Mac

About macOS and Applications for Apple Mac computers.

My Beef With the iOS 26 Tab Bar

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iOS 26's search tab resembles a button rather than a tab, causing confusion for developers. This design choice leads to predictable UI principles being violated, as developers treat it as a primary action button instead of a navigational tab. Apple hasn't provided adequate solutions for integrating reachable primary actions alongside tab navigation, forcing developers to work around the limitations, resulting in inconsistency across apps. Users are confused by this design change, which blurs the line between navigation and action, undermining the expected coherence of the iOS platform.

https://ryanashcraft.com/ios-26-tab-bar-beef/

It’s Hard to Justify Tahoe Icons

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Apple's macOS Tahoe introduces confusing, cluttered icons that hinder user experience, contradicting the basic principles of icon design. Icons should differentiate functions, maintain consistency, and avoid overwhelming users. Tahoe fails in these areas—overflowing with icons that lack distinction, clarity, and metaphor relevance. The article critiques Apple's icon choices, asserting that design principles dating back to 1992 still apply, highlighting the design's adverse impact on usability in contrast to historical guidelines. Overall, Tahoe represents a poor execution of icon integration in user interfaces.

https://tonsky.me/blog/tahoe-icons/

What You NEED to Know Before Touching a Video File

Extremely summarized, the text is about mistakes novice video editors often make regarding video files and editing. It explains key concepts like container formats (e.g., .mp4, .mkv) versus encoding formats (e.g., H.264, H.265), emphasizing the importance of understanding video structure, remuxing versus reencoding, and the nuances of video quality. Misconceptions surrounding quality indicators like resolution, bitrate, and frame rates are clarified, highlighting that quality is ultimately about how closely a video resembles its original source. Various parameters are discussed, including encoding tools and settings, and it's stressed that higher resolution or specific formats don't guarantee better quality. Tips are provided for both encoding and selecting source footage, underscoring the need for informed decision-making in video editing.

https://gist.github.com/arch1t3cht/b5b9552633567fa7658deee5aec60453/

Last Year on My Mac: Look Back in Disbelief

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Summary: Author reflects on visual interface changes in macOS Tahoe, expressing disappointment with unaddressed issues post-release, including excessively rounded corners that hinder content display, unclear controls, indistinguishable app icons, poor contrast in light and dark modes, and confusing transparency effects. The critique emphasizes that these design choices complicate usability and reduce accessibility, calling back to previous superior interface experiences.

https://eclecticlight.co/2025/12/28/last-year-on-my-mac-look-back-in-disbelief/

How to Recognise a Genuine Password Request

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TLDR: The article discusses how to identify genuine password requests on Macs to avoid malware. It explains features of genuine prompts like consistent icons, app names, and instructions, emphasizing the use of Touch ID where applicable. Users are advised to deny suspicious requests and verify authenticity through Keychain Access or other methods before entering passwords.

https://eclecticlight.co/2025/12/18/how-to-recognise-a-genuine-password-request/

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