MAC OS X: When Will It Grow Up?

Like most computer users, I have spent a great deal of time on both Windows and Macs. Each have their pros and cons, and there are (rightfully) stalwart proponents of both platforms. (Currently, I am on a new MacBook Pro, running OS X (10.4.10), with a 2.4 GHz, Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and 4 GBs RAM. Pretty powerful stuff, but I run several RAM-hogging apps constantly, so, somehow, it never seems to be fast enough.) I just got a sneak-peak at some shots of the new Mac OS X 10.5 (“Leopard”), which is still in beta, but progressing quickly, from what I can tell.

So, here’s my question: When will the Macintosh operating system grow up? Specifically, when will the Macintosh operating system GUI grow up? When the early previews of Leopard (which will be released soon as Mac OX 10.5) on Apple’s website were introduced, I was disappointed. Some of the exciting improvements included adding stationery to the Apple Mail.app - whooo! Microsoft’s Outlook and Outlook Express had stationery a decade ago. And who cares? I don’t need more graphics clogging up my hard drive or my applications.

The folks over at thinksecret.com have released the Mac OS X 10.5 9A527 Gallery, 61 JPEGS of what the new interface - the desktop, dock, finder windows, icons, apps, etc., will look like. Answer this question: Do you really want to work in an environment with a little cute robot (Automator) standing on a semi-transparent reflective glass floor (dock)? And I think most of us were pretty surprised to see the desktop background go from the pretty blue swirl/waves to blades of moist grass.

A few days ago, the new 10.5 installer/Welcome movie made the front page of Digg, to mixed reviews. Intentional or not, what we’re seeing of the yet-to-be-released new OS feels, well, childish.

Over at ZDNet, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes asks, “Will Leopard thrill or disappoint?.” He compares arguments of the “It’s bad because there’s not much that’s new” crowd, to the “It’s good because there’s not much that’s new” crowd, and concludes,

“I do wonder whether the issue of innovation (or the lack of it) comes down the fact that so many new systems are finding their way into the hands of very basic users.”

and

“Maybe those who seek higher levels of innovation will need to look away from consumer operating systems?”

I’m far from a basic user, but I made the decision that I was willing to sacrifice what I felt was a more precise environment/GUI experience (Windows) for one that worked all the time, and synced with all my applications and devices. But to pay $129 for basically a fresh coat of paint, some pretty icons and stationery, and the ability to revert to a prior install configuration, well, nope.

I won’t get into which platform is better overall. We all want our computers to work faster, handle increasingly bigger files, and remind us to eat. I just wish I didn’t feel like all those things were happening in a kindergarten environment. Say what you will about Windows, at least it’s designed for grownups.

Tags: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, GUI, thinksecret, ZDNet