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Apple developers have given a sneak peek at the newest upcoming installment of Apple OS for Macs at a “Back To The Mac” event. This version of the operating system has been named OS X Lion, a continuance of what seems like a fetish that Apple’s developers might have for large wild felines. Nevertheless, this version is sure to have some interesting features and is set to release in the summer of 2011.
At the “Back To The Mac” event, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs discussed how the OS X Lion developers have been harkening back to the iPad’s success in such a way that has resulted in some integration of iPad paradigms with traditional Mac OS methods of operation. For example, Lion will run apps retrieved from a central app store, much like the iPad; and furthermore, there will be a new launchpad and mission control feature that will combine the functions of Spaces, Expose, and Dashboard, which resembles the home screen of an iDevice.
While Lion will feature a multi-touch function, it will not operate in the same way that the iDevices do, in the sense that an actual screen is touched in order to manipulate and way-find. Apple’s reason for this is quite pragmatic: Arm Fatigue. On a vertical screen format, users would have to hold their arms up in order to operate the system via touch, and that simply is not practical, especially for any extended amount of time. So instead of a a direct-touch system, Lion’s multi-touch support will be for larger trackpads. The Mission Control feature will allow one to literally flick through apps and widgets with multi-touch gestures, making it easier to navigate apps in a more elegant way; changing the classic “point and click” method of operation to a “flick and swipe” one.
These features seem very promising for Mac users, as it seems like developers are attempting to combine traditional operation within OS X software with the aesthetic experience of operating an iPad or iPhone. In the end though, the users will determine how delightful such features are and whether or not OS X Lion delivers next summer.
