YouTube: Streaming device releases new desktop update

While the updates may not sound like much, YouTube is probably looking to enhance the overall consumer experience in face of increasing usage to make sure that users stick to the “Old that is still Gold”. But Flash users – aka those who haven’t switched to the HTML5 player – won’t get the new player. They tweeted about the change with a video of a water skiing squirrel. The company launched a new HTML5 video player for desktop users, which now features a transparent control bar that disappears when you’re not using it, as well as updated buttons and drop-down menus. The icons are larger and the progress bar is thinner. Similarly, the reason for the mobili-fication of the Web player may also be found in the consumer tendencies which state that on mobile, YouTube’s average sessions run for over 40 minutes, an increase of more than 50 percent over previous year.

The next time you watch John Oliver or a movie trailer or feline antics on YouTube, you might notice a subtle difference.

YouTube has silently updated its desktop web player with a more sleeker look than ever before. This video player also includes another feature, that is “Watch Later” button which is now not present in the control bar.

With this new look and feel, the new YouTube on the desktop now operates more like it does on mobile devices.

This is not the first time that YouTube has updated its product due to the impact of mobile users and their behaviors, we should point out.

With an upgrade to its iOS and Android applications, YouTube now extends these features to fill your display of your telephone or tablet. The player now looks better, but check it yourself and then judge it.