Filed under: Rumors, Snow Leopard
'Marble' to be the next look-and-feel for Mac OS X?
Snow Leopard, the next major version of Mac OS X, will include minor tweaks to the user interface, according to MacRumors' Arnold Kim.
"The new theme will likely involve tweaks to the existing design and perhaps a 'flattening' of Aqua in-line with Apple's iTunes and iPhoto interface elements," Kim writes.
AppleInsider's Kate Marsal posted a screenshot of some controls purported to be part of the new interface, dubbed "Marble." It's unclear where the screenshot came from, as Kim writes that development builds have so far used Leopard's version of the Aqua theme. They could easily be Photoshopped screenshots of iPhoto or iTunes, so take that with a grain of salt.
Daring Fireball's John Gruber wrote that Marble was the codename for the new interface scheme in his Macworld predictions roundup, but said later he was wrong when it was not announced during the keynote. He wagered that the look would feature "iTunes-style scrollbars everywhere, darker window chrome, and a light-text-on-dark-background menu bar."
Snow Leopard is rumored to be released before the end of March.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
donotfold said 1:26PM on 1-14-2009
That screenshot is from the current iTunes (put it on grid view + genius bar).
Reply
Chris said 1:06PM on 1-14-2009
Exactly. And it is clearly Photoshopped.
Big John said 1:20PM on 1-14-2009
Not really sure why Robert claimed this to be a direct screenshot of the new interface. The original article doesn't really claim it as such, and it's obvious where the interface elements came from. It's just a mashup (read: cropped and edited) of the existing interface elements.
Nothing to see here, move along.
Robert Palmer said 1:29PM on 1-14-2009
@Big John: That's not my claim. AppleInsider's caption on the image was "Interface elements and colors of the rumored 'Marble' theme." I said it was "a screenshot of some controls purported to be part of the new interface." I think it's accurate paraphrasing, and I didn't claim it was a "direct screenshot" of anything. Fact is, I was the first one to question its veracity in the story.
Lay it at my feet if you want, but I'm comfortable with how I wrote it up.
mentalsticks said 2:25PM on 1-14-2009
>Lay it at my feet if you want, but I'm comfortable with how I wrote it up.
There are some things you just don't get, Robert. And not for the first time either.
Robert Palmer said 2:44PM on 1-14-2009
I love you, mentalsticks.
Johnny said 3:15PM on 1-14-2009
Robert, you kill me.
Steve said 1:09PM on 1-14-2009
I doubt there is any legitimacy to this, but PLEASE do not do that whole "shiny glass" crap that is all over Windows. I freaking HATE that ugly reflection crap.
Reply
stephen said 3:02PM on 1-14-2009
I totally agree. Vista looks like someone through the glass filters in Fireworks in a potato gun and went to town. I mean, how many layers of glass with slight opacity do you need until as a designer you go, "yeah, that's totally unreadable! Good job! High fives all around!"
Carlos said 1:14PM on 1-14-2009
I'd also expect to see more HUD (heads up display) transparencies and rid us of so much dead space that covers everyone's wallpaper.
As for the theme, I'd prefer it to mimic Aperture than iTunes.
Reply
Big John said 1:21PM on 1-14-2009
Some of us like that dead space, thanks.
JedixJarf said 1:26PM on 1-14-2009
This looks like a screenshot of iTunes 8
Reply
schroef said 1:29PM on 1-14-2009
It's just this part of iTunes 8:
http://crew.techzine.nl/good-fella/dump/iTunes8crop.png
Reply
Ian said 1:59PM on 1-14-2009
Some foolish part of me still holds hope that they will someday attach the menu bars to the window they belong to instead of the top of the main screen. (which is a multi-monitor nightmare)
Reply
Fernando said 2:21PM on 1-14-2009
Or just make the menu bar extent thru various displays. That'd be my perfect solution.
And on the article, hopefully it isn't, mac os x is getting too dark in my opinion, since tiger.
+. said 2:29PM on 1-14-2009
so every app can start looking like this [ http://i42.tinypic.com/2s1oxt0.jpg ] ? good heavens i hope not.
if Windows has taught us nothing else, it's that developers can't be trusted not to make ass-ugly applications unless an interface standard is enforced.
also, i rock multiple dual-monitor Mac setups, & have never once had issues with the menubar. you can move it to either monitor in System Preferences.
Squid7085 said 3:04PM on 1-14-2009
That is one of the things I LOVE about the Mac OS. Having the menu-bar in every app be in the same place is perfect. And even more so now in OS X where it tells you the App name.
Ian said 3:11PM on 1-14-2009
@+. Sure, you can put it on either monitor, but you can't put it on both. If you have dual cinema displays and your mouse is can be over 2,000 pixels away from the menu, things it's time to rethink your design.
Johnny said 3:13PM on 1-14-2009
Matter of opinion, obviously. I much prefer the menu bar where it is. I find it easier to throw the cursor to the top of the screen, or even to another screen, than finding the menu in the midst of a window.
I do not like the new look, though. It is a step backwards in my opinion and is looking a lot like (great name) +.'s screenshot of old Windows. It's just so drab and boring - not nearly as inspired as Apple's usual work. If they are going to make it more simple, they need to allow the user to pick some colors to replace that grayish blue in iTunes - bleh.
gozer said 6:17PM on 1-14-2009
cntrl+f2, keyboard shortcuts and right-click should have you going into the menu as little as possible.