* Not a guarantee
I recently replaced my 2nd generation MacBook Pro with a new Unibody 15″ model. You have to hand it to Apple, they really know how to make great products even better, I am very happy with the replacement.
I had many concerns pre-purchase due to the glossy screen being the only option. I read loads of reviews and it seemed that just about everyone was complaining about this technology becoming standard, and not just on Apple hardware. In the end I couldn’t bring myself to shell out the huge price jump to a 17″ (with optional matte screen), so I decided to bring on the gloss.
This is a decision that I have not regretted one bit. I am very impressed with the improvements in screen technology since my last model. I have often found that the sheer brightness of the new screens is enough to overpower most screen reflections. The only time this isn’t the case is when the screen is full of black imagery, which happens rarely for me. Having this as my primary work machine means that the laptop screen is my secondary screen, so the chances of any reflections causing issues during my working day are almost non-existent (primary monitor is a 24″ matte Dell). When at home it’s a struggle to find a location that renders the screen unusable. As a test I sat with a sunny window behind me, and set up both the my old and new mac. I admit this was the worst reflection imaginable, however it was a total fail for the matte screen also which dissipated the sunlight and created a white glow across the whole screen. The gloss was no better and no worse in this situation.
Each to their own of-course. How and where I use my computer will differ from you. It just so happens that for me the gloss is no burden at all. With exceptionally clear and instantly bright imagery, it’s two thumbs up from me.
Squiz’s new MySource Mini product was launched recently, which has been very exciting for everyone involved. Greg Sherwood’s blog post includes a great little in-sight into part of the evolution the User Interface was subject to.

From my point of view, as the UI Designer, it has been an interesting journey. When I look back at where we started I am confident that the decision to change its appearance, while on the surface seemingly cosmetic, is founded in the deeper ideal that form follows function. As the product features evolved over time it was essential that the interface do the same. What we’ve ended up with allows the functionality and the appearance to work together to enhance the overall user experience.
Greg’s post ends with an image that is very close to the final, but doesn’t include the polish. The images in this post are screen-shots of the released product.
I am a fan of the Safari 4 beta, with the new space saving tab placement, the eye candy of Top Sites and the more useful history coverflow view. However I am completely at a loss as to why Apple have decided to remove such a well known button as the Stop/Refresh. Ok, so its not completely removed, but it’s been moved to the end of the address bar and its new style and location would make it almost invisible to your average user.

From a useability point of view, this is in my opinion an even worse decision than that of IE7/8 when it did a similar thing.

Placing buttons in your UI means you are expecting users to use them. It seems so inefficient to split up buttons and move them to opposite sides of the screen when they perform very related functions.
Now I am big fan of keyboard shortcuts, but thats not the issue here. I’m talking usability and keeping in line with the OSX mantra that simple & intuitive interfaces produce an 0rsm user experience for pros & n00bs alike. Most Mac apps allow you to “Customise Toolbar…” which is an excellent personalisation feature, however the stop/refresh is not even available as an optional customisation. At the very least I would have thought that the default toolbar would include a standard stop/refresh which you can then remove is you don’t use it. I will be very surprised if the eventual release of Safari 4 doesn’t offer this.
In: Web Resources
22 Apr 2009Everyone loves stats. You know you do. I’ve added a new Web Stats page to this site for easy access to some interesting industry related stats. There is also a small version of the browser usage in the right bar of each page.
Enjoy immediately, or refrigerate for safe keeping.
In: Uncategorized
22 Apr 2009OK, so I’ve decided to start a blog.
I’m not sure why, I suppose its an experiment in being a blogger having never been one before, lets see where it goes! What kind of things will I be blogging about? Anything related to the web & software that interests me really, and that has the potential to be very random indeed.
Right … now where to start? Hmmmm…
I'm the User Interface Designer for the MySource Mini, a brand new CMS from Squizlabs. I'm also a Senior Implementation Specialist & Best Practice Co-ordinator at Squiz, working with the MySource Matrix Open Source CMS.