Will Mavericks get the Ive treatment?

[H. Flower]

Please, please, please no.

I can handle "form over function" on my iphone because it's still essentially a toy.

But my desktop OS is a more serious tool and I need it as functional (legible text, no cryptic symbols, etc) as possible.

 

[notrack]

I wish they would cheat a little and learn from the auto industry. Those guys know how to create products that look familiar but still are totally different with their own usecases, specs and performaces. They have done it for decades.

iOS and OSX do belong together but have different missions and tasks. I think that this text- and line-based design of iOS is due to limited space. And it can work well in small areas. But imagine a 13" or 27" monitor with b/w text and wireframe icons... Nogo. Mac OS7 retro. But also do I think that some elements of that could make it back to the mac.

I remember Steve saying "We need killer graphics". Sure times have changed, but visualising stuff is all about graphics in the end.

 

[acosmichippo]

yeah, implementing the same text and buttons won't really work in OSX. But I assume it'll keep getting "flatter". They've already done away with the bubbly window sliders (in Lion). The messages app still has 3D bubbles instead of the new flat design. iTunes will probably lose its metallic volume slider. And maybe even the green/yellow/red window buttons will get a flatter look. I also wouldn't be surprised if the notification center background becomes a translucent panel like iOS's. They removed the linen texture, but it still has the same look as iOS6 which would just seem weird to leave there. Same with Mission control - they could give it the same look as the multitask switcher in iOS7, with the user's desktop picture as the background, and a translucent panel for every desktop open.

And they've already changed the look of the side dock to look similar to iOS7's:

 

[danahn17]

I feel at some point in time, the icons will have to become a bit more similar for consistency's sake. Mountain Lion and iOS6 had many different (and some same) icons, but you could tell design-wise they were related. I'd expect that to happen at some point in the future... maybe with 10.9 but if not, perhaps the next Mac OS iteration.

 

[notrack]

I feel at some point in time, the icons will have to become a bit more similar for consistency's sake. Mountain Lion and iOS6 had many different (and some same) icons, but you could tell design-wise they were related. I'd expect that to happen at some point in the future... maybe with 10.9 but if not, perhaps the next Mac OS iteration.

Yes, and I think a step-by-step change might be much more liked by the audience than a revolutionary cut. I mean every step towards more consistancy in an improvement but wouldn't poke users' habits too much. In iOS it was overdue so they had to catch up with a bigger step imho.

 

[rainydays]

I sure would not want those ugly icons and color scheme on my desktop as well.
But at least I would not have to jailbreak OSX to change the icons.

 

[jaw04005]

It will eventually. Obviously, they still have a lot of work to do on Mavericks including stripping Game Center and Reminders of their textures.

In the case of iOS 7, I hope they offer a more professional/muted black theme.

The next six months are going to be busy for Apple engineers.

 

[wblp]

I like the iOS 7 design.
But i don't like iOS 7 style to be migrated to os x .

 

[ScottishCaptain]

I like the iOS 7 design.
But i don't like iOS 7 style to be migrated to os x .

And yet everyone says OS X and iOS are somehow going to collide and merge. If this happens, what then? Will you still think your iOS 7 design was a good idea when OS X gets the same treatment?

OS X has always touted UI professionalism above all other operating systems. Just look at the friggin' icons in it. Look at all the third party applications out there with equally awesome icons. Icon design in itself is an entire industry. And yet iOS 7 throws all that out the window.

Just trying to imagine OS X with "flat" icons makes my head want to explode. How are people going to design icons that don't eventually look like someone else's? There isn't enough flexibility in a single gradient and a simple vector shape to represent every OS X application that is out there in a unique manner.

That is the problem with iOS 7. The design is limited. Maybe this is acceptable or a mobile handheld with a closed ecosystem. It is not acceptable for a desktop operating system that supports third party (unsigned) applications.

-SC