Brushed metal (interface)

Brushed metal is a discontinued graphical user interface design used in Apple Computer's Mac OS X operating system for Macintosh computers. The first of Apple's applications to sport this look was the QuickTime Player released as part of QuickTime 4.0 in 1999.

Apple's Human Interface Guidelines state that the brushed metal interface should be used for programs that mimic the operation of, or interface with, common devices. Older versions (before 5.0) of iTunes and the Panther and Tiger Calculator both use brushed metal because they mimic real-world devices, while iSync features the theme because it interfaces with PDAs.

Besides the metal appearance, brushed metal has a few functional differences from other types of Aqua. Brushed metal windows can be moved by clicking any part of the window background which is not occupied by a control; Aqua windows can only be moved by clicking within the title bar.

Continuing the growth of Apple-sponsored, non-Aqua themes, Apple also introduced a Pro theme that is used in its high-end video, music and image production and editing software. At the same time, with the release of Mac OS X v10.4 and new iLife applications, Brushed metal was being slowly replaced with a darker Aqua theme, often dubbed Polished Metal. Mac OS X v10.5 fully replaced brushed metal with the new darkened Aqua theme, finally restoring a consistent look and feel to Mac OS X.

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