One of the reasons for having some of the changes, gloss, and even unnecessary, annoying gloss is so that they will be copied by competitors and application writers.
Since of those implementations will seek to "improve" upon the look (ie make it more extreme) this will put Apple in a good light. Witness Pixelmator, Aero, and Toast. Then Apple changes the rules of the game again and everything looks old. Without the contrast, Apple's changes cannot stand out as they need to.
It's when Apple tones down parts of the interface that I find it more interesting. The bland, embossed folders indicate that folders are no longer important. If you're using them as anything more than containers, you're out of date. Folders are no longer a tool for organizing and distinguishing information. We're in the metadata age now.
by Steve Weller — Oct 31
Since of those implementations will seek to "improve" upon the look (ie make it more extreme) this will put Apple in a good light. Witness Pixelmator, Aero, and Toast. Then Apple changes the rules of the game again and everything looks old. Without the contrast, Apple's changes cannot stand out as they need to.
It's when Apple tones down parts of the interface that I find it more interesting. The bland, embossed folders indicate that folders are no longer important. If you're using them as anything more than containers, you're out of date. Folders are no longer a tool for organizing and distinguishing information. We're in the metadata age now.