What do you think OS 10.7 will be like, and when will it be released?
 

Title says it all really...

I am guessing that OS 10.7 might have a a look and file that is more like iTunes 9 (sort of how 10.5 was more like iTunes 7). Maybe there will even be new scroll bars?

I'm guessing that it will be given out to devs at WWDC this year?
I hope that it doesn't end support for 32-bit Macs (although I have a 64-bit Mac, but I know people who have 32-bit Macs) (I was surprised Snow Leopard ended support for PPC. At least it should have kept G5 support). Boot Camp ended support for the old 32-bit Macs with Windows 7, so maybe it would be the same here?

Your opinions please?

New scroll bars? To be honest, I don't think that new WIMPS paradigms are likely. If we're still using mice, then I don't expect any changes to the UI, except for cosmetic tinkering.
(Is iTunes 9 different? I'm running it, but haven't noticed anything. But then the mark of a good UI is that you don't notice it.)

However, if we're all using touchscreen technology by then, then new forms of controls are highly likely.

I don't expect 10.7 - even for developers - this year. I do expect it to cut 32-bit support when it does come out. I wasn't surprised that 10.6 cut PPC support.

In the UK, there used to be a TV programme in the 1960s to 80s called "Tomorrow's World", which showcased new technologies and made predictions for the way we would do things in the future. Eventually, the show was cancelled after 25 years, as it gave the "kiss of death" to any product that appeared on it. Any claim that "we'll all be doing this in the future" was always wrong, and old episodes are now hilarious.

I'm still waiting for the flying car that I was promised by the year 2000.

That's what I thought. iTunes 9 has a different window color to iTunes 8 and Finder and Safari etc...

As for 10.7 getting sent out to devs this year, it would be likely as there is evidence of it already...and Snow Leopard is only a bunch of performance tweaks to Leopard and stuff. And it was announced in 2008, while Leopard came in 2007. Same for most previous OS X releases.

What about the Dock? Will the background get a makeover? New min effects? Ease of use?

I think UI will be made over, don't you? I've noticed that 10.0-10.2 was one style, 10.3-10.4 were another and 10.5-10.6 are yet another. Anybody see that? I'm hoping it'll be customizable. Anyone wonder if QuickTime's title bar style will take over?

I think so, and maybe Aqua will be not be Aqua anymore. I mean, it was very Aquatic (Buttons etc.) in 10.3-10.4 it was Aqua Buttons only with lots of brushed metal replacing many pinstripes. 10.5-10.6 has a few "Selection" buttons, and radio and check buttons.

There were check boxes and radio buttons in 10.3/4! Did you forget that or something?
Dock: It's already too customizable. Dock Library for instance; you have tons of Dock tweak apps. I guess Apple will make the Dock's "hidden" options visible since it's not too much a secret anymore.

What I meant was that 10.5 and 10.6 used the same radio buttons since 10.0. Almost everything else changed. Could it be that 10.7 uses a more iTunes style interface? Buttons and all?

I think that 10.7 should migrate towards a more freestanding style. It's just a bit too boring right now. A mix of QuickTime X and iTunes 9 would be nice here. Listening, Apple?

You're not talking about QuickTime X like Finder windows by any chance, are you. What I'd like to see most is Tabbed-Finder, iTunes 9 style. And maybe a tabbed iTunes 10. :D

We're all looking forward to tabs!! Cr-style? Safari-style? (I don't want Cr tabs because they tend to truncate long names; and they don't show up anywhere.) In fact, maybe Apple will release tabs to developers who want them!!
I think we could use QTX for, say, dialog boxes. In AppleScript and such, these would give the system an edge. And square buttons (on the left) would be an interesting development.
What I'd like to see is a Growl-like application we could call from AppleScript, from ObjC or whatever. This would make life SO much easier than having to get a 3rd-party app on the system. I'd also like to see themes introduced, since that was dropped in 10.5.

Um, how was theming dropped in 10.5 if it was never introduced. If you mean the third-party app called ShapeShifter (yeah, too bad it's gone), there is a replacement. 10.5 only. Magnifique, however it is not available for pre-10.4 and for 10.6.

Instead of QTX way of dialog boxes, how about the iChat way of dialog boxes? That would be nice.

What I would really like to see, is first-party them support, and the ability for 3rd parties to create their own themes, unlike in Windows, in which you would have to hack the system first.

-AnonMac

I think 10.7 will finish the work that was started on GCD and GPU usage to focus on speed.10.7 will be all about new technology and will implement BlueRay, USB3, Full SSD support as well as others..

I suspect that an app store for your Mac will be a core part of it... so you could buy everything from iWork to AutoCad for Mac (out soon) via iTunes.

There have been reports of a 'whole new way of controlling a computer' being designed... and making the mouse redundant... its meant to be a steep learning curve.. but very very good.... I am a bit dubious though... Apple and mouses don't go together... it took them decades to give us a right click, not to mention hand achingly painful hockey puck mice... and might mice with mucky clogged scroll wheels :)

I think security will be a big feature in 10.7 too...

my 2 pence...

Wasn't that an iPad rumour?

@EatsWithFingers: Congrats on your soon-to-be 700th post. I don't know anything about the rumour. And besides how would we control it, the iSight camera?

Maybe we would control it be touch, but I don't want to change the mouse usability. I also think that the new system look would be OS 11, not OS 10. I mean, OS X has always been the same look pretty much since it 10.0 was released.

App store in iTunes for Mac? Why would it be called iTunes? You can watch videos, buy games and app, and lots more, and now if they add apps for Mac, the name iTunes won't be relevant. Maybe an app store in Finder or an app store app separate.

Why not make the OS look more like Windows -- before you call me crazy, I'm talking about making it more reflection-based -- ? Really we should consider this.

App store: I think someone could make an application to fill just this purpose. Following RSS feeds to do this, and getting all the links.

According to this article:

http://www.macworld.com/article/1509..._mac_2010.html
Apple is focusing on iPhone OS almost exclusively, and giving OS X short measure.

Cool, so now more Snow Leopard for us! I can live with that.

A little wish list...
 

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Give me Little Snitch-like options as an integrated element of OS X.

More nuance cookie control would be good. I would like better anti-adware measures, and far better control of the display of web-based ads. Specifically I would like the option of preventing flashing or blinking or moving ads, as well as options to prevent self-reload of web page content and their ads.

Also: How about the option of cookie-free web surfing for individual browser windows and their tabs?
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Sounds nice. Maybe Safari and Finder would be one app. It would be called Finder, and would have the Safari engine to browse the web. And Finder tabs would be nice.

-AnonMac

I _could_ work on a "Safinder" if I wanted to. But it would be some work!

Didn't "another well known OS" try to make browsing local files and browsing the internet part indistinguishable? <shudder> No thanks!

If you mean Windows Explorer and Windows Internet Explorer. What, with Internet Explorer 4 and Windows 95 and 98? It went horribly wrong, when they made you view folders as web pages, and have web pages as wallpapers.

Maybe if the user could select to have them combined or not.

-AnonMac

Si señor, but an app store in the Finder would be useful. Like a folder named "App Store" in the Sidebar.

I just looked over at the Mac Reference Library, and found this app: SourceView.app that looks like something Apple could work on to add tabs and all that stuff. It's meant to show us how to use a source view (Sidebar) but I'm curious. 10.7 Finder?