Aqua is not dead. Aqua is the entire User Interface that Mac OS X relies on. Changing an image inside a resource file doesn't kill off Aqua. So what if the brushed metal was smoothed out? Brushed metal was a fad that has now passed, just like the widespread pinstripes and shadows of Jaguar Aqua. If you are referring to the Aqua-styled buttons, they are not gone in Leopard. Apple is simply differentiating between the metal and aqua windows further by using smooth metal buttons on metal windows. No, you are incorrect. He is referring to the sidebar, which is the left pane in Finder. It is present in Tiger (it will show you your drives, network, folders, etc...). Borders are so 2005. The borderless windows allows Leopard to dedifferentiate between unified aqua and metal windows. Also, it adds less visual weight, which soothes the eyes more. In Leopard, focused windows have the dark metal title/toolbar and a huge shadow, while inactive windows have a white aqua title/toolbar and a small shadow. This is supposed to help you "focus" on apps more, due to the absence of borders that previously bound your work area. All these interfaces are Aqua. So, no. Aqua is not dead.