Apple’s Shifting User Interface

A great post by John Gruber over at Daring Fireball, discussing his thoughts on the “Safari Pad” idea brought up in a John Markoff article.

The line that stands out to me is the notion, according to Jobs, that the iPhone represented “the biggest shift in a computer’s user interface since the Macintosh was introduced.” For Apple, changes like this are shifts in a direction toward advancement and development. They are one-way changes. They replace the old model, over time.

Unlike Microsoft, who dabbles in all sorts of odd technologies, spreading its resources for change too thin, and in the process, weakening the notion of change in the minds of their consumers. The complete and utter lack of enthusiasm from the media and public over the HP “Slate” that Microsoft revealed last week is a perfect illustration. The seek change for change’s sake. To me, that’s a sign of boredom. But Apple is different.

Apple pursues change for the sake of growth and evolution. If and when this mythical tablet device is revealed, of all the unknown variables, I would bet money on one thing: it will be an advancement in the over all Mac user interface model. It will be the harbinger of future changes to OS X, the iPhone OS, and even the classic iPod OS (if that line survives more than a 2-3 years.

And it will be glorious.