[X4U] Let's start the FUD presses.

[Randy B.Singer]

DZ-Jay said:

>An therein lies my question:  did Apple really change the UI for 
>Mail.app (and other apps)?


Yes, Apple drastically changed the interface of Mail.app.  After seeing 
how many users were investigating PowerMail, GyazMail, and the like, 
longing for a two/three-pane interface similar to that in the much loved 
Claris Emailer, and the very popular Outlook Express, Apple decided to 
give users what they wanted.

The slide out drawers introduced early in OS X just don't cut it for many 
folks.  First, its nicer to have all of the information that you want 
available, available all the time, in an uncluttered interface.  Second, 
slide out drawers sometimes take up more screen real estate than some 
user's monitors have to spare.

And, yes, Mail.app now has a more muted version of the brushed metal 
look.  Actually, it harkens back to the "platinum" look of OS 9, only it 
is more three dimentional.  I like it.  In fact, it is what a lot of 
users, who hated both Aqua and the brushed metal look,  have been asking 
for for quite a while.  It is similar to a number of themes available 
with OS X theme-changers.

Apple has had a recent history of previewing interface changes with 
Safari and Mail.app.  I hope that the look in the latest version of 
Mail.app is likewise an indication of where Apple is headed.  I think 
that it shows that Apple has been listening to it users.

 



Randy B. Singer
Co-Author of: The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th and 6th editions)

Routine OS X Maintenance and Generic Troubleshooting
http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html