"New rugs and curtains" change – I can see that. I think my own concern with Tahoe was actually predicated on that; Tahoe itself wasn't really a "new design" in the sense of a makeover – the ingredients were already largely carried over from Sequoia, and all the more dramatic changes struck me as the result of someone thinking "this is supposed to be a new design, but it's not changed enough." The result seemed like more changes for no serious reason. And that seemed dangerous, markedly the instinct of other companies when they're confused; not of Apple.
The keynote's spotlight wasn't on this, but it looks like Liquid Glass – the impressive virtual material itself – might fulfil its role in Golden Gate, actually appearing and animating in controls and moving and morphing there as in iOS. That's potentially visually cool and aims to mean something specific and consistent.
