AppleInsider Staff
Apple's online store was temporarily unavailable overnight as the company tweaked its design, making it more touch-friendly with a quickly scrollable menu bar on product category pages.
While the main page remains the same, users can click on one of Apple's four product categories — Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod — to see the new menu bar. For example, on the Mac page, products such as the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are displayed first, but more content is available by scrolling to the right, including certified refurbished models, and Macs for both business and education.
On a Mac, users can see the additional items by simply clicking an arrow to the right of the menu. But on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, the menu is a touch-friendly element within the page, and can be scrolled to the left and right with a simple swipe.
Beyond the new scrolling menus, some individual product category pages have also become easier to view and tap on a device like an iPhone. As noted by Macotakara on Friday, while products were previously displayed in a list form, they are now shown with a large product image.
For example, a search for "iPad cases" on the store returns a list of products in a grid form. Images of the individual products can be clicked or swiped through on the same page, without the need to tap on and load a separate product page.
Christine McKee
Mike Wuerthele
William Gallagher
Amber Neely
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20 Comments
When the mouse dies in a few years, I wonder how the Internet will handle the loss of the hover state.
I certainly won't miss it for the menus that use it, but what becomes of "alt text"?
Possible hints of future OS X and IOS UI?
Possible hints of future OS X and IOS UI?
Do you mean in the design or the operation? I figure the operation is already in iOS.
I find it surprising that Apple does not have a website that displays better on a mobile device. They cram the same contents in a small screen as they do on a laptop or iMac. The company that sells the most mobile devices in the world must have the odd employee checking on their own website using their own devices from time to time, and realize, "Hmm, we need a more responsible design!" In this respect, they are a serious laggard.
When the mouse dies in a few years, I wonder how the Internet will handle the loss of the hover state.
I certainly won't miss it for the menus that use it, but what becomes of "alt text"?
You can still hover with your finger. A lot of touchscreens do that now. The GS4 does it, even if it isn't very responsive for the moment.