This would be very hard to do without the new design language; it wouldn’t fit in.
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Why Liquid Glass looks so good
- Thread starter LiquidGlassfan
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HouseLannister
macrumors 68040
You’re right. Apple is horrible at design and could not solve this problem without translucency.
Mac47
macrumors regular
I have a fairly involved workflow. I run a Mac Studio (M2 Max) with a 55" 8k TV as my display (in "looks like 4k" HiDPI). My job involves screensharing from my iPad, and sharing various windows to Zoom. At any given moment, I have 30-40 windows open, and (taps Expose to count) 23 apps. I also use two iPads (12.9" Pro 2020 and iPad Mini 6) and a phone (16 Pro).
My vision isn't great. Years of squinting at ancient Greek texts printed in small type hasn't helped. I have presbyopia and wear progressive lenses.
I regularly upgrade to the latest OS on all my devices. So I am running Tahoe and the current iOS and iPadOS.
Liquid Glass is pretty, and it hasn't slowed me down at all — or even really affected me for the worse in any way. There is literally nothing I can't do with the same speed and efficiency and comfort as before. I just have no idea what everyone is grumping about.
And I expect I'm not unusual among the vast majority of regular Apple users.
But I appreciate the effort and concern of those of you who are measuring the radius of every rounded window corner. No doubt you are keeping Apple honest, and we are all the beneficiaries of your vigilance.
My vision isn't great. Years of squinting at ancient Greek texts printed in small type hasn't helped. I have presbyopia and wear progressive lenses.
I regularly upgrade to the latest OS on all my devices. So I am running Tahoe and the current iOS and iPadOS.
Liquid Glass is pretty, and it hasn't slowed me down at all — or even really affected me for the worse in any way. There is literally nothing I can't do with the same speed and efficiency and comfort as before. I just have no idea what everyone is grumping about.
And I expect I'm not unusual among the vast majority of regular Apple users.
But I appreciate the effort and concern of those of you who are measuring the radius of every rounded window corner. No doubt you are keeping Apple honest, and we are all the beneficiaries of your vigilance.
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Parowdy
macrumors 68000
Of course they did a great job?
Why of course? Because it’s Apple and they have never delivered unfinished software?
Change for the sake of change doesn’t make something „powerful“.
In fact, due to Liquid Glass needing more processing power than previous designs, your phone is on average less powerful, at least concerning user processes per watt (reduced battery life).
Parowdy
macrumors 68000
Bro you literally don’t know what you’re talking about. The WiFi or Bluetooth buttons didn’t change (at least on my phone), and any change there might be does not need Liquid Glass. You’re just looking for excuses to hail Liquid Glass, as is evident by your name.
Parowdy
macrumors 68000
It’s not hate, it’s legitimate criticism and people being annoyed a new design that’s not even finished yet is forced on them.
You can like iOS 26 and LG all you want, that doesn’t make it a good operating system or functional for others.
Parowdy
macrumors 68000
One great recent example of Apple not caring about the UI on older, smaller screen’d devices.
I feel for people using an old SE with bold or enlarged text.
tomtattoo
macrumors 6502a
It is constantly changing, so it is constantly disturbing me.
groove-agent
macrumors 68020
This is not the first time Apple has chosen form over function. I was hoping they had learned their lesson but maybe there is a functional aspect to this UI. The UI has 3d elements to it and maybe it will have some sort of future integration with with upcoming Apple glasses. Seems far fetched at this point in time though.
Populus
macrumors 604
My prediction -or maybe it’s just my wishful thinking- is that Apple will switch again to a more solid UI, retaining a bit of the shape-fluidity of Liquid Glass, without the transparency, in a more neumorphistic approach, but I don’t see it coming soon… unless they notice a big backlash not only in percentage of updated devices, but also in sales. And despite the lower adoption rate of iOS 26 compared to previous versions, I think sales aren’t being impacted by the new UI.
They made an investment in Liquid Glass, not only a money or time investment, but also an investment in terms of marketing and brand image design. So I don’t see them discarding all of this investment after only two or three years.
But maybe, by iOS 30, we’ll get a new, more radical revamp for the UI, going back to solid colors but instead of a flat design, they give it that subtle relief of texture. Like Android’s Material You but instead of being flat, having a bit of depth and shadows…
But if I were Apple, I would start NOW with the design and the guidelines, and designate a team just to work on the UI of the three main OS (iOS, iPadOS and macOS) so that when the time comes, the design doesn’t feel rushed like it does on Liquid Glass, especially on macOS. I think three years is more than enough to design a solid UI that will last another decade.
But I’m not an Apple executive so those decisions are beyond myself.
As for Liquid Glass, well, I like it, and if we switch to a new neumorphic design for the UI with solid colors, I would definitely preserve the transparency for, at least, the keyboard. But as I said, if I had to chose between Android’s solid colors and iOS 26 transparency, I’d choose the former.
For the time being, just let’s hope they refine a bit Liquid Glass for iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and especially, macOS 27, so we can have a pleasant and more consistent experience across our devices. Let’s hope iOS/macOS 27 is indeed a refinement update focused on stability, performance and efficiency, ironing out the most controversial aspects of Liquid Glass.
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Populus
macrumors 604
Maybe what we need is an accessibility toggle to turn off transparency WITHOUT making the whole UI ugly. Just an option replacing the Liquid Glass materials, bars and buttons, for a more iOS 13-18 style, with solid colors. Same shapes and UI design, but without the transparency. But honestly, that’s very un-Apple, there’s almost a zero chance they will give us that…
You're not in the minority (you are with your setup, but not in the sense of getting things done).
My wife is what I'd call a typical Mac user. She doesn't really care about technology or computers. She is not on Macrumors. She doesn't spend time in tech forums. She just doesn't care about things like that.
She uses her computer to run her small business and volunteer work.
When macOS 26 was released we upgraded her computer.
Can you guess what happened? As soon as it was done upgrading, she went back to her normal workflow as if nothing had changed. Nothing was interrupted. There were no complaints about rounded corners or the level of transparency of some UI feature, or whatever else people are analyzing.
While there are things people at Apple can fix with both iOS 26 and macOS 26, I think people obsessing over the issues and airing grievances online regularly should channel all that enthusiasm into something positive in the real world -- like volunteering or exercising or making new friends. Don't get me wrong, feedback to Apple about issues or perceived issues when coupled with suggestions for improvement is important, but the online complaining seems excessive. But that's just my opinion.
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avkills
macrumors 65816
The vast majority of users probably do not care or do not notice or both. The people being hyper critical of what Apple has done are people who notice and actually do care what and how Apple does stuff. Apple used to be the pillar of user friendly design; I am not so sure anymore.
As I have mentioned, Liquid Glass seems to be fine for iOS devices; but it just does not work for me on the desktop in it's current state.
More than likely I will eventually upgrade; but right I can not since I am in the middle of projects. Hopefully by the time I am ready Apple will have polished it up a bit.
As has been said over and over again, just because you can overhaul the GUI does not mean you should. Has anyone even considered or looked at what kind of affect this has had on any of the accessibility settings -- something 99% of most people and developers ignore. I do not personally need them, but it is something that should be considered.
As I have mentioned, Liquid Glass seems to be fine for iOS devices; but it just does not work for me on the desktop in it's current state.
More than likely I will eventually upgrade; but right I can not since I am in the middle of projects. Hopefully by the time I am ready Apple will have polished it up a bit.
As has been said over and over again, just because you can overhaul the GUI does not mean you should. Has anyone even considered or looked at what kind of affect this has had on any of the accessibility settings -- something 99% of most people and developers ignore. I do not personally need them, but it is something that should be considered.
SalisburySam
macrumors 65816
Sadly, I must agree with you. This is the OS software version of Apple’s “courageous” elimination of the headphone jack.
Populus
macrumors 604
Kal Madda
macrumors 601
I really just don’t get why some are upset about the headphone jack. Wired earbuds sucked. The wires would get snagged on anything and everything. I remember when I got my first pair of Bluetooth earbuds, it was so much nicer than the wired ones. The market moved towards Bluetooth, why waste space on a port that was practically obsolete? Especially when adapters were cheap for the few who still wanted to use wired? I really don’t get why some people make such a deal out of it. The majority of people seem to have moved to Bluetooth, it’s just way better and more convenient. 🤷🏼♂️
CrabQueenInc
macrumors regular
Ever since the early AirPort days, I’ve been a proponent of adopting wireless technologies. However, I own both wired and wireless headphones. Each has its use, and wired headphones are still bang-for-buck better when it comes to sound quality.
avkills
macrumors 65816
If you were an audio engineer you would know why wired audio is better than wireless every time. Bluetooth audio is not better quality than wired audio. It is more convenient I will agree. But if you care about quality, then wireless isn't the solution.
capamac
macrumors 6502a
Bluetooth buds have lag issues. They also run out of power and require recharging. Bluetooth also costs more.
I've got some $7 Sony wired earbuds that I use at home with my laptop ... my preferred earbuds. They also have silicone tips that are quite excellent at passive noise isolation.
I've got some $30 JBL BT earbuds I wear at work. I only wear one earbud at work because I also need to hear normal stuff. But at work I'm constantly moving, walking, twisting, bending etc so a wire would be impractical.
I've got some $7 Sony wired earbuds that I use at home with my laptop ... my preferred earbuds. They also have silicone tips that are quite excellent at passive noise isolation.
I've got some $30 JBL BT earbuds I wear at work. I only wear one earbud at work because I also need to hear normal stuff. But at work I'm constantly moving, walking, twisting, bending etc so a wire would be impractical.
Kal Madda
macrumors 601
I get why audio engineers prefer wired. But for average people using their phone to listen to music, the difference isn’t that big of a deal, especially considering the convenience on non-wired. 👍🏻
Kal Madda
macrumors 601
Yeah, but doesn’t that kind of make my case? A wired headphone jack may be one thing on something your using more stationary, like a laptop. But with a phone, usually your playing music while your moving around and working on stuff. I guess I just don’t get why I would ever want to plug wired headphones into my phone. 🤷🏼♂️. And those who do can still get adapters, or direct USB-C wired earbuds. 👍🏻
Kal Madda
macrumors 601
Fair enough. I get why people use them for quality purposes, I know an audio engineer who has talked about wired vs Bluetooth for audio. I just don’t think the convenience of wireless for something your carrying in a pocket like a phone makes more sense. 👍🏻. But I do see your point. 🙂👍🏻
transpo1
macrumors 68000
I absolutely do. Apple products and software have to be beautiful-- that's why we buy them over other products that do roughly the same thing.
Luftkopf
macrumors 65816
Because my Beyerdynamic headphones that I bought 15 years ago sound better than BT headphones at twice the price, and there's no way on earth I could justify spending that much money to replace the best set of headphones I've ever listened to.