I suppose you dont have to be inspired when your opinion is just whatever Apple's opinion is, a sea of bland gray across hardware and software is just fine...until Apple changes its (and your) mind.
Seriously. I can't even glance at some of those screenshots without feeling a little queasy for some reason.
Too much exposure to the RDF.
There is a serious, actual Human Interface Guidelines reason behind having your UI be "boring", color-wise:
When you work in certain professions, such as graphic arts, web design, photography, video editing and publishing, to name a few, the LAST thing you want is your UI competing with your WORK. This is not just my opinion; it is actually a topic of discussion among UI designers.
And don't think Users are oblivious to this. When Apple first debuted OS X, it was somewhat more "saturated" in its color palette (but still NOTHING compared to the travesty that is Metro), and you know what? LOTS of professionals complained about the colors being "too distracting", to the point that Apple created a "Platinum" theme, that completely drained ALL color from UI elements.
So, just because you want a UI that looks like it was designed for preschool children, don't assume everyone does, got it?
Apple's flat is still flat, inspired by Microsoft. You can try to invoke your RDF and lie about it, but everyone knows it's true.
Also, for the same price a PC will have superior hardware as a Mac.
Wrong. Apple's "flat" still has far more 3D cues than MS' hideous tiles. In All honesty, who KNOWS what or who drives fashion, including UI fashion; and quite frankly, I'm not all that thrilled with "flatland", regardless of the UI.
And as for that old saw, the so-called "Apple Tax", that has been disproven time and again; to the point where you will just look silly trying to defend your position.
Go ask around then. I guarantee that 90% of every person you walk by every day would choose Windows if asked which OS they want on their PC. Nobody wants an OS that doesn't support their hardware and doesn't run their software.
I suppose you're right; which is why nobody uses Linux.
Not only does that look almost exactly like Apple's first incarnation of Spaces in OS X 10.5 (Leopard), almost a decade ago; but the video I watched warned about Dexpot wanting to install a "Speed Up My PC" application. Nice touch.
I guess that's why both Google and Apple have stolen the flat design from Microsoft. Android and iOS run on mobile hardware and Macs have inferior hardware to PCs.
Apple's "flat" looks NOTHING like Microsoft's "flat".
Second, since you can configure some PCs with hardware that ranges from far inferior to even the lowest-end Mac to likely superior in some ways to the highest-end Mac, your statement is ridiculous on its face.
Welcome addition. Who knows, probably Win20 would finally allow users to configure system keyboard shortcuts. Then it would be almost at parity with Linux of 15 years ago.
It's just not as developed as the Linux solutions have been for as long as I can remember - key combos to switch desktop, to switch desktop but drag the current window with your viewpoint, to place a window on all desktops, etc. I'll be interested to see what the Windows 10 implementation is like, but Windows 10 will likely remain just my "gaming" OS with my real work done on Linux.
Seriously, have you ever taken a look at OS X "Spaces" (Multiple Desktops) feature (actually, the video is from OS X 10.9, nearly 2 years ago), and it's improved multi-monitor support? (as seen in OS X 10.9 as well)
I honestly think, from a usability standpoint, it beats the pants off of Windows or even the Linux solutions.
Windows 8 (not 8.1) has more than twice the number of users as all Linux distributions combined.
Windows 8.1 has more than twice the number users as all Linux distributions and OS X versions combined.
In fact Vista STILL has more users than all Linux distributions combined.
Sounds like you're the one in the minority here. Enjoy your crap OS that has zero hardware support and no applications. Me? I'd rather do honest work and live comfortably instead of relying on SSI and foodstamps like you do.
The real question though is: How many of those "Users" chose to run those Windows versions, versus had to run them, due to their work IT departments/management getting all pinwheel-eyed at teh new shiny that is Windows 8/10?
I can't wait for Win 10. The new Win is great on touch based hardware.
Which the majority of Desktops and even Laptops don't have.
Don'tcha think that, if this Touch UI paradigm was so wonderfully applicable to non-tablet-y devices, that the hands-down leader in touch-UI (Apple) would have by now had "touch" on every MacBook and iMac in the lineup?
Don'tcha think they have a "touch-based" version of OS X (and prototype MacBooks and iMacs) in their labs for several years now? Why do you think they are so clearly bucking this marketing trend, when it was them who single-handedly brought touch-based UI development out of the Stylus age, where MS had it (unsuccessfully) stuck for over a decade, with almost zero interest?
-Deferred recognition of revenue for investors. Investors want the appearance of a 'subscription' like revenue stream. MS realizes this would be suicide for an *OS*, but still has to satisfy those demands. So hypothetically a user buys the OS for $100 from his perspective. MS defers the revenue so it *looks* like the user pre-paid for 4 years of a subscription at $25/yr. Note that there's not guarantee that the user will stop using it before that 4 years is up, but the expectation is that in aggregate that'll be the useful life of that purchase (tied to the hardware device, maybe not transferrable even for retail anymore?).
It's happening right now, in certain MS business divisions.
Office365 is being marketed heavily to businesses, as are "SaaS versions" of certain MS Dynamics products (e.g. MS Dynamics NAV), which has bent-over-backwards to both incorporate Office365, as well as has created a "Multi-Tenancy" paradigm, which is suitable ONLY to "hosted" installations (think Azure).
Those are just the first.
Time to jump on the OS X bandwagon! You won't ever look back...
I think I've had an average of one blue screen on each Windows 7 machine I have installed. That's over a span of about 5 years. I've never had a Linux desktop installation that didn't crash so badly as to need a rebuild over a 1 year period.
Wow. I've had exactly two Kernel Panics in fifteen years of running OS X.
One was from a really sketchy freeware scanner driver, back around OS X 10.1 or 10.2; and the other was from bad Third-Party RAM I purchased with my G5 tower, in 10.4 days.
Neither was OS X's fault, per se. Other than that, I've never had a Black Screen of Death (KP Error Screen) on OS X.
Additionally the ability to hold multiple security contexts without having distinct processes enables applications to take advantage of OS privilege escalation in a more efficient manner.
Windows is already ahead of Linux in terms of performance, security and stability. These days one has to think twice if he really wants to replace his Windows desktop with Linux.
You're so right!
These days, the best choice for desktops is clearly OS X. Even with the changes in 10.10 and 10.11, overall, they are head and shoulders above everyone else in the UI department.
Very modern and beautiful OS. Microsoft is reinventing personal computer. Again. Meanwhile, OS X is continuing its march to unify with iOS. And Linux is acting like a time capsule to be shown in museums how it was in the mid 2000s.
Wrong.
OS X is carefully incorporating certain design elements and UI paradigms that appeared first in iOS.
That is a far, far, cry from simply pitching out an entire Desktop UI and replacing it with garish children's building blocks, hidden tools and the window dressings from Windows 3.1.
but not especially tasty. Ice-cream or chocolate will still trump "healthy"
I've seen a whole bunch of people who thought just like you did, they are drooling and moaning as I walk past them in the nursing home. You can throw around your hysterical rant about ice cream but at some point someone is going to be changing your diapers.
Don't worry; you will be drooling and moaning too, soon enough.
It's nasty. Low-end consumer stuff is frequently cost-driven. PCs are a commodity nowadays, and if one manufacturer starts cutting corners on the low-end consumer products, every other one is going to be under considerable pressure to do the same.
You mean so-called "Wintel" PCs, right?
I guess that's why more and more consumers are being driven to Apple PCs, even those who only intend to run Linux or Windows on it.
Slashdot Mirror
I suppose you dont have to be inspired when your opinion is just whatever Apple's opinion is, a sea of bland gray across hardware and software is just fine...until Apple changes its (and your) mind.
Seriously. I can't even glance at some of those screenshots without feeling a little queasy for some reason.
Too much exposure to the RDF.
There is a serious, actual Human Interface Guidelines reason behind having your UI be "boring", color-wise:
When you work in certain professions, such as graphic arts, web design, photography, video editing and publishing, to name a few, the LAST thing you want is your UI competing with your WORK. This is not just my opinion; it is actually a topic of discussion among UI designers.
And don't think Users are oblivious to this. When Apple first debuted OS X, it was somewhat more "saturated" in its color palette (but still NOTHING compared to the travesty that is Metro), and you know what? LOTS of professionals complained about the colors being "too distracting", to the point that Apple created a "Platinum" theme, that completely drained ALL color from UI elements.
So, just because you want a UI that looks like it was designed for preschool children, don't assume everyone does, got it?
Apple's flat is still flat, inspired by Microsoft. You can try to invoke your RDF and lie about it, but everyone knows it's true.
Also, for the same price a PC will have superior hardware as a Mac.
Wrong. Apple's "flat" still has far more 3D cues than MS' hideous tiles. In All honesty, who KNOWS what or who drives fashion, including UI fashion; and quite frankly, I'm not all that thrilled with "flatland", regardless of the UI.
And as for that old saw, the so-called "Apple Tax", that has been disproven time and again; to the point where you will just look silly trying to defend your position.
Most of them.
Go ask around then. I guarantee that 90% of every person you walk by every day would choose Windows if asked which OS they want on their PC. Nobody wants an OS that doesn't support their hardware and doesn't run their software.
I suppose you're right; which is why nobody uses Linux.
LOL, that looks like shit compared to Dexpot.
Are you high?
Not only does that look almost exactly like Apple's first incarnation of Spaces in OS X 10.5 (Leopard), almost a decade ago; but the video I watched warned about Dexpot wanting to install a "Speed Up My PC" application. Nice touch.
Unimpressed. Totally.
I guess that's why both Google and Apple have stolen the flat design from Microsoft. Android and iOS run on mobile hardware and Macs have inferior hardware to PCs.
Apple's "flat" looks NOTHING like Microsoft's "flat".
Second, since you can configure some PCs with hardware that ranges from far inferior to even the lowest-end Mac to likely superior in some ways to the highest-end Mac, your statement is ridiculous on its face.
Welcome addition. Who knows, probably Win20 would finally allow users to configure system keyboard shortcuts. Then it would be almost at parity with Linux of 15 years ago.
And OS X of 15 years ago, too. Here's the Standard Shortcuts (pretty amazing for a GUI-centric OS, eh?), and how you can define Per-Application and System-Wide Shortcuts.
This is something that OS X has supported since (I think 10.0.0), and which I miss from time-to-time with Windows.
It's just not as developed as the Linux solutions have been for as long as I can remember - key combos to switch desktop, to switch desktop but drag the current window with your viewpoint, to place a window on all desktops, etc. I'll be interested to see what the Windows 10 implementation is like, but Windows 10 will likely remain just my "gaming" OS with my real work done on Linux.
Seriously, have you ever taken a look at OS X "Spaces" (Multiple Desktops) feature (actually, the video is from OS X 10.9, nearly 2 years ago), and it's improved multi-monitor support? (as seen in OS X 10.9 as well)
I honestly think, from a usability standpoint, it beats the pants off of Windows or even the Linux solutions.
Only reason I'm upgrading is because Win 10 FINALLY has multiple desktops. If it wasn't for that one feature, I'd stick with Win 7 as well.
OS X (and to be fair, Linux, too) has had Multiple Desktops for quite some time.
Windows 8 (not 8.1) has more than twice the number of users as all Linux distributions combined.
Windows 8.1 has more than twice the number users as all Linux distributions and OS X versions combined.
In fact Vista STILL has more users than all Linux distributions combined.
Sounds like you're the one in the minority here. Enjoy your crap OS that has zero hardware support and no applications. Me? I'd rather do honest work and live comfortably instead of relying on SSI and foodstamps like you do.
The real question though is: How many of those "Users" chose to run those Windows versions, versus had to run them, due to their work IT departments/management getting all pinwheel-eyed at teh new shiny that is Windows 8/10?
Fanbois tell us to yank out the cord or battery.
It's the only way to be sure.
You know, it does kinda look like the original Xeroc PARC design: http://netdna.webdesignerdepot...
Whew! Now finally people can stop that "Apple ripped off Xerox PARC" meme!
I can't wait for Win 10. The new Win is great on touch based hardware.
Which the majority of Desktops and even Laptops don't have.
Don'tcha think that, if this Touch UI paradigm was so wonderfully applicable to non-tablet-y devices, that the hands-down leader in touch-UI (Apple) would have by now had "touch" on every MacBook and iMac in the lineup?
Don'tcha think they have a "touch-based" version of OS X (and prototype MacBooks and iMacs) in their labs for several years now? Why do you think they are so clearly bucking this marketing trend, when it was them who single-handedly brought touch-based UI development out of the Stylus age, where MS had it (unsuccessfully) stuck for over a decade, with almost zero interest?
-Deferred recognition of revenue for investors. Investors want the appearance of a 'subscription' like revenue stream. MS realizes this would be suicide for an *OS*, but still has to satisfy those demands. So hypothetically a user buys the OS for $100 from his perspective. MS defers the revenue so it *looks* like the user pre-paid for 4 years of a subscription at $25/yr. Note that there's not guarantee that the user will stop using it before that 4 years is up, but the expectation is that in aggregate that'll be the useful life of that purchase (tied to the hardware device, maybe not transferrable even for retail anymore?).
It's happening right now, in certain MS business divisions.
Office365 is being marketed heavily to businesses, as are "SaaS versions" of certain MS Dynamics products (e.g. MS Dynamics NAV), which has bent-over-backwards to both incorporate Office365, as well as has created a "Multi-Tenancy" paradigm, which is suitable ONLY to "hosted" installations (think Azure).
Those are just the first.
Time to jump on the OS X bandwagon! You won't ever look back...
I think I've had an average of one blue screen on each Windows 7 machine I have installed. That's over a span of about 5 years. I've never had a Linux desktop installation that didn't crash so badly as to need a rebuild over a 1 year period.
Wow. I've had exactly two Kernel Panics in fifteen years of running OS X.
One was from a really sketchy freeware scanner driver, back around OS X 10.1 or 10.2; and the other was from bad Third-Party RAM I purchased with my G5 tower, in 10.4 days.
Neither was OS X's fault, per se. Other than that, I've never had a Black Screen of Death (KP Error Screen) on OS X.
Additionally the ability to hold multiple security contexts without having distinct processes enables applications to take advantage of OS privilege escalation in a more efficient manner.
FTFY.
Windows is already ahead of Linux in terms of performance, security and stability. These days one has to think twice if he really wants to replace his Windows desktop with Linux.
You're so right!
These days, the best choice for desktops is clearly OS X. Even with the changes in 10.10 and 10.11, overall, they are head and shoulders above everyone else in the UI department.
Very modern and beautiful OS. Microsoft is reinventing personal computer. Again. Meanwhile, OS X is continuing its march to unify with iOS. And Linux is acting like a time capsule to be shown in museums how it was in the mid 2000s.
Wrong.
OS X is carefully incorporating certain design elements and UI paradigms that appeared first in iOS.
That is a far, far, cry from simply pitching out an entire Desktop UI and replacing it with garish children's building blocks, hidden tools and the window dressings from Windows 3.1.
My theory on the the whole point of the "flat" style is so they can imitate it in HTML/CSS. Which was not (easily) possible with the old "Aero" look.
Personally, I think it's to give the weak GPUs on mobile devices a battery-break.
If it doesn't *look* new and different, it can't be good.
But what if it doesn't look "new and different" OR good?
Clue: It's not "clean", it's dull and uninspiring.
More like "Tasteless" and "Nauseating".
Seriously. I can't even glance at some of those screenshots without feeling a little queasy for some reason.
Boy, this quote is more true than ever...
but not especially tasty. Ice-cream or chocolate will still trump "healthy"
I've seen a whole bunch of people who thought just like you did, they are drooling and moaning as I walk past them in the nursing home. You can throw around your hysterical rant about ice cream but at some point someone is going to be changing your diapers.
Don't worry; you will be drooling and moaning too, soon enough.
It is not "cultural" — they just still remember famine, whereas the "golden billion" [wikipedia.org] has blissfully forgotten it.
Correct!
And even more importantly, our bodies haven't forgotten famine; that's why so many people have the propensity to store fat.
I think you meant you'd eat it like Doritos if they added flavoring they way they do to junk food.
Or frozen, like Poopsicles
It's nasty. Low-end consumer stuff is frequently cost-driven. PCs are a commodity nowadays, and if one manufacturer starts cutting corners on the low-end consumer products, every other one is going to be under considerable pressure to do the same.
You mean so-called "Wintel" PCs, right?
I guess that's why more and more consumers are being driven to Apple PCs, even those who only intend to run Linux or Windows on it.
or linux, my PC is a tool not a toy
That's a Shame. My PC is a Tool when I need, and a Toy when I want.
Mine runs Unix. Yours doesn't.
But just remember: You started it.