macOS Tahoe brings many benefits in my opinion. The unified Liquid Glass design language between Apple’s platforms make picking up projects on the Mac far more pleasant. And it feels like it fits much better within Apple’s ecosystem of devices. It feels congruent and consistent with Apple’s other platforms.
The Liquid Glass design also looks better and cleaner than the prior design in my opinion. It adds a bit of depth, but doesn’t go to far towards skeuomorphism. It strikes a perfect balance in my opinion of adding some depth and character (dare I say fun?) to the system, without overdoing it.
Beyond aesthetics, there are two primary practical benefits of the Liquid Glass UI that I find useful. One, app UIs tend to feel less distracting, and it feels like there’s less between me and the content I’m working on. I already thought before that Pages’ UI was more minimalist than Microsoft Word, and I found it less distracting. But the Liquid Glass UI makes that even better. It helps for me to focus more on my writing without distraction. Same with other apps, like Pixelmator Pro. 👍🏻.
This next screenshot of Pixelmator Pro is from my iPad, I don’t have any screenshots on hand from my Mac, I may replace this or add one from the Mac later. But the UI is nearly identical, and Liquid Glass has the same effect. The UI feels less intrusive and it isn’t as distracting to me as the UI in other photo editing apps that use solid color toolbars and buttons everywhere. It feels less cluttered and distracting.
And here’s a screenshot from Pixelmator Pro on the Mac. It’s so much less distracting than other app UIs like the UI for Affinity. 👍🏻. It feels less like I’m fighting with the UI to work on my content, and more like it’s working with me, and staying as out of the way as possible. It’s far less distracting to me than the UI of other photo editing apps like Affinity, where UI buttons and elements fight for my attention. 👍🏻
The other primary practical benefit of Liquid Glass I find helpful is that App UIs tend to be more unified with the new design. So if I pick up a project on my Mac Mini in Pages or Notes, or just about any of Apple’s system apps, the experience feels more consistent than it used to. The UI looks more consistent, which makes it far easier for me to pick up a project without it feeling jarring. This is also great for creatives who have a “flow” or “groove” who don’t want it disrupted by hitting into a ton of UI differences between the same apps. Pixelmator Pro is another great example of this. Moving projects between the iPad and Mac feels nearly seamless, as both share nearly identical UI designs.
The Spotlight enhancements are also quite useful, though I do miss the Launchpad. Still, the new Apps page works fine for most, and there are third-party alternative apps that add a Launchpad-like option back, and even a layout like the App Library on iOS and iPadOS! I would have rather Apple just snagged the App Library from iOS and iPadOS rather than this separate Apps page design, but it’s a minor thing overall.
And the Phone app is a very handy addition. It is so much nicer than the old FaceTime voice call method. And my most used custom Siri Shortcut now works on the iPad and Mac along with my iPhone! It’s a shortcut I created called “Call Favorites” that gives me a list of select contacts I’ve added into it, and tapping on one from the list calls that contact. That’s super handy when I just need to contact someone quick. 👍🏻
Live Activities are also really good on macOS. I’m glad to see them included on macOS.
In so many ways, I think Tahoe has struck a great balance of incorporating more consistent design and features into macOS. I feel a few more changes in subsequent updates, and macOS will actually feel more modern and like the rest of Apple’s lineup! 🙂👍🏻
I welcome others to share their thoughts and opinions as well. My goal is for this to be a place where we can discuss and highlight the merits of macOS Tahoe and the new Liquid Glass design. That said, I also welcome dissenting views. All I ask is that people please keep things civil and respectful. 🙂👍🏻
The Liquid Glass design also looks better and cleaner than the prior design in my opinion. It adds a bit of depth, but doesn’t go to far towards skeuomorphism. It strikes a perfect balance in my opinion of adding some depth and character (dare I say fun?) to the system, without overdoing it.
Beyond aesthetics, there are two primary practical benefits of the Liquid Glass UI that I find useful. One, app UIs tend to feel less distracting, and it feels like there’s less between me and the content I’m working on. I already thought before that Pages’ UI was more minimalist than Microsoft Word, and I found it less distracting. But the Liquid Glass UI makes that even better. It helps for me to focus more on my writing without distraction. Same with other apps, like Pixelmator Pro. 👍🏻.
This next screenshot of Pixelmator Pro is from my iPad, I don’t have any screenshots on hand from my Mac, I may replace this or add one from the Mac later. But the UI is nearly identical, and Liquid Glass has the same effect. The UI feels less intrusive and it isn’t as distracting to me as the UI in other photo editing apps that use solid color toolbars and buttons everywhere. It feels less cluttered and distracting.
And here’s a screenshot from Pixelmator Pro on the Mac. It’s so much less distracting than other app UIs like the UI for Affinity. 👍🏻. It feels less like I’m fighting with the UI to work on my content, and more like it’s working with me, and staying as out of the way as possible. It’s far less distracting to me than the UI of other photo editing apps like Affinity, where UI buttons and elements fight for my attention. 👍🏻
The other primary practical benefit of Liquid Glass I find helpful is that App UIs tend to be more unified with the new design. So if I pick up a project on my Mac Mini in Pages or Notes, or just about any of Apple’s system apps, the experience feels more consistent than it used to. The UI looks more consistent, which makes it far easier for me to pick up a project without it feeling jarring. This is also great for creatives who have a “flow” or “groove” who don’t want it disrupted by hitting into a ton of UI differences between the same apps. Pixelmator Pro is another great example of this. Moving projects between the iPad and Mac feels nearly seamless, as both share nearly identical UI designs.
The Spotlight enhancements are also quite useful, though I do miss the Launchpad. Still, the new Apps page works fine for most, and there are third-party alternative apps that add a Launchpad-like option back, and even a layout like the App Library on iOS and iPadOS! I would have rather Apple just snagged the App Library from iOS and iPadOS rather than this separate Apps page design, but it’s a minor thing overall.
And the Phone app is a very handy addition. It is so much nicer than the old FaceTime voice call method. And my most used custom Siri Shortcut now works on the iPad and Mac along with my iPhone! It’s a shortcut I created called “Call Favorites” that gives me a list of select contacts I’ve added into it, and tapping on one from the list calls that contact. That’s super handy when I just need to contact someone quick. 👍🏻
Live Activities are also really good on macOS. I’m glad to see them included on macOS.
In so many ways, I think Tahoe has struck a great balance of incorporating more consistent design and features into macOS. I feel a few more changes in subsequent updates, and macOS will actually feel more modern and like the rest of Apple’s lineup! 🙂👍🏻
I welcome others to share their thoughts and opinions as well. My goal is for this to be a place where we can discuss and highlight the merits of macOS Tahoe and the new Liquid Glass design. That said, I also welcome dissenting views. All I ask is that people please keep things civil and respectful. 🙂👍🏻
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