Mac OS 26 Is Utter Garbage and Apple Has truly lost its way....

[whatnot]

no. It will still use the and boot the recovery partition which is Tahoe. You need to completely remove the OS and the recovery partition. The only way is to do a DFU method.

When to revive or restore in DFU mode

When should you put your Mac into DFU mode, hook it up to another Mac running Configurator, and revive or restore it?

eclecticlight.co

Erase All Content and Settings does what it says

It throws away the encryption key for the Data volume, effectively wiping all its data. It doesn’t alter the System volume, SSV, or the macOS installed.

eclecticlight.co

ok my bad, I did the whole factory reset from 15.7 to 15.7 😜

 

[DrAlban]

Truly the most diabolical iteration of the MacOS UI I've ever used. I now use a 15" MBA for the extra screen size and to my bleeding eyes Tahoe looks like an over-engineered childrens toy on screen. huge menus; rounded everything; no compact tabs in safari; idiotic HUGE corner radius & inconsistent UI elements of same.. all take up HUGE amounts of SCREEN space which should be for displaying CONTENT not fluffy shadows or GPU energy wasted on animations like a kids toy... I then packed for a work trip (I take a smaller laptop) & turned on my MBA M1 13" running Sequoia & OH WHAT A JOY TO USE. Clean UI. just clean interface to get work done. NO FLUFF. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE for the love of GOD give users a CHOICE to turn off all that Tahoe UI shyTe. MacOS is NOT iOS or iPadOS. Dont try fix things that ARENT BROKEN. Honestly most diabolical iteration MacOS EVER. I never complained about the MacOS UI EVER until NOW.

 

[chama98]

ok my bad, I did the whole factory reset from 15.7 to 15.7 😜

if you need any help message me.

 

[jimbojoho]

Had a power cut and Music needed to have a wee think before booting up, so it had a grey loading thing over the main interface... corner radius's aren't aligned. Don't know how this all got approved, and I really hope this isn't a sign of things to come

 

[navaira]

This is one out of many things that irritate me. If Apple is so design-centric, why can’t this be done right?

 

[MajorFubar]

What fascinates me most is Craig 'Hair Force One' Federighi has been an influential part of Apple software engineering from the glory days of Snow Leopard - whose design and slickness was universally recognised as tighter than a nun's 🐱 - all the way through to today. I can't believe the obvious fall in standards sits right with him, unless he's the actual architect of it. Come on Craig, have words, fgs.

 

[MajorFubar]

The original design team were probably geeks with greasy long hair who smelled a bit, worked into the wee hours by candlelight, who treated the OS as their Precious, and who'd go outside and thrash each other naked with barbed wire if users found a bug. What you're witnessing is the result of replacing them with sharp-suited outrageously-paid software-engineers in million-dollar homes with million-dollar cars and with literally no personal allegance to the product at all.

 

[axiom.atic]

This new generation of UI engineers at Apple does not have the sense of what human interaction should be, not in the way that the Federighi generation had years to mature on at Next/OpenStep under Steve Jobs and I am inclined to think that Federighi is not much involved in this latest redesign as he was in the past. These people are being reshuffled around the (now clearly) failed strategy for Siri (and the recent practical outsourcing of Siri to Google/Gemini). Alan Dye is not respected in the community, I leave it like that, it is known. Why is this happening overall, why is Apple not holding the reins of what once was the rigorous line you see displayed in their UI Guidelines through many many years? Probably a generational change within the company, perhaps the enormous pressure to cash on everything and quickly that has led the company to be completely and probably irreversibly dominated by its own marketing division.

 

[jimbojoho]

This new generation of UI engineers at Apple does not have the sense of what human interaction should be, not in the way that the Federighi generation had years to mature on at Next/OpenStep under Steve Jobs and I am inclined to think that Federighi is not much involved in this latest redesign as he was in the past. These people are being reshuffled around the (now clearly) failed strategy for Siri (and the recent practical outsourcing to Google/Gemini). Alan Dye is not respected in the community, I leave it like that, it is known. Why is this happening overall, why is Apple not holding the reins of what once was the rigorous line you see displayed in their UI Guidelines through many many years? Probably a generational change within the company, perhaps the enormous pressure to cash on everything and quickly that has led the company to be completely and probably irreversibly dominated by its own marketing division.

I really hope you're wrong

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

why is Apple not holding the reins of what once was the rigorous line you see displayed in their UI Guidelines through many many years?

Apple has never stuck close to their human interface guidelines, even during the peak of the Jobs era.
See here, from 21!years ago…

Daring Fireball: Brushed Metal and the HIG

daringfireball.net

This was 2004. Pre-iPhone, pre-iPod Nano and Touch, literally when Apple was almost entirely a computer company only and the iPod was only just starting.
And yet the HIG? Barely paid attention to it.

 

[chama98]

The original design team were probably geeks with greasy long hair who smelled a bit, worked into the wee hours by candlelight, who treated the OS as their Precious, and who'd go outside and thrash each other naked with barbed wire if users found a bug. What you're witnessing is the result of replacing them with sharp-suited outrageously-paid software-engineers in million-dollar homes with million-dollar cars and with literally no personal allegance to the product at all.

You also forgot that they might be unwashed and wear boxer shorts inside out for 16 days complete with yellow Staines and yesterdays remains of breakfast.

 

[tomtattoo]

Had Tahoe on a test partition and today I booted it up again and looked around.
There are so many annoyances...
The grey background of the dock, the blue background of firefox icon, the not all black widgets....and and and..
Decreased contrast, got a light menubar..WHY?
Darken all widgets: no color in them compared to Sequioa where I have colored titels on my widgets.
All grey and black tristesse..
The weather widget: high and low squeezed together with this little font on low temperature.
In system settings no colors in the sidebar...
The thick scrollbar.

It is an optical nightmare and I´m sure there is way more to discover.

And all that remarked in only 5 minutes.

Rushed back to my beloved Sequioa.

No way I will use Tahoe in the next years.

 

[MajorFubar]

You also forgot that they might be unwashed and wear boxer shorts inside out for 16 days complete with yellow Staines and yesterdays remains of breakfast.

We need different lol reactions for “you’re an a$$hole” and “what you said there was genuinely funny” because that’s genuinely funny and had me laughing. I’m banking that one for future use.

 

[Undecided]

You can't be serious.
Let's take 99 examples, from simple to more advanced ones:

Windows	macOS
Right-click → “Open with Notepad”	No plain text shortcut; TextEdit defaults to rich text
Pin any file/folder to taskbar	Dock only supports apps
Resize windows from any edge	Resize limited to bottom-right corner
Snap windows with Win+Arrow keys	Requires third-party tools (e.g., Magnet)
Rename multiple files in Explorer	Available, but less intuitive in Finder
Tabs in File Explorer	Finder tabs exist, but less flexible
Ctrl+Shift+Esc opens Task Manager	No direct shortcut for Activity Monitor
Create shortcuts anywhere	Aliases exist, but less customizable
Alt+Tab switches all windows	Cmd+Tab switches apps only
Customize mouse pointer	Limited options
Install apps from any source	Gatekeeper blocks unsigned apps by default
Run portable apps from USB	Most apps require installation
Built-in Paint app	No native equivalent (Preview is limited)
Disk Cleanup tool	No direct equivalent
Control Panel access	System Settings more limited
Create local user accounts	Apple ID often required
Calculator with programmer mode	Lacks programmer mode
Win+R “Run” dialog	No equivalent quick launcher
Customize folder icons	Possible, but more complex
Clipboard history (Win+V)	No native clipboard history
File Explorer with preview pane	Finder has preview, but less configurable
Taskbar shows all open windows	Dock groups by app, not window
Right-click → “Send to” menu	No equivalent quick-send options
Set default apps easily	More restricted
Use .exe files directly	Not supported
Access BIOS/UEFI	Not user-accessible on Macs
Use legacy peripherals	Often lacks drivers
Customize login screen	Limited customization
Read and write to NTFS drives without any limitations	Read NTFS only
Built-in troubleshooters	No equivalent diagnostic tools
Use multiple taskbars (multi-monitor)	Dock only appears on one screen
Install unsigned drivers	SIP blocks this
Use system tray icons	Menu bar is more limited
Set per-app volume	Not natively supported
Use legacy software	No backward compatibility
Customize boot options	Limited boot control
Use keyboard shortcuts globally	Shortcuts are app-specific
Access recent files from Start menu	No unified recent files list
Use multiple user sessions simultaneously	Fast user switching is more limited
Built-in screen snipping tool	Screenshot tool is less flexible
Use third-party antivirus freely	Limited kernel access
Install from Microsoft Store or web	App Store is more restrictive
Use taskbar jump lists	No equivalent in Dock
Customize system fonts	Not allowed
Use legacy control panels	No legacy access
Access hidden files easily (Ctrl+H)	Requires terminal or Finder shortcut
Use multiple desktops with taskbar per screen	Spaces lacks taskbar per desktop
Use built-in voice recorder	Requires third-party app
Use Windows Hello (face/fingerprint login)	No Face ID; Touch ID only on supported Macs
Easily change file extensions	More hidden in UI
Full UI theming with third-party tools	Limited to built-in Light/Dark modes
Rainmeter widgets	No equivalent with same flexibility
Registry editor	No system-wide registry access
PowerShell scripting	AppleScript + Terminal (less powerful)
Global file association control	App-based, less flexible
“God Mode” folder	No master settings folder
F8 Safe Mode boot	Requires recovery partition access
Compatibility mode for legacy apps	No support for 32-bit or legacy apps
Virtual desktops with custom shortcuts	Mission Control (limited shortcut control)
AutoHotkey macros	No native equivalent; third-party tools limited
Native DirectX 12 games	No DirectX; uses Metal or wrappers
Game modding without Wine	Often unsupported or limited
Emulators like BGB, Cemu, PCSX2	Some work via Rosetta/Wine, not all
SolidWorks, Revit	Not available natively
Windows Mixed Reality	Not supported
Xbox Game Bar	No built-in game overlay
Microsoft Store + Xbox App	Not available
Full compatibility with game launchers	Some launchers lack macOS support
Optimized GPU drivers (NVIDIA/AMD)	Limited to Apple Silicon or Intel
Gaming peripheral config tools	Often lack macOS versions
Build-your-own PC	Not possible or options much more limited
Install on ARM, x86, x64	Only on Apple Silicon or Intel
eGPU support	Deprecated on Apple Silicon
BIOS/UEFI access	No user-accessible firmware
Install on Steam Deck	Not supported
Legacy printer/scanner support	Often lacks drivers
Specialized USB device support	Limited by driver availability
Native DirectX SDK	Metal SDK (different API)
ASIO driver support	CoreAudio only
Industrial USB tools	Often Windows-only software
BitLocker encryption	FileVault (comparable)
Group Policy (GPO)	No centralized policy system
Advanced password policies	Limited to MDM tools
Application Guard	No browser isolation equivalent
WSUS update deployment	No centralized update server
Hyper-V virtualization	Parallels/VMware (not native)
Sysinternals Suite	No equivalent toolkit
SCCM/Intune deployment	Apple Configurator/MDM (less granular)
Advanced firewall rules	GUI limited; command-line needed
Assigned Access (kiosk mode)	Limited via parental controls
Full Visual Studio + .NET	Visual Studio for Mac is limited
Test on Internet Explorer/Edge legacy	Not available
WSL (Linux Subsystem)	Unix base, no Linux kernel
WinDbg for driver debugging	No equivalent
VirtualBox unrestricted	Apple restricts virtualization on ARM
Tools like Fiddler, ProcMon	Limited or unavailable
UWP app development	Not supported
Win32/COM API access	Not available
Chocolatey package manager	Homebrew (less system-integrated)

This list is utter garbage. I'll address one, though:

Ctrl+Shift+Esc opens Task Manager

No direct shortcut for Activity Monitor

For anyone who wants this, just create a shortcut in Shortcuts - it took all of 5 seconds to make Ctrl+Shift+Esc open Activity Monitor.

 

[nmt1900]

100% agree
I regret going on line these past 2 years
there is not a single source quote as people now newsreporters can just type what ever they feel.
seems to me that simple searched like "lady driving car side view" clip art is impossible to get results.

then the content, I just read an article how a new NYC mayor will improve the city via bicycles as the writer gloated how great this is while me cycling there knows what pipe-dream that is.

I do cringe when I see that red mark on the bell an hope that is not a start of a thread war.

we have sunk into an analytical abyss of nothingness!

And guess what? AI is generating useless noise into internet and then uses internet content to "learn" to make more of that noise - while "learning" source contains that very same noise.

This is a feedback loop or runaway process of "flooding the zone" - and it is limited only by power of AI datacenter computers driving that process. Where it is leading is quite obvious - human brains are somewhat finite resource, while ways to create more money to feed AI "flood machine" can top it any time....

 

[MBAir2010]

Tahoes is teh garbages!
The MBA2020 M1 spun a ball trying to play a song via FOOBAR to HomePods speakers.
seems to me  only works with and the s!

Tuesday back to Monterey and log out of the cloud!

added: this Tahoe garbage just does not want to work,
I never ran into anything like an horrible OS since perhaps Mavericks.....
wow, I can't think of one good thing to type about tahoez

 

[fisherking]

Tahoes is teh garbages!
The MBA2020 M1 spun a ball trying to play a song via FOOBAR to HomePods speakers.
seems to me  only works with and the s!

Tuesday back to Monterey and log out of the cloud!

assed: this Tahoe garbage just does not want to work,
I never ran into anything like an horrible OS since perhaps Mavericks.....
wow, I can't think of one good thing to type about tahoez

or you could try to work out the issues you're having; tahoe here is running great, fast, stable...

 

[nmt1900]

This list is utter garbage. I'll address one, though:

Ctrl+Shift+Esc opens Task Manager

No direct shortcut for Activity Monitor

For anyone who wants this, just create a shortcut in Shortcuts - it took all of 5 seconds to make Ctrl+Shift+Esc open Activity Monitor.

Good idea for shortcut actually. However Shortcuts and BackgroundShortcutRunner are both drriving me mad by periodically sitting at 100% CPU for long times without any obvious fix. This seemed to be happening every time after startup or waking up for at least 10-15 minutes each time. Now it was quiet until I opened Shortcuts and created this shortcut. I only have 2 shortcuts there and both are to only be run manually.

This does not probably mean that Tahoe is more garbage than it is, but that 26.1 is a heap of bugs...

 

[randomgeeza]

Disillusioned, disappointed and contemplating taking a hiatus from Apple releases, until... something improves.

Whilst Tim Cook is a master at profits and skimping on everything. He has sucked the soul out of the products and ecosystem, the brand is lacking and losing reputation. The consistency - non existent. The design details, which made Apple, Apple have gone and the Liquid Glass experiment has failed. Simply put, it is ****! It cheapens the excellent hardware. Not including the aluminium roll back on the iPhones.

Apple should know better and can do much better, for sure.

 

[CasualFanboy]

I've had plenty of complaints with apple, especially starting with the release of Big Sur, but most of them have been philosophical and aesthetic. There is no conceivable value in UI convergence other than laziness on the part of apple, and the results have all been negative.

But from everything I'm reading about Tahoe, this has crossed over into clear negligence. Popular apps and basic features just aren't up to standards. You have to wonder if they even care about macOS anymore. It looks to me like they're just iPhoning it in. (Get it?)

 

[sam bell]

It's clear that the next generation of useless engineers are completely taking over those that built the iPhone and OS X, and it's a sad day.

I have never thought I would say I would be installing garbage from Apple, but here it is. OS 26 Tahoa is truly garbage and an affront to what Jobs and Ives built.

You can see the carelessness and horrible work throughout. Non cohesive designs, BUGS EVERYWHERE, loss of caring of whats going on behind the hood, and chasing visual eye candy over function.

Its sad.

I cant even get my tabs to work correctly in safari and have to access the sidebar to access them correct (icons bugging out etc).

Apple really needs to sit down and fire half its team and spend a whole major version update just clearing the junk that has been built up and going back to building functional systems first, we have reached windows Vista level of garbage...

That's what I've been saying Apple has fell off it’s pedestal it is a sinking ship it's not greater than anybody it's average to subpar now , nothing but a bunch of silly little kids in there now and it won't get any better because the smart old school visionaries are all gone

 

[randolorian]

They are planning to release touch-screen MBPs, so they need to bring a touch-friendly interface to macOS. Have a look at iPadOS 26. It sucks, but I think that explains the UX abomination that is Tahoe.

 

[JRobert@macrumors]

In iOS 26.1, these settings tone down the Liquid Glass effects considerably:

• Settings > Display and Brightness > Liquid Glass: TINTED.
• Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Reduce Transparency: ON.
• Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Increase Contrast: ON
• Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Differentiate Without Color: ON

I don't notice any difference with the last one, but I'm happier camper with the first three.
I'm still waiting to install Tahoe (having learned to treat early point-releases as beta...) 🙁

My question is: Has anyone tried these controls in Tahoe (some may found in different places), and are they as effective as in iOS 26.1?

 

[amancalledsun]

In iOS 26.1, these settings tone down the Liquid Glass effects considerably:

• Settings > Display and Brightness > Liquid Glass: TINTED.
• Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Reduce Transparency: ON.
• Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Increase Contrast: ON
• Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Differentiate Without Color: ON

I don't notice any difference with the last one, but I'm happier camper with the first three.
I'm still waiting to install Tahoe (having learned to treat early point-releases as beta...) 🙁

My question is: Has anyone tried these controls in Tahoe (some may found in different places), and are they as effective as in iOS 26.1?

I use dark mode; tinted has no effect and increase contrast is unbearable. Reduce transparency is a must.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

What frustrates me about Tahoe is that there are some genuinely nice features as far as software improvements goes (I particularly like the idea behind Control Centre and the ability to shortcut system functions), but the interface just spoils it for me.

Tahoe was a great opportunity for Apple. They wanted to update the macOS UI for a new generation of Mac. Great. But they allowed completely the wrong person - Alan Dye - to head up the operation, and his pseudo-intellectual ideas on why mimicking the properties of glass was bold, innovative: not because it improved the user experience, but because he was too preoccupied with whether he (and his team) could accomplish the feat in the first place. Classic Jurassic Park philosophy.

You only have to look at their official video to see what a load of absolute self-applauding backslapping hipster-snob nonsense these guys are. They’re focusing their multi-million dollar creative pay checks in the dumbest of details, purely so they can say they have “great attention to detail”.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, nothing wrong with an opinion that has reasoning. But I’ve yet to read a single clear argument for why Liquid Glass is better than what we had previously; and I get criticised for raising clear and obvious drawbacks.

Apple has a history of designing to “less is more”, their current hardware being perfect examples. Liquid Glass could not be more polar opposite. Apple has added more complexity in areas where it doesn’t need to exist. You can create a pleasing sense of depth without the need for distracting floating pills, inconsistent button shapes and placement, overly rounded window corners, overuse of shadows.

I’m genuinely still wrapping my head around why the dock on my desktop needs to create refractions. Why?