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Snow Leopard to Bring Unifying 'Marble' User Interface?

Ahhh, and I thought it can't get any more boring than it already is, seriously, why? It's grey, and even more grey, and dark grey and a lot of GREY ... BORING! Personally I think Windows 7 now looks way better with it's fresh and nice UI compared to this whole grey thing. :mad: I used to love aqua, but if they make OS X like iTunes, then .. DAMN that's soo boring. Like going back to 90s, it was grey back then as well...
 
Marble doesn't refer to the look of the UI, but the control mechanism. Expect greater use of the accelerometer and a colored, rolling ball.
 
from 10.0 to 10.5

Coincidentally I just experienced a few older versions as I erased and reinstalled OS X on an old iMac I had in a cupboard. As I only have upgrades I had to start with 10.0 and work up. It was fascinating to revisit these older versions again and see just how OS X has evolved. One thing I can say is even 10.0 is pretty impressive (I also work in XP and Vista) but Apple definitely, in my humble opinion, just keeps making it better (although I remember all the moans each time they changed it). So I have no worries and look forward to their next GUI look.
 
I just wish that they would allow the user to control the translucency of the menus and such. I want my translucent drop-down menus back, like the ones that were present in Mac OS 10.5.1 and prior. As for the iTunes interface itself, really the only thing that is different is the scrollbar styling. I've always wondered why Apple made 10.5 with different kinds of scrollbars for every program in the OS.

I really like the translucency effects in Windows 7 and would like to see Apple add some more translucency-based eye-candy to the OS 10.6 UI--translucent pixel-shaded menus and dialogue boxes would be a good start. After all, MS completely ripped off the mechanics of the "Dock" in creating the new taskbar for Win 7, so I think Apple could integrate a few UI concepts from MS.

But remember that Snow Leopard is a long, long way off. If Apple was at all prepared for a mid-2009 release, we would have seen a new developer's build at Macworld. Since Apple made absolutely zero comments about 10.6 and has only demonstrated extremely preliminary, pre-beta builds to a select few developers, it stands to reason that they are in no way close to a 10.6 release. We will certainly see Windows 7 before Snow Leopard.
 
I'm confused

I think it's great that Apple is focusing on bug fixes and optimization...but if that's basically all we're getting then shouldn't that really be a "Service Pack" release instead of a new OS version? Especially if they're going to ask us to shell out ~$130...I hope they offer something more than "it works better now".

Am I the only one who feels this way?
 
New GUI sounds nice!

I'm beginning to wonder if they will choose another name other than "Snow Leopard".
 
I'm really not concerned with the OS looking "dated." What matters to me is its functionality and ease of use. I thought Apple nailed that with Tiger.

IMO, Leopard is a mess. Core Animation allows for lots of eye candy, but that doesn't always make for a good user experience. Apple needs to re-focus on simply usability. For example, it's difficult to see which applications are in use in the dock, no matter where I place it. The translucent menu bar is difficult to read, and turning off the translucency doesn't improve things much. Stacks was a good idea but just a bad implementation. Spaces needs clearer definition between the different desktops. Folder icons in Finder now all look flat and generic. On and on.... It's as if Apple sold their design and interface personnel to Microsoft.

So I really hope that Snow Leopard re-focuses on what made OS X such a great system: a powerful yet easy-to-use and intuitive interface that also happened to look slick.
 
What is it with everyone calling the UI "boring" versus something "fresh and nice". I just want something that works well so I can get my work done, not stare at the pretty colors. :rolleyes:
 
Shtekeris said:
Ahhh, and I thought it can't get any more boring than it already is, seriously, why? It's grey, and even more grey, and dark grey and a lot of GREY ... BORING! Personally I think Windows 7 now looks way better with it's fresh and nice UI compared to this whole grey thing. :mad: I used to love aqua, but if they make OS X like iTunes, then .. DAMN that's soo boring. Like going back to 90s, it was grey back then as well...
Click to expand...

The interface is better to be 'quiet', it is the content within applications that should be attracting your attention not the underlying UI. The UI should be consistent and very functional and that's what Apple achieve. Most Mac users use way more applications at any given time than a PC user so the UI not getting in the way is more important. Most PC users I come across run only one or two things at the same time (generally some form of Outlook or IE) full screen, whereas most Mac users have a myriad of apps open and running with various sized overlapping windows, so again a non intrusive UI is better. - Just my 2 cents worth on this.
 
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I don't see 10.6 making it out during the first quarter this year. If I had to venture a guess, I would say September. I don't expect it before WWDC but this is just a guess on my part.
 
Theophany said:
Indeed! Despite this, though, the new iMac will be made entirely from a combination of mercury, uranium, polonium 210 and lead. I can't wait to lick it.
Click to expand...

I heard the radioactive Cesium will illuminate the Apple logos on the back AND front of all new isoMacs. Why not generate some steam power and get crazy EnergyStar ratings?
 
Possibly part of a move to true resolution independence?

The added flexibility of mini-displayport and a long-term deal with LG...

hmmm...
 
Deja Vu?

Am I the only one confused by this news? When Leopard came out, wasn't it considered a move away from the Aqua interface? Wasn't it considered a flattening, unifying theme spread across all applications, replacing the brushed metal look?

I feel like these things were the same things said when 10.5 came out.
 
I would totally love a more unified UI. I'm kind of sick of the aqua elements. I think it would be totally awesome if the UI looked more like the iPhone or iTunes. And for pete's sake, change the freakin' scroll bars finally!
 
Ahh I love cosmetic UI improvements. So I guess we'll be getting the iphoto/itunes style scrollbars as opposed to the current aqua ones in all their neon glory?

What I really wanna see is a better finder. Some other way to organize than layers and layers of folders - like smart folders made easy
 
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miketcool said:
Theophany said:
Indeed! Despite this, though, the new iMac will be made entirely from a combination of mercury, uranium, polonium 210 and lead. I can't wait to lick it.
Click to expand...

I heard the radioactive Cesium will illuminate the Apple logos on the back AND front of all new isoMacs. Why not generate some steam power and get crazy EnergyStar ratings?
Click to expand...

Don't forget the minature nuclear reactor to replace batteries in the next line of MacBooks. It will help power your house when plugged in.
 
looking forward to this! aqua has been here a while, even though there has been some changes to it. let's hope this will be a very good change to the Mac OS X interface
 
mgpg89 said:
I sure hope so.
Snow Leopard is an awful name.
Click to expand...

Why?

It's basically Leopard 2.0, not a complete revamp. The name reflects the fact that they've done lots of performance tweaking and added things like Grand Central without really changing the OS noticably. Sure we get better performance and apps run better, but there aren't supposed to be many if any new features which is what i'd expect from a new "cat".
 
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