On Wednesday (Sept. 30), Apple released the newest version of its computer operating system, the bizarrely named OS X El Capitan. The free upgrade had few relatively large changes, like the new system font—San Francisco—and the ability to have split-view full-screen apps. But one of the most interesting updates was to something you’re never supposed to see: the spinning beach ball.
On Wednesday (Sept. 30), Apple $AAPL released the newest version of its computer operating system, the bizarrely named OS X $TWTR El Capitan. The free upgrade had few relatively large changes, like the new system font—San Francisco—and the ability to have split-view full-screen apps. But one of the most interesting updates was to something you’re never supposed to see: the spinning beach ball.
Apple’s multicolored cursor wheel appears when an app is freezing, or when some system process on the computer is taking longer than it’s supposed to. The ball, which has also been called the “spinning pinwheel,” and the “” has been the butt of many jokes over the years, from , to being lampooned on the Daily Show .
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With the operating system update, Apple switched out the old spinning sphere for a matte circle that seems a little more in keeping with Jony Ive’s flat design mantra:
El Capitan is packed with a slew of upgrades that theoretically ensure you’ll see less of the spinning beach ball, but Apple has clearly also spent some time beautifying the icon for its current design standards. We’ll just have to wait and see if it rises to the iconic level of Susan Kare’s original wristwatch symbol.
