Finally on Tahoe and it's mostly "just fine" I would say

[turbineseaplane]

Well, I'm on Tahoe now (as I got an m5 MBA over the weekend) and after a few days my thoughts are this:

1. Buggy. Lots of little niggles and bugs and weirdness that you only notice after using it for a while and with lots of familiarity with your setup and files on previous OS versions.

2. Not particularly glassy. This is either good or bad, depending upon your feelings about LG. I'm mostly able to not think about this aspect as it's much less implemented vs iOS/iPadOS 26 versions.

3. I really would love less padding everywhere, or some way to dial that down in the future (compact view or something)

4. Same as #3 but for the overly rounded corners. I do not understand that change. The combo of more padding and overly rounded corners just takes away from usable area for your actual content. This becomes a real issue on smaller screens (like on my 13" MBA). Luckily I primarily use it docked to a huge OLED, but on the go, this sucks.

5. Related to #3 & #4, It'd be nice to see some more theming/optionality implemented in 27 for more contrast in the UI that isn't just full blown "Crayola lines around everything" (which is ugly and what you get with the Accessibility toggle for "more contrast". Some additional defaults to choose from that aren't just "white, some more white and some less white and blending with background", etc would be very welcome. I don't know why everything is just 50 shades of white now.

5. There are lots of new niceties like:

• one time message codes being autofilled (and auto deleted) when using browsers other than Safari (I use FF)
• battery charge limiting built into the OS and well done
• (will add to this as I come across things)
• Spotlight is very good. Very useful and very fast (granted, I'm on an M5)
• System Settings is getting better and snappier as time goes on also.

All in all, I find the 26 OSes easiest to live with on the Mac, which is good for me as that's the platform I care the most about.

 

[Cape Dave]

"4. Same as #3 but for the overly rounded corners. I do not understand that change." Do not worry. Nobody understands that change because it was a stupid ignorant change for no reason at all. Apple has lost their mind.

 

[fisherking]

"4. Same as #3 but for the overly rounded corners. I do not understand that change." Do not worry. Nobody understands that change because it was a stupid ignorant change for no reason at all. Apple has lost their mind.

or apple has made a change, and has their reasons (or they just like rounded corners). fortunately, you don't have to stare at window corners, since everything takes place inside the windows... 👍

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

or apple has made a change, and has their reasons (or they just like rounded corners).

What would these reasons be?

 

[turbineseaplane]

or apple has made a change, and has their reasons (or they just like rounded corners). fortunately, you don't have to stare at window corners, since everything takes place inside the windows... 👍

The problem I have with the rounding isn't the aesthetics (which I don't love, I'll admit), it's that it objectively reduces usable content area on any given window.

 

[judgeFire]

What would these reasons be?

A misguided idea of basing consistency on external factors; hardware corner radius -> screen corner radius -> window corner radius. Doing it from the outside in imposes limits on the content, whereas designing from the inside out would start with the content, then the window chrome and UI. It's just graphic design over interaction design.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Regarding padding & corners, etc..

There is no need for any of this nonsense of encapsulating the sidebar in Finder.

Just have a dividing line between sidebar and content on right and stop wasting space or adding visual clutter with a "capsule" to hold it all.

And then at the bottom of the Finder window..
We just don't need things going "under" the side panels like this.

This falls squarely in the camp of "it's a cool demo" that adds zero useful value and junks everything up.

Some of the stuff going on in Finder and other Apple Apps just feels like low experience designers have gone to town on stuff that looks cool in Photoshop or promo shots, but in practice is a fairly poor and disjointed experience.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Regarding padding & corners, etc..

There is no need for any of this nonsense of encapsulating the sidebar in Finder.

Just have a dividing line between sidebar and content on right and stop wasting space or adding visual clutter with a "capsule" to hold it all.

Sure, but... take it to the extreme: "There's no need for any of this nonsense of a GUI. Just use a plain text interface."

Is that any less true?

Basically there IS a GUI, and there IS a design philosophy to it. By all means send Apple feedback about it but otherwise you're spitting into the wind.

 

[Non-Euclidean]

Well, I'm on Tahoe now (as I got an m5 MBA over the weekend) and after a few days my thoughts are this:

1. Buggy. Lots of little niggles and bugs and weirdness that you only notice after using it for a while and with lots of familiarity with your setup and files on previous OS versions.

2. Not particularly glassy. This is either good or bad, depending upon your feelings about LG. I'm mostly able to not think about this aspect as it's much less implemented vs iOS/iPadOS 26 versions.

3. I really would love less padding everywhere, or some way to dial that down in the future (compact view or something)

4. Same as #3 but for the overly rounded corners. I do not understand that change. The combo of more padding and overly rounded corners just takes away from usable area for your actual content. This becomes a real issue on smaller screens (like on my 13" MBA). Luckily I primarily use it docked to a huge OLED, but on the go, this sucks.

5. Related to #3 & #4, It'd be nice to see some more theming/optionality implemented in 27 for more contrast in the UI that isn't just full blown "Crayola lines around everything" (which is ugly and what you get with the Accessibility toggle for "more contrast". Some additional defaults to choose from that aren't just "white, some more white and some less white and blending with background", etc would be very welcome. I don't know why everything is just 50 shades of white now.

5. There are lots of new niceties like:

• one time message codes being autofilled (and auto deleted) when using browsers other than Safari (I use FF)
• battery charge limiting built into the OS and well done
• (will add to this as I come across things)
• Spotlight is very good. Very useful and very fast (granted, I'm on an M5)
• System Settings is getting better and snappier as time goes on also.

All in all, I find the 26 OSes easiest to live with on the Mac, which is good for me as that's the platform I care the most about.

You were supposed to post this next Monday.

 

[turbineseaplane]

You were supposed to post this next Monday.

I was? I'm not following

 

[Non-Euclidean]

Check the calendar. 🙂

But to be serious, I would agree.

I have 26.4 on our iPhones and a M5 MBP. I will keep Sequoia on the M4 Studio. Its definitely not as noticeable on the MBP as opposed to the iPhone.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Check the calendar. 🙂

But to be serious, I would agree.

I have 26.4 on our iPhones and a M5 MBP. I will keep Sequoia on the M4 Studio. Its definitely not as noticeable on the MBP as opposed to the iPhone.

What is on April 20th?
(I'm totally confused 😂)

 

[Non-Euclidean]

Its a common term, 4:20. For smoking the Devil's Lettuce.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Its a common term, 4:20. For smoking the Devil's Lettuce.

Ahhh! Got it! (went right over my head lol)

All the blurry glassy silliness must be giving me a headache here 😂

 

[losthismarbles]

I've smoked a good number of things, but never lettuce!
You guys are brave! 😀
(plus, i suppose i could say "i'm on the lettuce" and everyone would think it's a diet?)
((that is ASSUMING i needed a diet; do not. Nope. Not me))

On topic, i'm.. with mixed opinions; on the positive side, worth having for three reasons alone, two are touched on the OP:
+1) SMS codes autofill
+2) Battery cap for laptops, finally
But most of all?
+3) Phone app. I can literally forget i even own a cellphone. I love that. I do mean i love that. This what an OS should be like; really, truly, practically making things easier for you.

On the other hand..?
-1) Spotlight's a waste of resources if you worked PCs for some time and/or are old enough to have formed your habbits. You have your way of doing things, you're organised, you know how to go about your files and folders. Already, by your lonesome. Having something running 24/7 in the background, wearing your NVME down for zero benefit, while tiring you with the same older Mac OS Finder-related crap (still won't touch/search protected files + suggestions + gimmicks for the 12yr olds)? At best superfluous.
At best, because while the dear OP loved it? Wait 'till it hangs on you. Then come and tell me how much you loved it; will affect you even if you never use it; affect you enough to need stop everything and reboot.
If you move and change files around a lot, spotlight will be your new headache.
(i said files; not the selfie pics)

-2) More on gimmicks, this time the new look; had they passed Glass as extra, something optional? Awesome i'd say; more options are always welcome. But it's not optional.
When something works, some of us don't touch it; because it works. And look at us now, all these bugs and visual discrepancies.. for what?
Fresh for the sake of fresh is for the young and/or hollow.

-3) The more they streamline, the more they lock, restrict, make hard to alter/get to. This continues with 26.
Have seen this so many times, i just know where it's going.
If for some reason you (figuratively you, anybody) think "no, not Apple", newsflash for you, history repeats itself.
I see their peak in the past, i see the present as a sliiight slight downsloping trajectory.
They want a broader audience and that's good for us in terms of prices/options available; but it also comes with its consequences.

I can't "hate it", i can't "love it", too old for either.
If it wasn't for the new Phone App, i'd have been back to Tahoe.
If you were a normie and asked me however, yes, i'd recommend a nu-Apple device over Windoze, wouldn't even bother elaborating.

As is usual, we find our spot amidst the extremes; nothing pitch black, nothing shiny white🙂

* I would add a negative -4) here, namely that its lifetime's almost over and there are still bugs, features region-locked to the US only and no one else [pricing's the same though, thanks guys, really], features missing, certain apps half-assed; and there's no chance given their pacing they'll have them all covered by 26.7.
But.. that is sadly every "corp" OS out there, isn't it?
Except yes.. other OSes are free, aren't they?

Depends on the person. Would regardless agree that the emotions at display in this forum are at best ludicrous; it's a sad world when a new UI makes you livid 🙂

 

[fisherking]

The problem I have with the rounding isn't the aesthetics (which I don't love, I'll admit), it's that it objectively reduces usable content area on any given window.

how much actual working space are you losing?

anyway, on my (previous) 13" air, and my current 14" MBP, am not experiencing any discernable loss of workspace; am doing the exact same things i was doing on sequioa, while enjoying the speed and stability (and the Apps app) on tahoe. so it goes....

 

[fisherking]

-2) More on gimmicks, this time the new look; had they passed it as extra, optional, awesome i'd say. More options are welcome. But it's not optional.
When something works, some of us don't touch it; because it works.
Fresh for the sake of fresh is for the young and/or hollow.

this is, as always, a ridiculous argument. we've seen so many GUIs over the years (aqua, anyone)? and some of us appreciate change, new things (i like tahoe, and am not alone in that).

the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' thinking makes no sense; when is there a finite moment? would we all agree that one OS, or one look, is the 'perfect' one, and progress should stop there? of course not. and tech is about constant invention, moving forward, sometimes stumbling... but never staying still.

am grateful for what my mac & OS can do right now, and excited that it's just the moment we're in, and there will always be more to come.

 

[losthismarbles]

tech is about constant invention, moving forward

For you maybe. You want different, a re-make, something fresh, power to you.
Like i said, it depends 🙂

For me? When it starts giving me issues, it's not tech (in the sense of advancement), it's instead a bother. When it forces me to re-learn, adapt, it's not exciting, it's time i'm wasting.
I want it functioning, sleeker and faster and more reliable's a bonus, but if you can't? Leave it as is. It's a machine; dead, lifeless, bit of luck? Shall remain lifeless. I want to do my work/tasks, i'm probably used to doing my work/tasks, you disrupt that because it's a trend with "consumers" today, "new or die", i'd say we have a mentality issue, whom's being addressed here.

Neither's necessarily right(tm) or wrong(tm).

It depends, eye of the beholder.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Regarding padding & corners, etc..

There is no need for any of this nonsense of encapsulating the sidebar in Finder.

Just have a dividing line between sidebar and content on right and stop wasting space or adding visual clutter with a "capsule" to hold it all.

Apple has already developed a solution for this. Sadly, it was in the last OS…

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

some of us appreciate change, new things (i like tahoe, and am not alone in that).

And that is precisely the problem: change for the sake of change. You enjoy novelty over meaningful improvement, and the gratification of something being different rather than being inherently better.

 

[Timpetus]

Looks like TinkerTool still exists and works on Tahoe, I wonder how many of these interface niggles could be fixed with it? https://www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerToolOverview.html

 

[Timpetus]

this is, as always, a ridiculous argument. we've seen so many GUIs over the years (aqua, anyone)? and some of us appreciate change, new things (i like tahoe, and am not alone in that).

the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' thinking makes no sense; when is there a finite moment? would we all agree that one OS, or one look, is the 'perfect' one, and progress should stop there? of course not. and tech is about constant invention, moving forward, sometimes stumbling... but never staying still.

am grateful for what my mac & OS can do right now, and excited that it's just the moment we're in, and there will always be more to come.

I agree that continuous improvement is a good principle, but some changes are objectively for the worse. It's ok to complain about those until they are fixed, or to fix them yourself if you are able (eg. you work for Apple in that department or are a developer who can make software that fixes these issues).

 

[Cape Dave]

And that is precisely the problem: change for the sake of change. You enjoy novelty over meaningful improvement, and the gratification of something being different rather than being inherently better.

💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯 💯

 

[Abydos]

and you were expecting: a cure for baldness, an end to ED, or transforming water into drambouie

 

[nickdalzell1]

Well, I'm on Tahoe now (as I got an m5 MBA over the weekend) and after a few days my thoughts are this:

1. Buggy. Lots of little niggles and bugs and weirdness that you only notice after using it for a while and with lots of familiarity with your setup and files on previous OS versions.

2. Not particularly glassy. This is either good or bad, depending upon your feelings about LG. I'm mostly able to not think about this aspect as it's much less implemented vs iOS/iPadOS 26 versions.

3. I really would love less padding everywhere, or some way to dial that down in the future (compact view or something)

4. Same as #3 but for the overly rounded corners. I do not understand that change. The combo of more padding and overly rounded corners just takes away from usable area for your actual content. This becomes a real issue on smaller screens (like on my 13" MBA). Luckily I primarily use it docked to a huge OLED, but on the go, this sucks.

5. Related to #3 & #4, It'd be nice to see some more theming/optionality implemented in 27 for more contrast in the UI that isn't just full blown "Crayola lines around everything" (which is ugly and what you get with the Accessibility toggle for "more contrast". Some additional defaults to choose from that aren't just "white, some more white and some less white and blending with background", etc would be very welcome. I don't know why everything is just 50 shades of white now.

5. There are lots of new niceties like:

• one time message codes being autofilled (and auto deleted) when using browsers other than Safari (I use FF)
• battery charge limiting built into the OS and well done
• (will add to this as I come across things)
• Spotlight is very good. Very useful and very fast (granted, I'm on an M5)
• System Settings is getting better and snappier as time goes on also.

All in all, I find the 26 OSes easiest to live with on the Mac, which is good for me as that's the platform I care the most about.

LG is more present in dark mode. It's far less noticeable in light mode. Seems the icons in the dock are the most noticeable in the dark theme. Safari's controls are sorta hinted with shinies, it's not that fancy and nothing like Aqua, it's more fitting with Windows 10 'fluent design'. That's as far as they went. I hoped for a skeuomorphic return or perhaps glassy traffic lights, but overall it's still Yosemite and ugly.

Happy you're happy with what you got, but for me I simply gave up and sourced a 2009 MacBook Pro running OS X 10.6 from eBay. I'm happier with that. I did like how fast and cool the M-series stuff ran but the cost cutting (the keyboard literally fell apart months into having it) and removing what made it feel like a Mac, such as the glowing logo, title below screen, even the breathing light, plus still using flat UI design for far longer now than we ever had skeuomorphism, well, I'm hoping that the pendulum swings soon otherwise I'm sticking to my old stuff.