Mac OS X Interface Tweaks?

[MacRumors]

Appleinsider.com claims that Apple is working on more finishing touches to the Panther interface, as well as speed improvements and additional animations.

In addition, there are reports that the "Brushed Aluminum" system theme will undergo some revisions over the next year with darker colors and a smoother interface.

Meanwhile, there's been some recent speculation on changes to the Apple logo after a new chrome Apple logo appeared in the most recent builds of Panther.

 

[MOM]

The new logo (gray Apple with shaded region) was on the outside of some iMac boxes at my Univeristy's computor store about 1 hour ago.

 

[altivec 2003]

Sounds great, but I really think that the best improvement at this point would be to add the ability to switch the themes of the finder. I, for one, like the metal theme but I am sure that I will eventually get sick of it. Of course, I do not really expect apple to change their "metal finder" that they so proudly announced at the wwdc. oh well.

The animations, of course will be cool to see .

 

[Freg3000]

Darker and smoother? Hmmmmm....reminds me of the Apple logo on the side of my PowerMac G4. Although that really isn't brush metal now is it?

I am excited to see a few more animations in Panther. Those are always nice.

 

[altivec 2003]

Originally posted by MOM
The new logo (gray Apple with shaded region) was on the outside of some iMac boxes at my Univeristy's computor store about 1 hour ago.

OOOH, that logo does look pretty spiffy . I think it is an improvement over the solid colored one on the startup of jaguar, but I personally prefer the X on the "about this mac" screen. Things change I guess.

 

[Liquidity X]

Bout damn time, lets get some all shiny jaguar aqua finally, and if the new brushed willl look like the new QT in 10.3 build i'm hella pumped!

 

[Oirectine]

New Logo

Here's a link to the new logo in case anyone who hasn't seen it was wondering (like me)

http://a1112.g.akamai.net/7/1112/492/2002091441/www.wired.com/news/images/full/about_mac_f.8954.gif

If that doesn't work, the article is here:

http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,60597,00.html

Very cool design

 

[RajK]

Originally posted by MOM
The new logo (gray Apple with shaded region) was on the outside of some iMac boxes at my Univeristy's computor store about 1 hour ago.

My iMac just arrived via Fedex and the new logo is on the box. But on my box the dark part is on top and the shiny part is on bottom.

 

[cnladd]

Originally posted by RajK
My iMac just arrived via Fedex and the new logo is on the box. But on my box the dark part is on top and the shiny part is on bottom.

Turn the box over.

(Couldn't help myself.)

 

[Island Roots]

Originally posted by cnladd
Turn the box over.

(Couldn't help myself.)

 

[NicoMan]

Professional and Slick

I don't know if you guys feel the same, but I really think that Apple needed to get a more professional looking OS: less eye-candy, a bit less jaguar-fur like. You know, a bit grayer or something (I know it's possible to choose the graphite look in Jaguar, but that's not enough).
I they manage to keep the oh-so-sleek look at the same time (seems to be the case, if the new logo is any indication), then I guess they will have an easier time trying to sell Panther to corporates.
Just a thought.


edit: spelling

 

[Island Roots]

I wish they had went with a lighter GUI, ala Jaguar. Going with dull grays seems to dark/bore the user experience.

Oh well, that's what themes are for

 

[themadchemist]

darker=worse.

I'm still on 10.1.5, and I like the Aqua interface. I guess brush metal is o.k., too.

Anyway, I'm the old-fashioned type and it'll take time for me to like these new-fangled interfaces.

It took about a year after I got X before I would boot regularly in it...

And my heart still skips a beat when I see a six-colored Apple...Or even a dogcow.

 

[Laslo Panaflex]

I think that apple (Steve?) is just trying to get the OS to look more like classic, by having everything more grey and darker.

 

[bankshot]

Getting close?

Seems like they're getting closer and closer to release... But what I really want to know is, when are they gonna announce the friggin release date??!? I have to order a couple of PowerBooks soon, and I'd sure hate to order them just before being eligible for a possible free update to Panther. But unfortunately I've got a deadline next month and I have to have these machines by then...

Honestly I'd have put money that they'd announce it at the Paris expo, but nope. Maybe we should start a pool, one for the release date announcement date, and one for the release date.

 

[mymemory]

What I think is that the less animations and alfa channels the better. The interface takes too much video ram. I'm a VJ and I need that ram for my visual software not for a fancy interface if they are gonna get cheap on it.

 

[Lepton]

The graying of Apple

We finally have changed from the Windowsy dank grayness of OS 9 to the clean clear look of OS X, but now OS X is slipping back to bleak grayness.

You can tone down the candyland look of early OS 10 Aqua without going back to dreary gray, so do that.

Black text on a gray background, what's up with that?

 

[Makosuke]

The shiny logo is nice, but of course this isn't the first place it's been used--anyone with a G4 iMac knows that they have a shiny chrome Apple logo on them.

As for the flatter, greyer interface, I'm generally for that--I find it a bit easier on the eyes, personally. Not 10.2 metal grey, but something a little more mellow than the pinstripes. Though really, I wish they'd give us a couple of choices, maybe pinstripe and metal/pinstripe and grey or something. No biggie, since you can still theme the OS, though.

 

[beefcake]

I agree. I think the metal looks great but an aqua option would be nice. I'm sure if you've used OS X extensively the pinstripes get old, but as I just switched, I think the pinstripes look really nice with the blue theme.

 

[Phil Of Mac]

I want a chromed interface.

 

[Sherman]

This is a response to MOM:

Yea, that thing on the box is actually the apple logo that is physically on the iMac inside. If you notice, it has the same curvature and perspective if you look at an iMac head on. Just thought I'd let you know before consipracy theories formed

The new one in Panther looks awesome however.

 

[rjrufo]

I like the new logo...

it looks like the chrome logo on my iMacs...

 

[FattyMembrane]

hopefully they've fixed the scrollbars and progressbars, as well as settling on a single style of gloss for the widgets. having different elements in the 10.0, 10.2, and 10.3 styles just looks sloppy.

 

[Omek]

Mmmmmm.... the new Apple logo is so shiny. It just gets better and better....

 

[nickmcghie]

if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

i for one am not that impressed by the new logo..it's not that ugly, but what's wrong with the current one? when i first saw the new logo i thought somebody accidently drew a line through the apple..then i thought it looked like there's a crack in the apple..and i still think it looks like that