Google "toolbar" has disappeared and "reader" has replaced it. How do I get my search bar back?

While I appreciate what you're saying, I'd still prefer using the old toolbar. I don't need the reader to get rid of ads for me. I have no problem blocking them out when I'm reading a webpage. The new address/search bar may remember previous searches, but I have to click the back button to find what they were, where before, my search would still be in the search bar. If it wasn't broke, why fix it? OR, at least, they could give us the option of having the separate search bar.

I also agree about not liking the stretched tabs. It might make things "look" neat, but it's a pain.

Personally, I think it looked neater w/ the separate search/address bars. I could look up and see what website i was on, and what search I did in one glance. Now I can't.

For the time being I'm going to change to Firefox. I want an provider that Apple cannot control or change. While up til now I had almost complete trust in Apple I've been too trusting. What they've done here isn't an upgrade it's a downgrade and they could have at least given the users a choice. I'm trying to use this as a learning experience and will no longer just click install on system updates, I will read the changes and make my own decisions.

Bill

I agree with abarrysmith.

I use the Magic Trackpad and sometimes seperate it from my Magic Keyboard (Usually combined with the Magic Clamp which turns them into one device), w/a Mac Mini.

Therefore the double tap (Sorry I said click in last Post), is a great advantage!

The Google Search vs. Reader issue is arguable, but the stretched tabs and missing `tap for tab´ possibilities are a downright dissapointment.

I suppose it´s a matter of taste, and a case of getting accustomed to the changes.

But like it or not, the upgraded Safari is a regression rather than an advancement in user friendliness concerning these matters.

The best way would have been to give us the choice of adding the Google search, de-stretching the tabs and therewith allowing the `tap for tab´ option.

This must have been easily possible to implement via the `Customize Toolbar´.

I know one can´t have everything but, C´mon Apple, do us a favor and LISTEN to this!!!

Thanks JAIger,

for the really thoughtful comments.

As I say, one can´t have `everything´.

And as you say: "it's not really worth it to stay set in your ways"

Apple should still consider expanding their choices in Customize Toolbar(s).

After all, we apple users are as diverse as the product themselves, and the more diversity and options;

The more people will use them.

And the more we use them (Instead of having to look for alternatives in other browsers), the more Apple will sell and grow.

So it makes more sense to squeeze in as many user preferences as possible.

Maybe Apple will reconsider, and at least give us the choice 😕

If enough people provide feedback through the right channels, Apple's pretty good at responding to consumer sentiment even if it won't happen immediately. An example in Safari:

Safari 4 used a blue progress bar that filled the address bar from left to right as a page loaded.

Safari 5 changed that progress indicator to a little pie icon that filled clockwise from white to grey as a page loaded. I personally hated it, and thought the bar animation was more informative and easier to see.

I guess enough people made the case about it, and now Safari 6 is back to the bar-style progress animation for page loading.

Any UI change is naturally jarring because we ingrain a certain workflow into our minds and muscle memory takes over. UI changes disrupt that. But if we stuck to that crutch as to why we don't reexamine how we do something (interfacing with a computer, browsing the web) we'd all still be using our Macs through a text-based, Terminal interface.

Take multi-touch gestures, for instance: I was all about shortcut keys to do a lot of things gestures do now. At first, I hated gestures. Now, I use gestures I've deemed more efficient instead of shortcut keys for about half of my workflow with OS X.

To be perfectly honest, Chrome was my default browser before getting the Retina MBP. I like how you can direct navigate to tabs by pressing APPLE+[number of the tab in the row] (e.g. pressing APPLE+2 takes me to the second open tab from the left) in Chrome. Also, the shortcut to move between tabs in Chrome (CTRL+LEFT/RIGHT) is ergonomically easier on the fingers than Safari's (CTRL+TAB and CTRL+SHIFT+TAB). The current Chrome build isn't Retina optimized and the Beta of Chrome that IS Retina optimized is having trouble with the Intel HD 4000 graphics card and causing kernel panics.

So, it's Safari for now until Chrome sorts things out. Firefox is too slow nowadays when compared to Safari and Chrome.

newdna wrote:

WHEN YOU DO A SEARCH A LIST POPS UP OVER THE TEXT YOU ARE LOOKING AT THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO READ TO DO A SEARCH ON.

Um, no. No it doesn't. The dropdown list of search options pops up underneath the search field, covering nothing. There is no change in the behavior of the dropdown menu between Safari 6 and the previous version when the address bar and search bar were separate.

PS: Turn your caps lock off.

PPS: If your search history is so long that the dropdown menu is extending all the way down the Safari window...clear your recent searches every once in a while. Regularly cleaning Safari of all the muck that gets left on it from web browsing activity is also a good idea.

I'm curious to know what you're searching for that you can't remember the search term in the two seconds it takes to mouse over to the search bar and type what you're looking for. If there's really some sort of complicated passage on a webpage that your long-*** dropdown menu is blocking, and you can't remember what it says, you could always highlight the passage you want to search on the page, right-click, and select "Search with Google."

Class dismissed.

The reason why I find the "unified" field a dis-improvement: Those two input fields have two distinct purposes. One is for navigating and one is for searching. After a few days of using it, I still feel that something is wrong. It just doesn't feel good to separate those two things with extra brainpower just because they are stuffed together in one place.

Two very similar looking fields are less clutter than that what comes up if you type in something in the new field: The user is confronted with a lot more stuff than he actually wants. If you do a search, you'll have to deal with a 4-segmented dropdown. Not helpful for easy use.

In theory, on paper, erasing the search field might look like "reduce clutter" and simplify. But in reality it does the opposite.

I think some years back there was a broser who had this combined url/search field, but discontinued it later...

Sorting and designing stuff according to it's usecase should do the trick. Since Lion I only see things getting chopped off instead of getting well designed. Usability seems to be sacrificed.

Apple once had the ability to pack highly useful and efficient stuff into a great looking slick design. Not anymore.

Noonan3 wrote:

As far as keeping Google as my default browser, that no longer exists. I had to change my browser from Google to Yahoo. I feel as though Google has now been running slower than ever since this update, and I am highly dissapointed. What a shame, I used to use Google for everything. Sorry, Google, we're through!

Google is not a browser, and neither is Yahoo, do you mean Home Page or Search engine, in fact, what do you mean?

paid4c4 wrote:

OK, now we know what's wrong and how it happened how do we change it? I don't want Google search and Safari address bar to be combined to one bar. Can I un-install the update which caused this mess?

Bill

If you took the time to backup before you installed Mountain Lion you can, if not you will need to erase your installation and reinstall the previous one. This will wipe everything from your machine so make sure that you back it up first.

paid4c4 wrote:

For the time being I'm going to change to Firefox. I want an provider that Apple cannot control or change. While up til now I had almost complete trust in Apple I've been too trusting. What they've done here isn't an upgrade it's a downgrade and they could have at least given the users a choice. I'm trying to use this as a learning experience and will no longer just click install on system updates, I will read the changes and make my own decisions.

Bill

You had the choice of installing ML or not, ML was a purchase not a system update, so you had to buy it before you replaced your operating system.

papalapapp wrote:

snip

I think some years back there was a broser who had this combined url/search field, but discontinued it later...

snip

IE9, Chrome and Safari have unified search and navigation fields, not 'years back' but now, it was not discontinued.

I think some years back there was a broser who had this combined url/search field, but discontinued it later...

Firefox and Chrome currenlty use a unified bar. If anything this is what we're trending towards. Separate bars are what's being discarded as the legacy feature, not vice versa:

This behavior will be familiar to users of Firefox's Awesome Bar or Chrome's unified search/address field, but it's new for Safari.

Why would I downgrade to Safari 5 when I'm perfectly fine wtih Safari 6?

I'm just letting people on this thread know that Apple makes downloads of their built-in apps available in the Support section of the site. You don't have to downgrade a whole OS just to roll back one app.