I still remember the moments when Windows users envied Mac quay and imitated it with third part applications. My university colleagues wanted on their PC so useful, if “eloquent”, to access the most used applications. And the imitations began to arrive: Docky, Nexus, Objectdock, Plank, Latte Dock y Rocket Dock.
The dynamic quays have arrived, those on the theme of the season (Christmas, with their snowfall), with a part of dubious morality – and this has consumed a lot of graphic resources. Even Microsoft has adapted the formula. Its Dynamic Microsoft Powertoys and Windows Dynamic Task Bar are only iterations of the same idea.
But none have obtained the same thing as the original, none had this versatility, This ability to go from a small space to a giant space. Apple had the design and conviviality head. Today, this statement looks too much like that of 2001. What happened during all this time?
The platform no longer understands how I work
There was a time when having an ordered row of icons made sense. Today, with Raycast, with tools with Chatgpt and Siri integrated with Spotlight, search engines such as perplexity or Apple Intelligence text analysis tools, The workflows no longer revolve around applications, but to perform actions.
The platform remains static. Always visible, without adapting to what you do. It does not distinguish between creative concentration, mental break or a meeting. This does not suggest, he does not react, he does not learn. And I am one of those who drag the images to open the editing application, but although MacOS advances with shortcuts, the stage manager or the new concentration spaces, the quay remains: a row of icons. In MacOS 15, I tried the Aladdin effect – it was always my favorite mode – the mirror effect, I changed it … It already doesn't matter, it is simply not something that offers real features.
Each pixel counts
I The reality is worse: Dock has barely changed. And this is a fairly serious problem if you have, like me, And MacBook Air M3 13 inches.
In these sizes, every centimeter counts. A fixed element at the bottom of the screen may seem harmless, but when you work with maximized windows, text editors, calculation sheets or publishing chronologies … Dock does not help. There are laptops on the market that They presume that a relationship 16:10 or 3: 2 and the manufacturers argue that they accelerate the productivity.
And there, follow the quay. The hidden content obstructs the change between the tasks and, if it is in hidden mode, its accidental appearance can frustrate more than help. Multitasa in MacOS has improved. It's just that the quay Always without being part of this evolution.
Alternatives to the quay? Not much
I always like to try alternatives. I remember how much I liked the Operagx sidebar – until I am saturated – or the EDGE chatbot. It is not easy to maintain a balance between functionality and noise. Tools such as Raycast or Alfred allow you to open, search and perform almost any action without moving the hands of the keyboard. They are contextual, extensible, automobiles –Although workflows devour the RAM, you also have to be said-.
Today, there are alternatives to a lifetime dock: Ubar, which makes it a more versatile task bar, a vertical body or an Activock, which adds previous views, wider customization and window management. Some add useful functions, although sometimes things get complicated. They are not native, after all.
The MacOS quay was a legacy of Steve Jobs and the next team. The original idea of the quay as we know it today was born in NextSTEP in 1995 and was mainly designed by the engineer Avie Tevanian and Scott Forstall. When Apple bought Next in 1997, many ideas for its NextSTEP graphics environment They were integrated into what would later be Mac OS X (Cheetah), published in 2001. It is normal that he looks old. Over 20 years have passed.
The platform lived its moment, its time. In times when AI is integrated in all corners, it is now when Apple must check the macos and rethink use beyond a 2D line of icons that bounce. We need something that adapts according to the context, the day of the day and the applications in execution. Just like the Key bar MacBook Pro. It was a revealing path: we did not need it “in physics”, but virtual.
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