Richard Wessels wrote:
Does anyone here think that maybe, just maybe, Apple can change the UI of their apps? I sincerely hope that this is a portent into the future of other apps. Namely Safari... This change would allow them to get rid of the title bar in Safari and implement a tabs on top option for the UI. This is something they had in the v4 beta but dropped at the last second. Now, Chrome and Firefox have it and IE 9 will as well. Leaving Safari looking old and dated.
Maybe, just maybe, we will have to get used to our apps changing the way they look and function a little so that they do not end up looking old, dated, and dare I say it legacy based.
I applaud Apple's attempts to change things up. Honestly the alignment of the buttons means very little to me. However, what it represents is maybe a way they can minimize the amount of wasted space at the top of the application window.
And to some, namely those with smaller displays, or those that have vision deficiencies, every bit of screen real estate is important.
Honestly if people can not take some change in their lives, they should not be on the Internet or using computers. The very nature of computer software and the Internet is change.
Sure, Apple can change the design of the UI. If they genuinely believe the change is for the good, and have user research to back that up, and most importantly, deploy the change on across the entire UI all at once, then that's fine with me. It's the inconsistency of just one single program being different from everything else that bothers me.
I also don't see what the big deal with this "tabs on top" is. I like the tabs where they are in Safari 5, at the bottom of the menu area. They're closer to the webpage display area. They couldn't get any closer. That means I don't have to look as far to find the tabs, and I don't have to move the pointer as far to get to them. I don't get why you think Safari has to have something just because other browsers have it, and since when does anyone say an Apple product needs to have something just because a Microsoft product has it? It's Microsoft that copies Apple, remember? Maybe it's Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer that need to move their tabs to the bottom of the menu area just like Safari.
There's nothing wrong with leaving some an aspect of the UI alone if it works just fine the way it is. UIs should not be changed just for the sake of change, just to "so that they do not end up looking old, dated," etc. When something works well, people get used to the way it is, and any change from that is not well-tolerated, especially if there's no significant benefit to the change (as in this case).
This change isn't going to do anything for those with vision deficiencies. And computer software designers are not in the habit of suddenly deciding to update their software to cater to those with hardware that's several years old, so I doubt that Apple did this just for those with smaller displays.
As I said before, if Apple is changing the entire UI, then I would agree that it's something we'd all just have to get used to. I think a big change across the board would actually be easier to get used to than a change to just one single program, because when only one program is changed, we still have all the other programs continuing to reinforce our expectation of how things are supposed to be. But everything changing at once is a shock that jars our old expectations out of place to make room for learning something new. It's the inconsistency that's my biggest problem.
