Google doesn’t tinker with its main page too often, so a planned change to its search box — making it larger and increasing the font size for queries — is bound to get noticed. It’s not visible on Google’s Australian site right now, but a spokesperson told us it will appear on all Google international sites within the next week. Presumably, the user scripts to shrink it back to its old proportions will follow soon afterwards. [via Official Google Blog]
Chris
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 11:36 AMThe changes seem to be visible on Google Australia for me at the moment. They must have updated it just after your article was posted!
Nathaniel
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 12:50 PMI thought this must have been the case – it came up in Aus pretty quick. I’ve been checking my zoom settings and everything to see if it really was a Google homepage change.
I think I like it…
usccurls
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 12:55 PMHurts my eyes to look at this monstrosity – does Google think we all need reading glasses???
Stephen Carrell
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 2:19 PMAn option to magnify search font would probably have been more welcome than to assume everyone needs glasses, then later to provide a button to return to “normal”.
GL
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 5:06 PM(1) Stop changing things. (2) Take five minutes and code an OPTION for users to put it back THE WAY IT WAS. (3) Fix your ten-year-old image search that still only allows at most 20 results per screen.
Fatdump
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 5:34 PMI hate it so much you have no idea. That’s it, I’M GOING TO ASK JEEVES!!!!!
hi
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 7:48 PMhi
thanks for leeting this info out….
i was going mad figguring out if this was a virus or soehtmg tht made the search tabs bigger!
thanks a lot…now i can gte back to workk!
Ziggy
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 9:08 PMBlistering flabberjinks, I thought my eyes were in need of urgent attention when I logged into Google today! The search bar text has just become a demon possessed… Monstrous font jumping out at me, causing dyslexia, mild concussion, and blood-shot eyes. Help… I need a fix urgently as my head (and very sore eyeballs) are in a spin! Bring on the spinning colored candy wheel…
Scott Bradley
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 9:37 PMI hate, hate, hate, hate, hate the new search bar layout. This is a disgrace/
audio
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 9:56 PMMy god… Thought there was something wrong with my browser because Google looked absolutely hideous (bigger font…).
Visible in Finland atm aswell.
Eugene C
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 11:45 PMHere’s a tip, use iGoogle as your page, the search box is currently still smaller (from what I can see anyway.)
The bad thing is, iGoogle doesn’t have the special logos, which is something you’ll miss out on.
Pete
Friday, September 11, 2009 at 7:50 AMThey changed on the Irish website yesterday I think.
I thought I hit zoom or something.
I don’t like the huge look.
Max Johnson
Friday, September 11, 2009 at 4:38 PMThis is a rather fail concept. The increased font size isn’t too bad I suppose, but when the ‘suggestions’ drop-down appears, it takes up nearly half the bloody screen here at work. Not to mention, the text on the ‘Search’ and ‘I’m feeling lucky’ buttons needs to be centred vertically. It’s a little low, at least in Firefox.
Dan
Friday, September 11, 2009 at 9:16 PMWell I’m glad someone wrote about this. I wasn’t sure if I had changed a setting in my browser.
I’m not really liking the new look as that size of font on my screen looks so much more “boxy” but oh well.
John
Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 12:50 PMIt’s horrible isn’t it. Roll on the “undo-it” script.