When I look at the icons above individually, I like all the new ones. But collectively, when compared to the old ones, they don’t work as well. First off, Apple has chosen to go decidedly whiter with their icons. In a crowded Dock, they all sort of blend together. None of them are easily recognizable at a quick glance. Second, some of them make no sense. Take the new Photos app icon—what in the heck do a bunch of color blobs represent? The old iPhoto icon was clear in what it represented.

But it doesn’t stop with icons. The entire GUI has gotten lighter, more “blended in,” and sometimes confusing. Overall, I still love the Mac’s interface. Lately though, I’m finding more and more “little things” that really bug me.

Nicholas Windsor Howard has a great two-part article about the subject (complete with plenty of screenshots) that’s worth the read. Part one can be found here, and part-two here. Take a look and see if you agree with his opinions.

The folks at Mercury Intermedia have released their iOS 9.3 UI kit in Adobe Illustrator vector format. It is the most complete and up to date iOS UI Kit released to date. Unlike many UI kits created in raster image format (typically PSDs), this one is so much more flexible because all the items are full vectors—making them perfect for mockups.

The iOS 9.3 UI kit is free to download, and weighs in at about 29MB in size. The file also comes in SKETCH format. If you have any reason to re-create iOS screen, this is a must-have!

Perfect for app or ad campaign design mockups

Grab a copy of the new iPad GUI PSD file here (35MB)

Steve: Who’s Going to Protect Us From Cheap and Mediocre Now?
Until the last sinew, the last synapse gives up, Steve Jobs will continue to influence the company he co-founded and later recreated. This article takes a look back at how Steve Jobs protected us from mediocre technology, and how Apple will continue to do so.

Things Mac OS X
While this web page has some outdated information, the list of Mac OS X resources is fairly extensive. The categories include browsers, FTP apps, databases, security, GUI and more. I love sites like this because I always seem to come across an app or a bit of information that I didn’t know about.

Shrine of Apple
If you’re an Apple fan (which I assume you are if you’re reading this), then you need to check out Shrine of Apple. It’s a new website that aims to photograph every Apple product ever made, right down to adapters and cables. They’ve got quite a collection already.

OS X Lion GUI PSD files
If you’re a developer, or just want to comp-up some OS X GUI elements, you can grab the fresh-out-of-the-oven Mac OS X Lion GUI Elements. You can grab Lion UI Kit here, or OS X Lion GUI Kit here. Thanks to OSXDaily for finding these layered Photoshop files.

Lion’s Mail Favorite bar
Of course you know your web browser has a favorite bar (bookmark bar), but did you know Mac OS X Lion’s Mail app has one that you can customize with your preferred mailboxes. As a bonus, you can use keyboard shortcuts to access them.

iPhone 4 GUI layered PSD file

If you’re designing apps or comps for the iPhone 4 with a retina display (640×960), you’ll find this collection of iPhone 4 GUI elements quite helpful. This fully layered Photoshop file contains all the elements you need, and weighs-in at a whopping 4074×2986 pixels and 63MB in size.

iOS4 UI elements in PSD format

iOS4 (iPhone 4) GUI in PSD format – Teehan+Lax has released their latest PSD file with updated and accurate UI elements.

iPhone 3 OS UI elements in vector format – These elements are older, but since they’re in vector format, they’re much easier to work with.

Apple iPad GUI Elements in a layered Photoshop file

Teehan+lax has made available a layered Photoshop file containing all the iPad GUI elements you could possibly need. The file is built using vectors, so it’s all still fully editable. If you need to mock up something quickly for a client, this layered Photoshop file will certainly do the trick.

You can download the 24MB layered Photoshop file here.

And if you have the need for an iPhone version, grab the 9MB layered Photoshop file here.