Designing software is harder than hardware because changing it is easier.
Designing simple and easy to use hardware is hard because changing it is harder, but designing simple and easy to use software is harder because changing it is easier.
Category: 🖥️ Tech
Plans & designs to make tech better
Product Strategist • Advisor • Developer
Interface Designer • Architect • Brander
Munro's Hard Saw
Designing usable software is hard because not using standards is easy.
Designing simple, consistent, and easy to use software is hard because carelessly changing or not using simple, consistent, and easy to use layouts and standards for software is easy.
Munro's Short Law
Prefer labelling items using short or abbreviated words with 4-6 letters and 1-2 syllables.
Munro's 2-4-6 Law
Organize items into groups of exactly 2, 4, or 6 objects using separators or space.
Smart Display Design Ideas
- Portable with battery to place anywhere
- Thin screen with hinge style thin stand
- Folds like laptop to move or travel in bag
- Adequate speakers/camera in thin design
- Screen defaults to display analog clock
- Turns screen on when you look at it
February 27, 2026
Make Foldable With Wider Screens
For anyone who hasn't realized it, like people enjoying the overly complicated tri-fold phone, you could make a regular foldable phone with a wider aspect ratio on the inside screen like an iPad mini or eReader by making the phone wider and shorter on the outside screen.
Outside Screen
Inside Screen
Mac Timeline And Size Guesses For 2026
- 2026 Jan - 12.9" MacBook Air M5
- 2026 Jan - 14.2" MacBook Pro M5 Pro (+16.2")
- 2026 Mar - 3X" Display + Mac Studio M5 Pro
- 2026 Jun - 13.3" MacBook A19 Pro
- 2026 Jun - 13.6" M3/M2/M1 Discontinued
- 2026 Oct - 3X" iMac M6 (2027 Mar?)
Leave MacOS Toolbars At Top
I appreciate the gusto if this is purely experimental, but I think the design, function, and placement of this separate bottom toolbar in the Music app may be the single worst UI change in macOS 26.
Suggested Changes
- Move and merge the full toolbar back to the top
- Stay in same place when queue or lyrics selected
- Make volume popup from toolbar and have mute
- Collapse volume popup when clicked second time
- Don't blur song title and info when mouse over
- Move star icon to the toolbar and always show
- Make all icons including playback the same size
- Move shuffle to right of playback, left of repeat
Create Static Interface Elements
I still dislike transparent elements, color changing elements, floating elements, and moving elements in UIs. Imagine if light switch on wall was see-through so hard to see, changed colors so hard to recognize, was covering part of TV, and was in a different spot all the time.
MacBook Air 12.9" Guess
I wonder if the rumor about a MacBook with a new 12.9" screen size might actually be a new M-Series or M5 MacBook Air size and design, with the rumored budget A-Series MacBook being a separate device coming another time in either the current 13.6" design or former 13.3" design.
Use Release Date For Products
I think it's best to name products using the actual release date in which a product is released, so with Apple's upcoming operating systems I would name them using the current year, such as iOS 25 instead of iOS 26 if it's released in 2025.
Budget A-Series MacBook Design
I would guess that the most likely scenario is the M-Series MacBook gets a redesign first, possibly as a 12.X" device with M5, and then the budget A-Series MacBook gets the "old" 13.6" design. Second most likely is just a budget 13.3", but that design is quite old and colorless.
Alternative Apple M5 Rumor Guesses
- M5 will be built on 2nm GAAFET
- M5 uses hybrid bonding chiplets so CPU is 2nm
- M5 MacBooks come out in late 2025
- M5 MacBook Air is Mini-LED, maybe new size/design
- iMac and Mac Mini skip M5, wait for M6?
- Next iPad Pro uses 2nm A-Series Pro?
MacBook Air Wish List 2025
Here is a partial wish list of features for a redesigned MacBook Air or Mini in late 2025 or later. While not currently rumored, I feel it might even make sense to redesign it before the MacBook Pro redesign for various reasons.
- Smaller - Redesign with smaller ~12.7" "mini" screen
- Matte - Nano-texture display upgrade option available
- Storage - 16 GB memory and 512 GB storage standard
- Wireless - Wi-fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 custom wireless chip
- Screen - New oxide TFT screen with 120Hz refresh rate
- Notchless - iPad style rounded bezel design without notch
- Touch - Touchscreen as all mobile devices should have
- Apps - Force all iPad/iOS apps to allow being installed
Display 16 Apps Instead Of 9
I think that Apple or any company making operating systems should display an even amount of 16 apps in home screen tabs, app folders, and app menus on iOS, tvOS, and other operating systems, instead of the hard to organize and odd amount of 9 apps.
What
- Display 16 apps in folders, or alternatively 24
- Grid of 4x4 apps in folders, or alternatively 4x6
- Always show an even amount of app columns
- Always show an even amount of app rows
Why
- Grouping apps in groups of 2, 4, or 6 makes sense logically
- With groups of 4 people can easier create a mental model
- Rotating from portrait and landscape shows the same apps
- People may be buying or using less apps with folders of 9
Change Executive Leadership Titles
I wonder if the names of executive positions should be simplified with chief as C-Level, general as G-Level, senior as S-Level, and vice as V-Level. Each department could have simpler titles, with marketing having "Marketing Officers" instead of long vice president titles.
What
- Level - Title - Abbreviation - Codename
- C-Level - Chief Marketing Officer - CMO - Chief/Leader
- G-Level - General Marketing Officer - GMO - General/Admiral
- S-Level - Senior Marketing Officer - SMO - Major/Colonel
- V-Level - Vice Marketing Officer - VMO - Captain/Commander
Past
- Level - Title - Abbreviation
- Chief - Chief Marketing Officer - CMO
- Executive - Executive Vice President of Marketing - EVP
- Senior - Senior Vice President of Marketing - SVP
- Vice - Vice President of Marketing - VP
Design Without Bumps Or Notches
I love the old iPad mini 5 with its completely flat back, no camera bump, and a naturally uniform screen. I dislike the iPhone mini 13 with a wobbly back, humongous camera bump, and imbalanced intrusive notch. While out of style, I wonder if Steve Jobs would feel the same way.
Make Separate Fanless MacBook Chips
I wonder if all MacBooks which are fanless should use separately designed chips, possibly named B-Series and B1, which are more appropriately targeted at the MacBook Air and future powerful fanless devices without throttling significantly or needing a fan.
Why
- MacBooks and MacBookOS can be designed and targeted at powerful fanless MacBooks
- The entire fanless MacBook line could use the same B-Series chips, creating consistency
- Macs and macOS can be designed and targeted at more powerful Mac devices with fans
- The entire Mac line with fans could use the same M-series chips, creating consistency
More
- The MacBook B-Series chips can be targeted at fanless MacBooks and fanless devices
- The fanless B-Series chips can be targeted exclusively to more powerful fanless devices
- Powerful fanless chips targeted at larger devices will be needed in future fanless devices
- Device Ideas - MacBook Air, Apple Vision, iPed Portable Console, MacPad Detachable
Links
Simplify Apple Chips And New Devices
I wonder if Apple Silicon chips and devices should be simplified with high end A-Series chips for iPads and iPadOS, and new fanless MacBook chips and MacBookOS targeted more appropriately at fanless laptops and other powerful fanless devices of the future.
Chips
- A-Series Reg/Pro (Fanless) - iPhones including Pro (Mobiles/Clamshells/iOS)
- A-Series Pro/Max (Fanless) - iPads including Pro (Tablets/Notebooks/iPadOS)
- B-Series Reg/Pro/Max (Fanless) - MacBooks and Pro (Laptops/Laplets/MacBookOS)
- M-Series Reg/Pro/Max (With Fans) - Macs and Pro (Desktops/Laptops/MacOS)
Devices
- A-Series Reg/Pro - iPhone Mini/Air, iPhone Pro/Ultra, iPod, HomePad (Smart Display)
- A-Series Pro/Max - iPad Mini/Air, iPad Pro/Ultra, iBook, Apple Display (Smart Monitor)
- B-Series Reg/Pro/Max - MacBook Mini/Air, Apple Vision Air, MacPad, iPed (Console)
- M-Series Reg/Pro/Max - MacBook Pro/Ultra, Mac Mini/Studio, iMac, Apple TV (Smart TV)
New
- iPod - Foldable iPhone with two separate screens like a clamshell phone (iPhone Pod?)
- iBook - Foldable iPad with two separate screens like a reading book (iPad Book?)
- MacBook Mini/Air - New design with no fans, touchscreen, thin, and new MacBookOS
- MacBook Pro/Ultra - New design with fan, touchscreen, thick, and new MacBookOS
- MacPad? - Portable touch Mac that folds back over detachable keyboard, B-Series chip
- iPed? - Portable media and game console with detachable controller, B-Series chip
Links
Allow Moving And Removing Finder
I wonder if macOS 16 should allow users to move and remove the Finder app from the Dock, and also include it in the Launchpad and Applications folder. For consistency and simplicity, the Trash folder could allow being moved and removed as well, and be included in the locations section of the Finder.