According to various reports and leaks, Windows 10 Sun Valley upgrade is set to bring back ’rounded corners’ from the days of Windows 7 and Vista. As part of the redesign, top-level UIs will be ditching sharp corners for rounded corners, representing a change of aesthetic for Windows 10.
Back in the old days, Microsoft used both rounded and sharp corners for top-level UIs in Windows, but the rounded corners and aero effects were abandoned in favour of sharp corners and Fluent Design.
Microsoft is now considering a new interface for the flyout menus (DatePicker, TimePicker, etc) in Windows apps. The new visual update for the flyout menu aims to deliver an “x-ray” kind of effect where the colour is swapped in when the wheels come to rest.
“This lets us do a colour swap dynamically even during the scrolling, which gets a really smooth looking “x-ray” kind of effect,” Microsoft noted in a proposal posted on Github. As of January 21, the proposal seems to have been approved.
In another Github proposal, Microsoft highlighted the ’rounded corner’ changes coming to Windows 10 menus within the modern apps and settings. Microsoft intends to update the padding/margins for menus with additional spacing between items.
As you can see in the below screenshot, Microsoft is also adding rounded corners on menu items and the menus will still support Fluent Design.
Based on these mock-up screenshots, it is clear that the tech giant is betting big on ’rounded corners’ to change the interface of the OS and return to design style previously seen during Windows 7 and Vista eras.
In addition to these app menus, Microsoft is also planning to ditch sharp corners for Windows 10 app windows. For example, Settings, Music, Photos, and other inbox apps could soon ditch traditional sharp corners for rounded corners.
Windows 10’s new user interface improvements will begin showing up in preview builds in the next few months, but the upgrade won’t be released for the public until the second half of 2021.