I couldn't disagree more. I think the visual execution is great, and really cohesive with the rest of Google's re-design. I also prefer the black/dark themes. I imagine it has the functional benefit of using less power on OLED screens, as well.
But the visual stuff is almost beside the point. I've been an Android user for a couple of years now, and the sense I always got was that the OS was very engineer-driven, with plenty of interesting features piled on, but no real sense of user experience. Duarte is clearly bringing a lot of focus on UX, by optimizing real usage patterns, making them fast and delightful.
I'm actually pleasantly surprised at where Android is going.
But the visual stuff is almost beside the point. I've been an Android user for a couple of years now, and the sense I always got was that the OS was very engineer-driven, with plenty of interesting features piled on, but no real sense of user experience. Duarte is clearly bringing a lot of focus on UX, by optimizing real usage patterns, making them fast and delightful.
I'm actually pleasantly surprised at where Android is going.