iOS: A visual history
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about iOS is how similar the OS as it exists today is to the OS as it existed 2007, yet the number and breadth of features that Apple has baked in since then is mind boggling. Far from suffering from the “feature creep” that typically bogs down operating systems over time, iOS has managed to stay relatively snappy and is more internally consistent than anything else available today.
Amen. Pretty good read that shows the slow evolution to iOS5.
Spin!
A progress spinner with no images. Nice.
America the Story of Us
I’ve been watching this on Netflix lately. Awesome series.
Is the Desktop Having an Identity Crisis?
Good read on what Apple and Microsoft are doing to their desktop operating system roadmaps.
Both new operating systems reflect a tectonic shift in personal computing. They incorporate elements from mobile operating systems alongside more conventional desktop features. But demos of both operating systems suggest that users could face a confusing mishmash of design ideas and interaction methods.
Even though I disagree with this wave of incorporating mobile UI into the desktop I agree with some of the concepts that Apple has been bringing into OS X. The new perspective on the file system is great for average users. Full screen applications help users with window management. Gestures are great but I’m not sure how an average user adapts to them. Now disappearing scrollbars and mission control, eh. Not sold on those.
The direction that Microsoft is taking just boggles my mind. It looks like Windows Phone on the desktop. To be fair Windows8 is still under development so we will have to wait and see what that looks like.
