For pros who just want to get work done, Aperture 3’s improved interface, flawless curve adjustment, multiple maskable edits, and 64-bit update are more than enough reason to upgrade. Add the metadata improvements and the high-ISO RAW conversion, and you have an essential upgrade. If Apple can rein in the glitches, give pros a toggle for the gooey effects, and polish the masking tools, then the rest is just gravy.
Category: Design
New iPad Ad Seems Familiar
Apple started airing a new iPad ad tonight called “What is iPad?”. The Ad seems to be a departure from their recent ads with a bit of a gruff narrator walking through what the iPad is. However, it struck me as strangely familiar and I realized that Apple had reincarnated one of the original Apple Newton ads called “What is Newton?” from almost 20 years ago.
It’s eerie.
Windows Phone 7 Inches Closer to Production
Paul Thurrott has posted some screen shots of a “near-final” version of Microsoft’s new mobile OS. It’s very clean and very simple. I like it.
[via Chairmen Gruber]
Jakob Nielsen on the iPad
The iPad etched-screen aesthetic does look good. No visual distractions or nerdy buttons. The penalty for this beauty is the re-emergence of a usability problem we haven’t seen since the mid-1990s: Users don’t know where they can click.
It’s a good read, but in the real world, the device is a breeze to use. I think the days of this type of thinking are limited.
Google’s New Design
Jon Wiley, Senior User Experience Designer at Google, on the search giant’s revamped design:
During our process we focused on people’s rising expectations for search. As the web has evolved over the past decade, people have been typing more sophisticated searches and seeking out specialized search tools to match. To keep pace with rapid change online, we have teams of engineers working across Google to develop new ways to present and refine search results. Our central challenge with our latest redesign was to figure out how to squeeze all these tools and technologies into a single page.
MarsEdit 3 Released
It is here, and it is stunning.
[…]
Daniel is an absurdly talented developer for the Mac, and MarsEdit 3 is a rock solid piece of software. It is one of the most-used, most-important, and most-beloved applications I own.
Indeed. I’ve used MarsEdit since I launched ForkBombr, and upgraded this morning without a second’s hesitation.
The Dark Knight
David Airey has put together a wonderful tour of the history of the Batman logo:
Microsoft: Future is HTML5
Dean Hachamovitch, the General Manager over Internet Explorer at Microsoft c himes in on the future of the web:
The future of the web is HTML5. Microsoft is deeply engaged in the HTML5 process with the W3C. HTML5 will be very important in advancing rich, interactive web applications and site design. The HTML5 specification describes video support without specifying a particular video format. We think H.264 is an excellent format. In its HTML5 support, IE9 will support playback of H.264 video only.
Shoebox Apple Store
On the Apple LaserWriter
Benj Edwards has a great piece over at Macworld about the importance of the LaserWriter. It really did a lot to shape Apple into the company it is today.
On Charts
The purpose of a chart is to illuminate; if it’s harder to read than a raw-data table or a paragraph of text saying the same, then don’t use a chart. And if your goal is simply to create a pretty graphic, then don’t try beefing up your science cred with this “information” stuff.
Arranging data in an aesthetically pleasing way with no regard for how the arrangement affects the viewer’s understanding is simply dishonest.
Steven Frank Unboxes the iPad
This is the most recent in his series that started with his iPhone 3GS unboxing.