Editing Aqua (user interface) (section)

==History==
{{Multiple image
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| image1           = AM MacOSX Panther.png
| caption1          = The Panther version of the Aqua interface shows several changes, most notably brushed metal.
| image2            = Leopard Desktop.png
| caption2          = The Aqua interface in Mac OS X Leopard. Its changes included a gradient window style and a new [[Dock (macOS)|Dock]] and menu bar.
| width             = 250
}}
Jobs introduced the Aqua interface as an attempt by Apple to create a more powerful interface for professional users, while making an approachable product for new computer users.<ref name="hackett_2016"/>{{rp|75}}
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=== Mac OS X Jaguar, Panther and Tiger ===
[[Mac OS X 10.2|Mac OS X 10.2 "Jaguar"]] brought flatter interface elements, such as new buttons and drop-down menus, and reduced the transparency to tone down the pinstripes in windows and menus. These trends continued in subsequent Mac OS X releases.

In [[Mac OS X Panther]] buttons were made to appear sunken into their surroundings, following a general trend of more flattened interface elements in the operating system. The traditional pinstripes were replaced with a much subtler theme, most notably in the [[menu bar]], and the use of transparency was again reduced (for example in the title bars of inactive windows). [[Tab (GUI)|Tabs]] also changed; they were made flatter and the whole tab area was sunken rather than raised. Tab buttons were centered on the top border of the tab area. New icons appeared across the system, including a new flatter, glossier Finder icon and a new [[System Preferences]] icon.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://arstechnica.com/apple/2003/11/macosx-10-3/|title = Mac OS X 10.3 Panther|date = November 9, 2003|access-date = December 7, 2015|website = Ars Technica|last = Siracusa|first = John}}</ref> Panther also featured an increased use of the "Brushed Metal" look, especially to the [[Apple Finder (software)|Finder]] and [[Safari (web browser)|Safari web browser]]. Brushed Metal had first appeared in [[QuickTime Player]] 4.0 in 1999. Apple's [[Human Interface Guidelines]] stated that the brushed metal interface be used for programs that mimic the operation or interface of common real world devices ([[skeuomorphism]]).

[[Mac OS X Tiger]] brought more subtle changes, including the unified titlebar scheme.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://developer.apple.com/qa/qa2005/qa1423.html|title=Technical Q&A's|website=developer.apple.com}}</ref> Pinstripes were removed from the menu bar entirely and replaced with a glossy, white look. Tabs were altered to appear as normal segmented buttons. The Apple menu icon was toned down to a more matte appearance and the new [[Spotlight (software)|Spotlight]] search utility was permanently bound to the very right of the menu bar in the same color and gradient of the Apple menu.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url = https://arstechnica.com/apple/2005/04/macosx-10-4/|title = Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger|date = April 28, 2005|access-date = December 7, 2015|website = Ars Technica|last = Siracusa|first = John}}</ref>

=== Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard ===
[[Mac OS X Leopard]] brought wide-ranging changes to Aqua. Aqua windows and "brushed metal" windows obtained the same metal-like, gray look, pin-striped backgrounds were removed entirely, toolbars and titlebars were fused into a whole, differences between active and inactive windows became more distinct through thicker drop shadows and a monochrome appearance of inactive windows, the color of the menubar was changed into gray with an optional semi-transparency look on capable Macs and the Dock obtained a 3D look with a reflective glass-like 'floor'. The Dock's design, when placed on the left or right side, changed to a black translucent background with a white border and rounded corners. [[Context menu]]s had slightly-rounded corners and numerous icons were redesigned, including folder icons and [[System Preferences]] icons.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url = https://arstechnica.com/apple/2007/10/mac-os-x-10-5/|title = Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: the Ars Technica review|date = October 29, 2007|access-date = December 7, 2015|website = Ars Technica|last = Siracusa|first = John}}</ref>

[[Mac OS X Snow Leopard]] made almost no changes to Aqua. Most notably, the context menu of Dock items changed from a solid white to a translucent black.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://arstechnica.com/apple/2009/08/mac-os-x-10-6/|title = Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard: the Ars Technica review|date = September 1, 2009|access-date = December 7, 2015|website = Ars Technica|last = Siracusa|first = John}}</ref>

=== Mac OS X Lion, OS X Mountain Lion and Mavericks ===
[[Mac OS X Lion]] introduced many changes inspired by iOS that persisted in OS X Mavericks as well as OS X Yosemite, although the latter changed the overall aesthetic. Scrollbars were removed and scrollbar handles turned into thin, semi-transparent bars that disappear when not used. The corner radii of push buttons were reduced, giving an appearance similar to [[Mac OS 8]] and [[Mac OS 9|9]]. The gel-like appearance of most components was replaced with a slightly glossy and flatter look. Window backgrounds became slightly brighter and window corners were rounded. Lion also added more animations.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: the Ars Technica review|url = https://arstechnica.com/apple/2011/07/mac-os-x-10-7/|website = [[Ars Technica]]|access-date = December 7, 2015|date = July 20, 2011|last = Siracusa|first = John}}</ref>

[[OS X Mountain Lion]] brought only minor changes and changed the Dock's appearance into a frosted-glass style, with rounded corners, rectangular indicator lights, a new diagonal separator and a new Trash icon.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/07/os-x-10-8/|title = OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: the Ars Technica review|date = July 25, 2012|access-date = December 7, 2015|website = Ars Technica|last = Siracusa|first = John}}</ref>

[[OS X Mavericks]] dispensed with several rich and ornamental designs, reflecting the design overhaul in {{Nowrap|[[iOS 7]]}}. The applications [[Calendar (Apple)|Calendar]], [[Contacts (Mac OS)|Contacts]] and [[Notes (Apple)|Notes]] respectively lost their leather, book and notepad appearance (all introduced in Lion). Linen textures in Notification Center and Launchpad were removed as well and replaced with simple gray backgrounds. The Dock was made to appear white when set to pop up sideways, somewhat akin to its original design when at such, albeit with the overall design retained from previous skeuomorphic versions.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/10/os-x-10-9/|title = OS X 10.9 Mavericks: The Ars Technica Review|date = October 22, 2013|access-date = December 7, 2015|website = Ars Technica|last = Siracusa|first = John}}</ref>

=== OS X Yosemite, El Capitan, macOS Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, and Catalina ===
In [[OS X Yosemite]], many of the Aqua elements and icons were [[Flat UI Design|simplified]] and flattened, following a similar design change in {{Nowrap|iOS 7}}. Apple incorporated the same [[Colorfulness|saturated]] [[Frosted glass|frosted-glass]] effect, called "Vibrancy", across the system. Examples include the Dock, the menubar, sidebars, Notification Center and [[Mission Control (macOS)|Mission Control]]. A similar effect was applied to toolbars, but they maintained their gray appearance. Toolbar buttons became white and Apple introduced a more compact type of toolbar that removed the window title, but retained the toolbar buttons (for example, in [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]]). Certain controls, such as checkboxes and radio buttons, gained animations, whereas animations in other places were removed, such as the "poof" animation when removing an icon from the Dock and the "cube" animation when fast-switching to another user account. Apple changed the system typeface to [[Helvetica Neue]]. Yosemite also added a 'dark theme' you can turn on in the settings which makes the dock and menu bar black.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url = https://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/10/os-x-10-10/|title = OS X 10.10 Yosemite: The Ars Technica Review|date = October 16, 2014|access-date = December 7, 2015|website = Ars Technica|last = Siracusa|first = John}}</ref>

[[OS X El Capitan]] made only minor changes to Aqua. The white toolbar buttons regained a slightly glossy look, the [[spinning pinwheel]] was redesigned and the Vibrancy effect was reduced in certain areas, such as [[Mission Control (macOS)|Mission Control]]. The system typeface was changed once more, to Apple's own [[San Francisco (2014 typeface)|San Francisco]] typeface, concurrent with {{Nowrap|[[iOS 9]]}} and following the typeface's release in [[watchOS]] in April 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|title = OS X 10.11 El Capitan: The Ars Technica Review|url = https://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/09/os-x-10-11-el-capitan-the-ars-technica-review/|website = Ars Technica|access-date = December 7, 2015|last1 = Cunningham|first1 = Andrew|first2 = Lee|last2 = Hutchinson|date = September 29, 2015}}</ref> These changes continued throughout macOS [[MacOS Sierra|Sierra]], [[MacOS High Sierra|High Sierra]], [[MacOS Mojave|Mojave]], and [[MacOS Catalina|Catalina]].

=== macOS Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma and Sequoia ===

[[macOS Big Sur]] brought major changes to Aqua design that brings it in line with other Apple platforms such as [[iOS]] and [[iPadOS]]. The Dock is now detached from the screen edge and more rounded on all corners. The icons are now all [[squircle]]-shaped and take on more noticeable depth in general. Titlebars lose their gradient chrome, opting for a flat white look, and the titlebar text is now bold, and inline with toolbar items, which are no longer contained within a distinct background. Modal dialogs have changed significantly, only being as large as the content inside; laid out with a large icon at the top, text in the center, and buttons at the bottom. Sheets no longer slide out like paper from under the titlebar, instead more simply fading in from the center of the window. Unified sidebars have become more commonplace and are the default for all applications. Windows now have more rounded corners take on a tint from the user's wallpaper, akin to [[Windows 11]]'s Mica effect. The menubar is now completely transparent, using a strong blur to differentiate from the background. This revision of Aqua continued to be used in macOS [[MacOS Monterey|Monterey]], [[MacOS Ventura|Ventura]], [[MacOS Sonoma|Sonoma]], and [[MacOS Sequoia|Sequoia]].

=== Microsoft Windows apps ===
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Aqua has also been embedded in Apple's applications for [[Microsoft Windows]], such as [[iTunes]], [[QuickTime]] and [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]] (although not in Safari 4). iTunes for Windows has generally adopted the same developments as the concurrent macOS version, with the exception of the use of native Windows user interface controls and Windows-style title bar buttons at the upper right of the player window. The Windows version of Safari, in version 3, included a functional Aqua look and feel that was very similar to macOS. As of version 4, a more Windows-like theme was employed using the standard Windows user interface controls and window border. QuickTime for Windows uses the same theme as seen in older versions of QuickTime for {{Nowrap|macOS}}, with brushed-metal windows and Aqua buttons on top.