“Apple today released Mac OS X 10.6.6 which which increases the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. What’s also very important in this release is the introduction of the long-awaited Mac App Store with more than 1,000 free and paid apps. The Mac App Store offers apps in a variety of categories. Users can browse new and noteworthy apps, find out what’s hot, see staff favorites, search categories and look up top charts for paid and free apps, as well as user ratings and reviews.” Anyone else bothered by the incredibly shoddy user interface? What the heck is up with the entirely messed up placement of the titlebar widgets? If you ever needed proof the Mac OS X team has become a ghost town thanks to iOS, this is it.
sure you can install anything from anywhere on macos, windows, linux …
but it’s sometimes nice to have a minimal level of assurance that something was thought of highly enough to be in a repository / store.
Be that MSUpdate, yum repos, or AppleStore …
I can understand that but isn’t a bit of a misleading or false assurance? I for one prefer to rely upon other people’s reviews and opinions. I don’t think I ever download a program (or buy anything online) without reading the available reviews.
For me, the strong point in repositories or “app stores” and similar concepts is in the convenience that a “single place where to find software” represents.
I don’t get the criticism. The App Store is very similar to the iTunes App Store, very easy to understand, good descriptions of the applications available, sorted into categories, couldn’t be easier to buy with your Apple ID. I know some people hate iTunes, call it the worst piece of software ever, etc, without giving any specifics as to why it is supposed to be bad. I find it incredibly easy to use, ad I do the App Store. Lest anyone call me an Apple fanboy simply because I like this software, I must disclose that I use a Windows 7 machine the majority of the time.
So I must ask for specifics as to what the author of this post meant when he mentions “the incredibly shoddy user interface” without any specifics, the “entirely messed up placement of the titlebar widgets” without any explanation or example, and that “the Mac OS X team has become a ghost town thanks to iOS” comment without any example. Talk about flamebait, this post is a perfect example of how NOT to write an article. Simply making accusations without giving any basis or explanation does not work.
Just look at the UI and you will instantly see it does not follow Apple’s own UI guidelines.
Apple has been historically very focused on UI consistency across OS X and its apps, but not anymore. It’s Apple themselves who are pushing the boundaries of those guidelines, and people are (as always) following on Apple’s footsteps.
Some say it’s for better, some say it’s for worse.
I, personally, like to have a consistent UI across different apps.
It’s not that developers aren’t allowed to personalize and experiment with the user experience on their apps, but completely ignore the guidelines is something that should be avoided, IMO.
You can find more information here:
http://riscfuture.tumblr.com/post/2626504717/app-store-twitter-ui-f…
Im not usually bothered by small UI changes, i just get on with it. When they changed the close, maximise and minimise in iTunes it didn’t bother me that much as the close was in the right place and i always minimise by double clicking the titlebar.
However the close, max, min button on the app store really stood out and look really awful, they just don’t look righ centred, especially when every other app has them top left, it’s really poor and something which would take 2 seconds to fix. The category and other buttons along the top are also pretty awful, i must admin the first time i loaded up the app store i missed them as they just look like part of the title bar. Im sure apple could have come up with a better way to present the buttons. The back and forward buttons look equally out of place. Perhaps if the close, min, max buttons were top left they would have fitted under just like safari.
Love the app store as it’s a good way to get the apps out there for developers and an easy and safe way for users to purchase apps. However the app looks like a demo or someones first go in xcode.
I usually sit back and dont say much, but I dont get it.
Since when should Apple be allowed to ‘push’ their products onto your mac and call it an ‘update’? IE/MS and EU anyone?
I hope this is optional, and will not be rolled-in to ‘updates’ in the future.
Do you think Apple really care about third-party developers, or is it just a way of collecting more cash?
Sorry, I’m cynical…and I own several macs!
Edited 2011-01-07 15:12 UTC