OSX vs. iOS

[dirkph]

What's the general consensus on Apple integrating iOS elements into OSX?

Personally? I hate the idea of it. To us power users, I don't think Apple should be promoting LaunchPad as an element of a "lesser" operating system.

It just sounds like a weak attempt to persuade all of the iPhone and iPad users of the world to switch to OSX. To most people I've talked to, it's more of a deterrent.

I recognize LaunchPad as a good feature, I just don't like that angle they're approaching.

 

[neko girl]

Launchpad lets you organize applications in logical, not physical buckets. Why do you think it is less advanced?

Launchpad really is the graphical incarnation of Windows Start/All Programs Menu.. OS X was long overdue something like this.

 

[MikhailT]

What's the general consensus on Apple integrating iOS elements into OSX?

Personally? I hate the idea of it. To us power users, I don't think Apple should be promoting LaunchPad as an element of a "lesser" operating system.

It just sounds like a weak attempt to persuade all of the iPhone and iPad users of the world to switch to OSX. To most people I've talked to, it's more of a deterrent.

I recognize LaunchPad as a good feature, I just don't like that angle they're approaching.

It's not required for you to use it just like you don't need to use Dashboard, spaces and so on. It's just one extra view of your applications. You can still use the Applications folder as a stack on your Dock.

 

[dirkph]

Launchpad lets you organize applications in logical, not physical buckets. Why do you think it is less advanced?

Launchpad really is the graphical incarnation of Windows Start/All Programs Menu.. OS X was long overdue something like this.

I don't think it's less advanced. As I said, it looks to me like a good feature, but the "iOS' stigma is bothersome. It just seems less appealing to people who want a robust and "desktop" experience, not an iOS experience.

 

[neko girl]

@dirkph, people unfamiliar with Mac OS already have the misconception that it is less powerful because it is graphically more attractive. I don't think that you as a Mac user need to reserve the same (inaccurate) stereotype. Part of the "power" of an operating system is its usability. Improvements that shave off microseconds and seconds off of a workflow are infinitely more powerful and business oriented than something like Windows 3.11.

 

[kuwisdelu]

If it's a feature I don't like but I don't have to use, why should I care.

As long as I get features that do help me like Versions, improved Finder, etc., I don't see why it's a problem to introduce more consumer-friendly features.

 

[crammedberry]

OP, wait until you can give Lion a try. I was thinking the same thing before; I wanted a streamlined, efficient OS, not an over-bloated iPhone-turned-to-Mac. But since I used the developer seed of Lion, I realized that all those pesky little 'iOS' add-ons actually come in handy, and do, as someone stated above, make your workflow that much more efficient.

 

[mrblack927]

I agree with the "you don't have to use it if you don't like it" mentality. I'm glad most of the features they are introducing are optional. I will never use launchpad, I use spotlight. I'll never use fullscreen apps either, I like multitasking. The fact that they added those features doesn't bother me as long as us "power users" can still use the old functionality.

My problem is that they are starting to get rid of other features. Most notably Spaces. In Snow Leopard I have my spaces arranged in a 2x2 grid. I assign certain apps to certain workspaces by project, I always know where everything is (without looking), and it only takes me 1 keystroke to move between them. In Lion however, the spaces are forced into a line, there is an extra space (that you can't remove) for dashboard, and they change position on their own based on usage. It's very inefficient. With multiple monitors, it's even worse.

This isn't one of those features that you can just say "oh well, if you don't like the new style, just use the old one". The old spaces is gone. They removed it completely and gave us no option to set preferences to make it similar to SL. I won't comment on other smaller features because those could change before release, but it seems clear that the new Spaces is here to stay, and it's a big step backwards in my opinion.

 

[vincenz]

I'd probably never use launchpad either. It just seems like an extra step. Nothing the app folder can't already do.

 

[Patrick946]

My problem is that they are starting to get rid of other features. Most notably Spaces. In Snow Leopard I have my spaces arranged in a 2x2 grid. I assign certain apps to certain workspaces by project, I always know where everything is (without looking), and it only takes me 1 keystroke to move between them. In Lion however, the spaces are forced into a line, there is an extra space (that you can't remove) for dashboard, and they change position on their own based on usage. It's very inefficient. With multiple monitors, it's even worse.

This isn't one of those features that you can just say "oh well, if you don't like the new style, just use the old one". The old spaces is gone. They removed it completely and gave us no option to set preferences to make it similar to SL. I won't comment on other smaller features because those could change before release, but it seems clear that the new Spaces is here to stay, and it's a big step backwards in my opinion.

I heard that you can use function key shortcuts to get to a specific space. It's not exactly the same as having spaces laid out in a grid, but it sounds similarly quick. Plus, Lion isn't even out yet, so technically they haven't taken anything away. It is still an incomplete operating system, maybe in the final release they will offer an option to arrange spaces into a grid.