I’m happy with the new look, although I personally think it feels a little unfinished (aqua scrollbars still? Hmm). Unifying the look across core applications was the right decision, especially when Apple are picking up new users in droves.
A Comparison:
Smarter Filters, Cover Flow & Quick View
Better smart filters are very welcome. Although they didn’t use them in exactly the same way I expected, the fact that they are providing pre-created filters is sure to let users actually know filtering exists - and is useful in everyday situations.
Cover Flow was a given, I’m not sure why I didn’t pick up on that one. Apple loves it, although I’m still unsure whether this will be any more than an added whistle. Perhaps for folders of pictures or videos I can see it being helpful, but for viewing the applications folder? I doubt it.
Quick view is excellent. I think it could be the best feature announced. I hate opening up apps just to check to see if I have the right document. Hopefully this will be easily extensible, so 3rd party developers can add support for their own document types.
No Tabs - But Hello Breadcrumb!
I wish Apple would add tabs. Perhaps this breaks too many interface guidelines to be considered. I still think it would be extremely useful - providing I can drop files onto a tab and have it spring open in the same way folders do.
One thing that did find its way in to the new Finder was a bread crumb. I thought this had very little chance to be honest, but it’s a very welcome addition. We see bread crumbs on websites all the time, and they are a critical component to the iTunes store. Users know what they mean, so the Finder seems the perfect place to use them.
Overall a great (and needed) upgrade. I’m looking forward to using it.
2 responses so far ↓
Stuart // June 23, 2007 at 9:25 am
I can’t say that I care much for the breadcrumbs being at the bottom, I think I’d prefer your approach much more with them at the top as it’s a feature I think I’d use a lot. Perhaps there’s a preference where you can set their position.
Although coverflow is cool… I doubt I’d use it nearly as much as a treed view. That’s the one thing from Windows that I miss on the Mac. Coverflow is a cool UI feature but I’m not sure it helps you find anything more quickly. It’s great in iTunes because you can easily identify artists. I’m not sure that carries over for regular files.
Jeff Adams // August 7, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Just give me a tree view and I would be happy.
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