ui

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on ui:

How to detach MacSafari’s download popover to make a proper window

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Some more confusing windows.
Some more confusing windows.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Did you ever wish that Safari on the Mac had a proper download manager? Or at least a proper download window,

instead of the popover that sticks to the browser window and gets in the way until you close it?

Well, today your wishes will come true. Or this one modest wish will come true at least.

Ex-Apple engineer invents new UI that’s shaded by lights in your room

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iOS UI
This UI tweak would make iOS even better.
Photo: Bob Burrough

The overall UI of iOS hasn’t changed too much since iOS 7 got rid of skeuomorphism, but an ex-Apple employee has come up with a brilliant UI concept that makes elements on your iPhone look like real-life objects.

Former Apple software engineer Bob Burrough posted a video of an environmentally-lit user interface he’s developing and even though it’s still very basic, it looks very promising. By using the iPhone’s front-facing camera, the iPhone’s UI shades objects based on the lighting in a room. It may not sound that exciting, but once you see it in action you’ll be wowed.

Check it out:

iOS 12 UI tweaks let you interact with apps as they’re opening

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iOS 12
This iOS 12 tweak will save you so much time over time.
Photo: Apple

Apple is giving the iPhone a more fluid UI with some tiny tweaks in iOS 12 designed to shave tenths of seconds off each interaction.

You may not even notice the changes once iOS 12 launches to the public, but in a session at WWDC last week, Apple revealed how you can now perform actions without waiting for UI animations to finish. It sounds like an insignificant update, but once you see it in action you’ll be swooning for iOS 12’s release.

Prepare to be wowed:

Google ‘borrows’ from iPhone X for Android P design

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iPhone X Notch
How's battery life on your iPhone with iOS 11.4?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

New screenshots reveal Google took inspiration from iPhone X when designing its upcoming Android P update.

The operating system’s refreshed user interface features a multitasking interface that looks like it was pulled straight from iOS — as well as a familiar virtual Home button.

Stylish Apple Glasses concept imagines the AR future

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Apple glasses
Would you wear these Apple shades?
Photo: Martin Hajek

Apple’s probably not coming out with AR glasses anytime this decade, but that’s not stopping concept designers from flooding the web with dreams of what Apple’s spectacles will look like.

This latest concept comes from Martin Hajek and they’re definitely the most stylish Apple Glasses vaporware we’ve seen yet. The Apple Glasses in Hajek’s mockups actually look like real glasses, only they’re also big enough to provide some useful information to the wearer.

Take a closer look:

Apple Music for Android finally gets new iOS 10 design

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The latest release also includes Chromecast support.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple Music subscribers on Android got some much-needed love from Apple today in the form of an update that brings a fresh UI to the streaming app.

It’s been nearly a year since Apple unveiled its Apple Music redesign as part of iOS 10 at WWDC 2016, but Android users are just now getting a taste of the interface’s bold, streamlined look.

New video shows iPhone prototypes going head-to-head

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Apple's earliest iOS prototypes.
Photo: Sonny Dickson

Apple calls iOS “the world’s most advanced mobile operating system,” but it was almost the world’s worst.

Before deciding on the icon-based user interface we know and love today, Apple designed an awful prototype UI that was based on the iPod’s software and controlled with a virtual click-wheel. Check it out in the video below.

Home Sharing is caring — all the new goodies in iOS 9 beta 4

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iOS 9 beta 4 is out with some new features and UI tweaks.

iOS 9 beta 4 is out for developers two weeks after beta 3’s release as expected. It’s time for the usual roundup of new goodies in the latest beta and beta 4 doesn’t shy away from the tradition. It’s not nearly as big of a release as last time with Apple Music and Apple News both making their debut, but beta 4 still brings some nice improvements and tweaked features. Let’s get right into it.

The Apple Watch’s design is even more beautiful round

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Perhaps the most surprising thing about Apple’s reveal on Tuesday of their first smartwatch was that it was square.

Many of us were expecting something that was at least curved, if not round: a more traditional watch form factor that represented an evolutionary step away from the square displays Apple has embraced since the original Apple I.

Of course, as we all know, the Apple Watch is boxy, at least for now. But as these renders show, the Apple Watch design and UI would work just as well, if not more so, in a round casing, with a round display.

How Apple Should Fix iOS 7.1’s Horrible Shift-Key

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Current iOS 7.1 keyboard - is the Shift key on or off?

Among Jony Ive’s many changes brought to iOS 7 was the tinkering of the keyboard’s Shift key which has inexplicably gotten worse over time.

Streaks of successfully guessing whether the shift key is on or not should be award with showers of iTunes credits, but as designer Geoff Teehan points out, Apple could fix its keyboard woes with one simple change.

Check it out:

Redesigned VLC Gets Google Drive & Dropbox Integration

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VLC-iOS-redesign

VLC, a popular third-party video player for iOS, today received a major update that introduces a swanky new design and lots of new features. The app now looks right at home on devices running iOS 7, and it has the ability to stream videos from Google Drive and Dropbox. You can even download videos from UPnP media multimedia servers on your local network.

8 Tacky Design Crimes That Jonathan Ive Should Set Right In iOS 7 [Feature]

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So long, Scott Forstall. Don't let your crappy skeuomorphic designs hit your ass on the way out.

Skeuomorphism, or the tendency to deliberately make something new look like something old and familiar. Some people love it, some people hate it and think it’s tacky.

No matter how you feel, his love for skeuomorphism is one of many reasons that former iOS chief Scott Forstall was fired yesterday. Replacing him is Apple’s Senior VP of Design, Jonathan Ive, who will lead a new Human Interface Group in Apple… and whom reportedly loathes skeuomorphism with every fiber of his being.

All that fake leather stitching, those hideous textures, those bizarre font choices in iOS’s stock apps? If Ive gets his way — and we think he will — they’re all about to change.

Here are the eight skeuomorphic apps in iOS 6 we hope Jony Ive is going to change in iOS 7, along with some third-party apps we hope he takes inspiration from.

Apple Redesigns App Store Search Layout In iOS 6

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As part of Apple’s App Store redesign in iOS 6, thanks in part to their acquisition of Chomp, a new search result interface has been rolling out tonight for both the iPad and iPhone. The redesign, which brings a new cards-style interface to searches, replaces the old list format of results. As you can see from below, the design is consistent across both the iPhone and iPad user interface.

Steve Jobs Told Samsung Not To Steal Inertial Scrolling, Right Before They Stole It Anyway

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iPhone-scrolling
Steve Jobs was particularly proud of the iPhone's inertial scrolling feature.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned blogging about Apple, it’s that the company doesn’t stand for copycats — especially when those copycats go after patents that Steve Jobs was particularly proud of. That’s what Samsung did when it copied Apple’s inertial scrolling feature, right after Jobs told them not to.

New UI And Amazing 3D Images Coming Soon To Google Earth For Android And iOS

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At today’s Google Maps event, Google revealed a few planned features for not only Google Maps for Android (no mention of iOS), but also Google Earth for Android and iOS. The Google Maps announcement was simply offline support, and something that users have been after for years. In Google Earth news, Google announced stunning new 3D images and a new UI would be coming soon to both Android and iOS platforms.

Giveaway – Win Over $900 Worth Of Cult Of Mac Video Tutorials! [Deals]

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It’s the time of year where we start to remove clutter from our lives and get some serious spring cleaning done. That doesn’t just mean what’s visible in your home and office, but the stuff inside your computer — and your head as well. It’s time to take some of those ideas you have or those projects you’ve started and see them through to completion — or toss them out completely. Ands no one really likes to do the latter unless they simply don’t have the tools and time to get the job done.

Well, if you’ve been yearning to create that awesome iPhone app or game, been itching to put together that WordPress site that converts clicks into cash and have that business you’ve been wanting to start but don’t have the resources you think you need….we’ve got a chance for you to take care of all of that. That’s because we are offering you a chance to win 4 of our video tutorial courses courtesy of Cult of Mac Deals. These courses are valued at over $900!

Last Chance to Become a Mobile Design Rockstar [Deals]

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CoMMobileDesign

Tired of spending numerous hours — and possibly dollars — trying to create your own mobile app design? If you’re looking to save time and money on several levels and still hit the mark with your mobile app, then you’ve got one last chance to take advantage of our latest Cult of Mac Deals offer…and become a mobile design rockstar.

Your ideas for apps may be plentiful — and maybe even your wellspring for creativity is as well, but the amount we’ve crammed into this package would rival both of those. What you’ll get in this deal are tons of editable Photoshop and Pixelmator files, containing over 300 custom and standard design elements for both the iOS and Android platforms.

And we’re giving you that — and more — at a savings of 61% off the regular price.

The Cult of Mac Path to Becoming a Mobile Design Rockstar [Deals]

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So you’ve got your mobile app idea and you’ve learned Objective C / Java and are ready to start coding. Now all that’s left to do is to create an elegant and inviting user interface so that people will actually use your app.

And now you’ve hit that roadblock.

Today we’re introducing you to design guru Jen Gordon as part of our newest Cult of Mac Deals offer that will help you become a mobile design rockstar – and at a savings of 61% off the normal price!

Replace The Glossy Text Bubbles In iChat With Something Less Aqua-ey

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ichat-matte-lion

I’ve never particularly cared for iChat. It’s less full-featured than free alternatives like Adium, and since it can’t easily be skinned, if you hate all the bubbles and aqua in the UI, there’s not a lot you can do about it. Luckily, over at OS X Daily, they’ve put together a fantastic and simple way to replace the iChat Aqua Text Bubbles with a flatter, less idiosyncratic matte version. Check it out: this is really the way iChat should look by default.