Are the x - + buttons actually smaller?

[bitsoda]

Hi, I tried searching the forums, but couldn't find any info regarding the size of the x - + buttons located in the upper left corner of application windows. I remember reading around the web that the actual button size of the red/yellow/green orbs has decreased and wanted confirmation of this by anyone running Lion.

If the orb sizes have actually shrunk, why, do you think, Apple decided to make the already small targets more difficult to interact with? Everything else in Lion looks great so far, but this change leaves me scratching my head. I presume the new size is the same as iTunes' orbs in Snow Leopard, which is far too small for my liking. Thanks for any replies.

 

[celticpride678]

Yes, they are smaller. The reason is because the larger buttons look ugly (Apple just finally realized it). They're not any harder to click to be honest with you, and they look much better and sharper than in Snow Leopard.

You get used to it quickly.

 

[bitsoda]

Thanks for the reply. The design looks unchanged, but I guess it does appear "sharper" by virtue of being smaller. Hopefully it won't cause a usability issue.

 

[RoelJuun]

Yes, they are smaller. The reason is because the larger buttons look ugly (Apple just finally realized it). They're not any harder to click to be honest with you, and they look much better and sharper than in Snow Leopard.

You get used to it quickly.

I too find that they're not very beautiful, but my parents sometimes have difficulties closing a window (they don't use shortcuts) because of their eyes and the combination/difficulties with the trackpad. For them it would be nice to have an option that enlarges these buttons. I for one am glad that these buttons are smaller in Lion.

 

[bitsoda]

I would welcome an option to increase the size to at least pre-Lion proportions. This change baffles me. Lion is billing itself as a desktop OS that is welcoming to users of Apple's iOS devices, but this change seems very user-unfriendly. Sure, I could make use of CMD+M to minimize, but I don't see someone like my sister, for example, learning keyboard shortcuts and nailing that smaller yellow orb with consistency.

The only reasoning that would make sense besides being more aesthetically pleasing, though coming at the expense of usability, is that Apple really wants to push Spaces usage in Lion and seeks to shift window management over to space management. For me, this way of using a computer is obtuse as I much prefer managing a single viewing space through minimization and window tiling by employing indispensable apps like BetterSnapTool/Cinch. Ah well, I'm sure it won't be a game changer.

 

[Nosoforos]

Most people I know that have difficulty handling windows, never even minimize or close a window. I so often see that people have like 35 windows open, resulting in a horrible mess that becomes unworkable within Expose. Maybe for most people the whole open-minimize-close paradigm should just go. Hmm, sounds a bit like iOS...

 

[Yamcha]

I personally really found the Snow Leopard traffic lights ugly, and mainly because you could see pixels, maybe I appreciate it more then other people because I'm a web designer, but I think the new look is an improvement, as far clicking goes I haven't had any issues personally, but yeah people with impaired eyesight could have some difficulties, i think Apple should have an option to make them larger just in case..

 

[baryon]

I like the smaller buttons. They just look better. I personally never use them. I never minimize windows because I use Spaces and have enough space to have them all open. I don't use the buttons to close windows, as I use Cmd + W and Cmd + Q all the time. My hands are always on the keyboard so it's just faster. I don't use the "+" button either because it's a total mess and it never works. Go on, press the green button now in Safari. See what it does? WTF?

I think that's why Apple is making them smaller, they now have less importance.

 

[ErikGrim]

The buttons are smaller in appearance, but the click targets are the same. No decrease in usability and it looks MUCH nicer. Opening a pro app like Aperture or Logic where the buttons are the old size looks ludicrous now compared to the nice size in Lion.