit dull. my favorite part of itunes7 is the black strip that comes up on the playlist bit, and then you click the library and it goes grey. Brilliant, pure class.
Why not purchase Shapeshifter then? It's only $20 and use a theme from http://www.macthemesforums.net/ that surely has to have one to your liking. There are plenty of Aqua mods kicking about.
Rumours and suspicions abound with regard to the secret functionality that Apple has held back from public announcement in relation to it’s forthcoming release of OSX 10.5 Leopard.
Steve Job’s mocked at WWDC ’06 that the reason some details were held back from public announcement was to prevent the competition, aka Microsoft, from being able to copy these secrets into what was, at the time, the impending finalisation of Windows Vista. I do love that line “Redmond, start your photocopiers.” though.
So why didn’t Steve announce the complete functionality of OS X 10.5 at WWDC - was it really to stop Microsoft copying some “new and you beaut” technology in the weeks between WWDC and Windows Vista RTM version? Of course not. We all know that was just some PR.
Could it have been because Apple was unsure whether the secret bits would not be finished in time to meet the release deadlines? Possibly, but I don’t think so - and I’ll explain why later. So we’ve just about ruled out competitive pressures and product feature completion as the reasons behind Apple not announcing the full functionality of OS X 10.5 Leopard.
And then along comes the iPhone announcement at Macworld. But! At MacWorld there was hardly a mention of Mac’s by Apple nor of OS X 10.5 Leopard. Apple, Steve, was conspicuously silent on both subjects except a brief mention that the transition to Intel had been completed ahead of schedule. That was it.
And where are we, as Apple product consumers, now (late March ‘07)? We still know nothing further of the secret features of OS X 10.5 Leopard, and a variety of forecasters are suggesting that all Mac models are overdue for upgrades.
Furthermore, iLife ’07 and iWork ’07 are due - and again not a word exists in the aether as to their release dates or possible functionality - save the spreadsheet and, less likely, database rumours. So why hasn’t Apple announced any of its secrets? Vista’s been released so what the heck!
There must be a legitimate and cogent business rationale for not disclosing what it is about OS X 10.5 Leopard that is so secret that announcing it early would create unrealistic expectations in the market that will not be met, or that announcing the full functionality would have harmed income and profit between the time of announcement and the time of release to market.
My vivid belief is that Apple has held back on all, but some innocuous, functionality announcements regarding OS X 10.5 Leopard for fear of creating such an expectation, anticipation and demand for an unreleased product that income and profit would suffer significantly between the period from the announcement to the release.
OS X 10.5 Leopard will introduce, in my opinion, a revolutionary user interface on a new line of Mac hardware models that will not require, but can use, a keyboard and a mouse. For support of this “guess” have a look at the way OS X has been implemented on the iPhone. Also have a look at Jeff Han’s presentation on revolutionary computer - human interfaces. The similarities are striking - and relevant.
I intentionally used the words “revolutionary UI” in the above paragraph. That is exactly what Steve Job’s said about OS X on the iPhone. Why would this sort of interface be made available by Apple ONLY on the iPhone. Why not capitalise on this multiple-touch sensitive screen on all Apple models with a screen.
Of course this type of human-computer interface cannot be tested on anything but a computer with a touch sensitive screen in the vein of the iPhone or the screen technology used by Jeff Han in his presentation. Hence all developer seeds of OS X 10.5 do not include this revolutionary UI. It can’t be used by them, why include it.
Steve even alluded to this in the iPhone Keynote - saying that Apple had tried a variety of technologies before settling on the one implemented in the iPhone. Why would Apple amortise the cost of such research only on the iPhone?
A simple look at the facets Apple has included in OS X 10.5 are pointers:
If my guesses above are anywhere near the truth, then it follows that if Apple had announced this revolutionary UI at WWDC ’06, or anytime before product release, sales of Mac hardware would have fallen off significantly while consumers waited for OS X 10.5 Leopard to be finalised and released. An announcement of this kind would have dramatically affected the transition to Intel, and also the conversion of many Windows users to Mac / OS X users.
A couple of other rumours are germaine:
Apple is a company in business. They do things for business and not emotive reasons. An announcement of such functionality in OS X 10.5 Leopard, or a major hardware model change (multiple-touch sensitive screens) would have impacted its bottom line significantly and weakened dramatically the impact of the Intel transition, and consequent switchers from Windows to OS X.
Oh, and I think that Steve didn't mention OS X, Macs or iLife / iWork at Macworld for 2 reasons:
So, thats it for me this autumn afternoon on the patio … time for another cold beer.
Steve Job’s mocked at WWDC ’06 that the reason some details were held back from public announcement was to prevent the competition, aka Microsoft, from being able to copy these secrets into what was, at the time, the impending finalisation of Windows Vista. I do love that line “Redmond, start your photocopiers.” though.
So why didn’t Steve announce the complete functionality of OS X 10.5 at WWDC - was it really to stop Microsoft copying some “new and you beaut” technology in the weeks between WWDC and Windows Vista RTM version? Of course not. We all know that was just some PR.
Could it have been because Apple was unsure whether the secret bits would not be finished in time to meet the release deadlines? Possibly, but I don’t think so - and I’ll explain why later. So we’ve just about ruled out competitive pressures and product feature completion as the reasons behind Apple not announcing the full functionality of OS X 10.5 Leopard.
And then along comes the iPhone announcement at Macworld. But! At MacWorld there was hardly a mention of Mac’s by Apple nor of OS X 10.5 Leopard. Apple, Steve, was conspicuously silent on both subjects except a brief mention that the transition to Intel had been completed ahead of schedule. That was it.
And where are we, as Apple product consumers, now (late March ‘07)? We still know nothing further of the secret features of OS X 10.5 Leopard, and a variety of forecasters are suggesting that all Mac models are overdue for upgrades.
Furthermore, iLife ’07 and iWork ’07 are due - and again not a word exists in the aether as to their release dates or possible functionality - save the spreadsheet and, less likely, database rumours. So why hasn’t Apple announced any of its secrets? Vista’s been released so what the heck!
There must be a legitimate and cogent business rationale for not disclosing what it is about OS X 10.5 Leopard that is so secret that announcing it early would create unrealistic expectations in the market that will not be met, or that announcing the full functionality would have harmed income and profit between the time of announcement and the time of release to market.
My vivid belief is that Apple has held back on all, but some innocuous, functionality announcements regarding OS X 10.5 Leopard for fear of creating such an expectation, anticipation and demand for an unreleased product that income and profit would suffer significantly between the period from the announcement to the release.
OS X 10.5 Leopard will introduce, in my opinion, a revolutionary user interface on a new line of Mac hardware models that will not require, but can use, a keyboard and a mouse. For support of this “guess” have a look at the way OS X has been implemented on the iPhone. Also have a look at Jeff Han’s presentation on revolutionary computer - human interfaces. The similarities are striking - and relevant.
I intentionally used the words “revolutionary UI” in the above paragraph. That is exactly what Steve Job’s said about OS X on the iPhone. Why would this sort of interface be made available by Apple ONLY on the iPhone. Why not capitalise on this multiple-touch sensitive screen on all Apple models with a screen.
Of course this type of human-computer interface cannot be tested on anything but a computer with a touch sensitive screen in the vein of the iPhone or the screen technology used by Jeff Han in his presentation. Hence all developer seeds of OS X 10.5 do not include this revolutionary UI. It can’t be used by them, why include it.
Steve even alluded to this in the iPhone Keynote - saying that Apple had tried a variety of technologies before settling on the one implemented in the iPhone. Why would Apple amortise the cost of such research only on the iPhone?
A simple look at the facets Apple has included in OS X 10.5 are pointers:
- Core Animation
- Resolution Independence
- Garbage Collection
- XCode 3.0 (not released because to do so would give away the UI)
- iMacs, Macbooks and Macbook Pros are all due for upgrades - if you are one who subscribes to a time based model for hardware upgrades.
If my guesses above are anywhere near the truth, then it follows that if Apple had announced this revolutionary UI at WWDC ’06, or anytime before product release, sales of Mac hardware would have fallen off significantly while consumers waited for OS X 10.5 Leopard to be finalised and released. An announcement of this kind would have dramatically affected the transition to Intel, and also the conversion of many Windows users to Mac / OS X users.
A couple of other rumours are germaine:
- Apple building a tablet PC. Well this is close to the mark but not quite on the money.
- OS X 10.5 Leopard is a 3D operating system (well Finder). Again this is close to but not quite the whole story.
Apple is a company in business. They do things for business and not emotive reasons. An announcement of such functionality in OS X 10.5 Leopard, or a major hardware model change (multiple-touch sensitive screens) would have impacted its bottom line significantly and weakened dramatically the impact of the Intel transition, and consequent switchers from Windows to OS X.
Oh, and I think that Steve didn't mention OS X, Macs or iLife / iWork at Macworld for 2 reasons:
- Apple didn't want to steal any thunder away from the iPhone - fair enough; and
- Apple didn't want to draw any attention to the feature set in OS X and, possibly, iLife and iWork '07, and they certainly didn't want to defer sales of new Macs if they announced touch screen technology was planned.
So, thats it for me this autumn afternoon on the patio … time for another cold beer.
I enjoyed the read, and I am one who enjoys this somewhat romantic view of the future, but I have a few problems with it:
1- When the mac is gaining market-share everyday, and is more importantly more and more common among PC users, be they Windows or Mac-ists, why would Apple make such a drastic change that could easily frighten the masses?
2- Additionally, this doesn't explain the delay on the Mac Pro... I suspect that the old pros don't love change... they don't really want a 3D interface that is more intuitive, they want what works.
Just my thoughts though...
1- When the mac is gaining market-share everyday, and is more importantly more and more common among PC users, be they Windows or Mac-ists, why would Apple make such a drastic change that could easily frighten the masses?
2- Additionally, this doesn't explain the delay on the Mac Pro... I suspect that the old pros don't love change... they don't really want a 3D interface that is more intuitive, they want what works.
Just my thoughts though...
No worries mate .... my thinking is that multi-touch screen functionality is not a mandatory ... but is included as something you can use if you choose to. However, to enable it, then Mac displays have to have the technology / firmware added.
Mouses and keyboards and other input devices will still work.
You have to think of Apples revolutionary changes in the world in a "re-inventing the wheel" kinda attitude. Apple doesn't take something and drastically transform it into something that is so new it's scary. No, Apple revises ideas that have not found the mainstream market yet due to poor predecessor designs.
So with 10.5 Apple is not going to be going THREE-DEE or any crap like that. It will be an evolution of what we already love and know. I mean c'mon, it was only 5-6 years ago that all Mac users had to semi-relearn the Mac OS as is.
Leopard Mac OS X is going to be super-mega-great in that "oh, this is familiar" sort of way.
So with 10.5 Apple is not going to be going THREE-DEE or any crap like that. It will be an evolution of what we already love and know. I mean c'mon, it was only 5-6 years ago that all Mac users had to semi-relearn the Mac OS as is.
Leopard Mac OS X is going to be super-mega-great in that "oh, this is familiar" sort of way.
Yeah, MacPomme, nicely reasoned. I wish you were right. Unfortunately, it's often happened in the past that I'd hype myself into a frenzy, only to be way let down by what comes out of Apple 
I remember when Tiger was coming out how they raved about how it's gonna be a revolution with how apps are developed blah, blah, blah. Well, big fat zero... anybody notice a revolution in app development since Panther? Right. Now again they are raving about the exact same revolution in app development post Leopard - fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. They've cried wolf way too often.
I mean, from what we've seen so far, Leopard doesn't impress me at all (ok, Spaces is cool). I really, really, REALLY hope they pull something out that's just gonna blow us away.
I just have this sinking feeling that the Finder is not gonna get fixed even though it needs to desperately, the UI will get no refresh though it's pretty doggone tired... sure, Vista UI is not everyone's taste, but it certainly seems fresh and people out there are excited by all the eye candy (rightly or wrongly)... meanwhile OS X is starting to fray at the edges and look a bit dated and drab like a couch on which a urine-soaked bum has been lying for way too long.
So, hope you are right. Hard for me to muster excitement, as I fear disappointment.
I remember when Tiger was coming out how they raved about how it's gonna be a revolution with how apps are developed blah, blah, blah. Well, big fat zero... anybody notice a revolution in app development since Panther? Right. Now again they are raving about the exact same revolution in app development post Leopard - fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. They've cried wolf way too often.
I mean, from what we've seen so far, Leopard doesn't impress me at all (ok, Spaces is cool). I really, really, REALLY hope they pull something out that's just gonna blow us away.
I just have this sinking feeling that the Finder is not gonna get fixed even though it needs to desperately, the UI will get no refresh though it's pretty doggone tired... sure, Vista UI is not everyone's taste, but it certainly seems fresh and people out there are excited by all the eye candy (rightly or wrongly)... meanwhile OS X is starting to fray at the edges and look a bit dated and drab like a couch on which a urine-soaked bum has been lying for way too long.
So, hope you are right. Hard for me to muster excitement, as I fear disappointment.
I still don't get people's humongous problem with the Finder? I mean, really what is wrong with it that it requires this much gripe?
And OldCorpse you said it "You hype yourself into a frenzy only to be let down". That happens so much with Mac users and soon to be updates from Apple that its very predictable now. Although I think the iPhone did a great job at not letting that happen.
Again. 10.5 will be awesome for being what it will be.
And OldCorpse you said it "You hype yourself into a frenzy only to be let down". That happens so much with Mac users and soon to be updates from Apple that its very predictable now. Although I think the iPhone did a great job at not letting that happen.
Again. 10.5 will be awesome for being what it will be.
Yeah, MacPomme, nicely reasoned. I wish you were right. Unfortunately, it's often happened in the past that I'd hype myself into a frenzy, only to be way let down by what comes out of Apple
So, hope you are right. Hard for me to muster excitement, as I fear disappointment.
Remember that the iPhone's implementation of OS X has the features I am opining about. Keep heart - trust yourself. All that has to happen for this to be real is a skin on screens and some firmware.
Do you guys really think Apple would be holding back on OS X 10.5 for some Shapeshifter type theming changes. If I were the Product Manager and Marketing were suggesting this sort of strategy (holding back on such a trivial feature), I'd have their guts for garters ... or make them sit in front of Donald Trump in his 'Apprentice' Boardroom .... lol
I'm sure others could explain it better than me, but one of my Finder problems is that it doesn't display file sizes correctly. Files are moved and even trashed, yet the folders they were in don't update the file size dynamically. Download a large number of files, and then say the downloads are stopped. You'd think you could check to see which files were complete by their size - but you can't, because the Finder reports all the files at the full size they would be if they had finished downloading.
And, I suspect, that's just ONE of many Finder problems...
Not only does it look rubbish to use, but IMO it visually looks pretty poor too...
Yep. I cringe at 99.9% of ShapeShifter themes. Makes you realise just how good the designers of Aqua are, as its still an order of magnitude better and cleaner than any other 'theme' ive seen..
