Microsoft Excel 12

Microsoft’s David Gainer shows screenshots of Excel 12 from the upcoming Office 2007, including an alternate dark gray theme. I just don’t get the thinking behind abandoning the menu bar. These Office 2007 apps are some of the most un-Mac-like GUI apps I’ve ever seen. You might say, “Well, of course they aren’t Mac-like, they’re for Windows”, but my point is that the gestalt of Windows and Mac OS X UI design are diverging rather than converging.

On the other hand, Paul Thurrott says that Vista’s Photo Gallery and Calendar apps are veritable rip-offs of iPhoto and iCal.

★ Thursday, 9 March 2006