Here's a breakdown of the discussion themes, backed with quotes:
Initial Impressions and Aesthetic Concerns of New UI
Many comments focused on the aesthetics of the new UI and its perceived drawbacks. Some users expressed concern about the design choices of the new "Crystalline Glass" UI.
- Finder Design & Visual Clarity: "I hope they can tweak the design for finder because the current beta looks bad." (sampton)
- Aesthetic Preference & Usability: "Eh I am still not convinced that this will be good UI. I wish they would have put a one 1px white border around the glass UI button elements or something small like this to enhance it just a little better. I will have to use it to really get a feeling..." (BinaryMachine)
- Readability Issues: "I’ve been using it for 2 days now, and the first thing I noticed is that readability took a hit." (iTokio)
Performance Impacts: Battery Drain, Overheating, and Sluggishness
Several users reported performance issues after installing the beta, including battery drain, overheating, and sluggish scrolling.
- General Sluggishness: "...scrolling has become less fluid, choppy. And that’s on the 16 Pro Max." (iTokio)
- Battery Drain: "Battery seems to be taking a hit (maybe anecdotal)." (whycome)
- Device Overheating: "The second thing I noticed, is that when I’m scrolling a webpage, icons now switch color randomly (according to the bg dominant color) and that’s distracting. The last thing, is that my phone is getting warmer and scrolling has become less fluid, choppy." (iTokio)
- Translucency problems: "The transparency is a mess. I can’t believe how far backwards this is. Trying to visually pick out icons is harder." (whycome)
- Beta Performance Expectations: "For what it’s worth, any beta I’ve tried out in the past slurped my battery and made my phone act like a hand warmer." (jeffhuys)
Subjectivity and "Steady State"
One user critiques the philosophy behind the UI changes, arguing they cater to a generic, passive user experience:
- Critique of Design Rationale: "I fundamentally disagree with many of their reasonings. e.g. tinting the so-called "Content Layer" instead of all the buttons, or demanding "steady state" to be "visually quiet", which is highly subjective. They are optimizing for sheep content vacuums, I mean users, and obedient developers." (nofunsir)
- Desire for Color: "As a user, I want color back on my GD buttons!" (nofunsir)
Practical Concerns with the UI/UX
Some users highlighted specific usability problems they encountered with the new design.
- Cluttered Interface: "The Passwords app on macOS looks bizarrely cluttered and cramped, with all kinds of bad artifacts when you resize the window." (steve_adams_86)
- Web Compatibility Issues: "I seem to be having a bunch of new web issues. Popups aren’t handled as well. And there are weird refresh issues when zooming on web pages." (whycome)
- Lost Efficiency "Perfect to focus on content, but the user interface has become sometimes unreadable and when you need to interact with it, put the flashlight in a hurry, you are scanning through instead of instantly recognizing stuff. But maybe that’s just new habits to make." (iTokio)
Explanation of the Round Manhole Cover
A large section of the discussion veered into a detailed explanation of why manhole covers are round. Several users offered different perspectives, ranging from the design of the cover itself to the structural integrity of cylindrical shapes.
- Preventing the Cover from Falling: "Is that the real reason? I had always heard that a round hole prevents the cover from being able to fall back in the hole" (dylan604)
- Structural Integrity (Dome Perspective): "From the perspective of 'design the manhole cover first', the reason is that manhole covers aren't just round — they're (very subtle) domes." (derefr)
- Cylindrical Strength (Manhole Perspective): "The original reason manhole covers are round, is simply that the walls of a manhole are best made round, for the same reason drink cans and barrels are best made round: a closed cylinder is great at taking compressive force from a lid above..." (derefr)
- Hole first, then the cover: "As someone with a mechanical engineering background, all these clever answers to the question (e.g. 'manhole covers are round to prevent the cover falling in') are strange. Covers are round because the hole is round, and the hole is round because a cylindrical shape is sturdy and prevents collapse. That's it." (adastra22)
- Practical Considerations for Square Holes (and why they are avoided): "A square cover would not be feasible, without a tether system to fish them out of the literal shit, after they fall in from a few inch misalignment." (nomel) argues "covers are round to prevent the cover falling in."
Reuleaux Triangle Proposal
A user proposes an alternative shape based on the Reuleaux triangle:
- Alternative geometry: "If that was the reason a Reuleaux triangle would have the same property while using (I think) less material for a given size of shaft (as long as the shaft can be triangular)." (seanhunter)
Regional Variations in Manhole Cover Shape
The universality of round manhole covers is questioned, with users noting regional differences.
- Rectangular Covers Exist: "Most manhole covers aren’t round. If you actually go out and look at them, the vast majority of manhole covers are rectangular." (seanhunter)
- Regional Specificity: "I guess it varies by country which I should have acknowledged. I was talking UK and EU and Africa which I am most familiar with, although I have also been to the USA. You certainly get round manhole covers, but there are far more rectangular ones." (seanhunter)