Forget about OSX on Intel, here is the real WWDC 2005 scoop!
by moose
Well, everybody has been so focused on a minor issue, namely that Apple is (u)nixing PPC chips in favor of Intel’s x86 processors that they all missed the one and only important bit of the WWDC 2005 Keynote.
Like most Mac users out there (no point in denying it), I have been wondering for ages who the hell was behind that tiny OSX User silhouette that you can find in the User accounts in the System preferences
as well as living on your menu bar when you have fast user switching activated.
Well, knowing Jobs’ and Apple’s taste for meaningful and purposeful design decisions (OK, stop the hate mail regarding Mail2, please), I wanted to know WHY and WHO. Did they do a casting? Look for the guy who would look best when silhouetted? Did they investigate using a WOMAN? Is it a celebrity or some random punter?
I remember a few years ago in France there was this huge controversy when they chose the new model for the Marianne statues (for those not current with French symbolism, Marianne is the “logo” of the French republic, and you can find her bust -as in a sculpture of a person’s head, shoulders and chest, not as in tits, you perverts- in most of the government related places), and they selected Laetitia Casta, of local top model fame (which then sort of emigrated to the UK to pay less taxes, so much for the French symbol).
You see what sort of questions were roaming in my toasted brain…
And now, thanks to WWDC and our estimed colleagues over at AnandTech we have the answer!
The revelation came while I was reading their WWDC 2005 coverage and I saw this picture:
And all came clear, a sort of revelation that cleared the “OSX on Intel”-related fog…
The silhouette IS Steve Jobs Himself… who could have it been anyway?
And here is a demo that you can all easily reproduce at home to prove it, even with your kids.
Just take the AnandTech picture, crop Steve, detour him and fill him with that lovely #432F31 grey. Then carefully shrink it to the size of the Fast User Switching icon and see for yourself!
Now I can sleep peacefully and concentrate on why every time I type www.apple.com in Safari I end up on a site reading “Welcome to Windws Update”…
June 9th, 2005 at 21:27 CEST
You have too much time!
June 14th, 2005 at 13:35 CEST
Cool! And who is the the blue guy on the right? :0P
June 14th, 2005 at 14:19 CEST
Clearly way too much time :)
To answer Edge, I suppose that this is Phil Shiller ;-)
June 15th, 2005 at 06:01 CEST
Nah, Phil Schiller is way, erhm, bigger ;-)
And yes I do SOMETIMES have way too much time… but then I’m not selfish, I share it with you readers ;-))
June 19th, 2005 at 14:19 CEST
I was talking about the blue icon, on the right of “Steve” silhouette :0P
June 22nd, 2005 at 17:11 CEST
or bill gates? :P
June 26th, 2005 at 18:25 CEST
Hope the new transistion doesnt create the hassles as with Clssic. Indesign doesnt work up well in Classic