macOS has undergone a handful of visual changes over the past few years, but one thing that has remained largely the same is System Preferences. A new concept imagines how Apple could revamp the design of the System Preferences app, with a focus on striking a balance between maintaining familiarity with the classic System Preferences design while bringing it more in line with settings on iOS and iPadOS.
Settings are coming to the Mac
The concept comes from The Basic Apple Guy, which explains that while there are clear differences between macOS and iOS, there is common ground that can be reached:
My other main issue with System Preferences is the difference in how it works and looks compared to iOS. Yes… yes… I know iOS and the Mac are different, but while many apps have tried to create consistency across platforms, System Preferences stubbornly resists. Not only is there significant icon incompatibility between the two platforms at a time when macOS is adopting the design language of iOS, but elements with the same name contain radically different things. For example, General on macOS contains everything from accent colors, light/dark mode appearance, and setting a default browser; while General on iOS hosts software updates, AirDrop controls, iPhone storage, date and time, and more.
As such, The Basic Apple Guy attempted to find a “better way” to manage settings and preferences in macOS, starting with renaming the app to “Settings” as per iOS and iPadOS. The design envisioned here features a heavy sidebar interface rather than the current Control Panel interface of the current System Preferences app.
The idea is that the sidebar gives quick access to different areas of the Settings app, with clearer names for each section and better organization. Some of the highlights here include:
The new Settings app organizes settings into more consistent categories. In Desktop Settings, all features are presented in a single drop-down window instead of being buried behind multiple System Preferences icons.
All of your software, AppleCare, storage, and subscription management can now be done in the “About This Mac” tab in the redesigned Settings app.
A modernized Bluetooth panel in Settings adds more controls and a cleaner user interface for viewing and managing Bluetooth devices.
One of my favorite changes here is this redesigned Bluetooth panel, which divides your accessories into different categories like “Audio Devices” and “Peripherals”. This makes it easy to note which accessories are connected, the battery life of each accessory, etc.
The 9to5Mac take
As The Basic Apple Guy note, it’s an “ambitious” task to rebuild an application as critical as System Preferences on macOS. It seems that Apple’s solution to this problem over the years has been to simply stick with the status quo, even as the needs for system preferences have grown significantly.
This hands-off approach has led to a cluttered experience that can not only be overwhelming for new macOS users, but also confusing for long-time macOS users as Apple has added new options and features.
This concept is a great starting point for a redesigned Settings app in macOS. Apple is likely to announce the next version of macOS in just a few months during WWDC, but it remains to be seen if a change as drastic as this is in the cards for this year.
You can discover the complete concept on The Basic Apple Guy website.
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