After spending some time with the new betas, I have to say — I’m still quite skeptical about the new Liquid Glass design language.
Sure, the effects are nice in isolation. I like how menus and popups respond to touch with depth and a sense of fluidity. But applying Liquid Glass everywhere feels like overkill. On iPhone and iPad, the windows and icons are just too much — it adds noise, not clarity.
What really bothers me are the icons. Even on macOS, everything now has this blurred glass look, even in the standard view. It strips away the diversity and personality icons used to have. In some ways, it’s worse than the flat era — at least flat icons were crisp and clear. These now feel washed out and blurry. I honestly think icons should have texture again — some hybrid between skeuomorphism and flat design. That way, developers can create rich, detailed icons instead of these simplified, translucent blobs.
And don’t get me started on the new window designs on iPad. With heavy shadows, layered glass, and unclear affordances, it feels like a step back in usability.
To make matters worse, something I always disliked in the iWork suite — the welcome screen/interface when you open Keynote, Pages or Numbers — has now made its way into Preview. It just doesn’t feel like it belongs in the same OS. It reminds me of Android KitKat, and not in a good way.
After spending some time with the new betas, I have to say — I’m still quite skeptical about the new Liquid Glass design language.
Somehow is even worse. Why not just show the documents, like Files app.
(I can’t be the only one to find this ugly)
Honestly, I don’t know what Alan Dye and the design team are thinking lately. It feels like Apple’s starting to fall behind — visually and functionally.
And just to be clear: Liquid Glass can look great in moderation. I actually liked it in the WWDC sessions. But in practice, with this level of intensity, it’s too much. Hopefully it evolves with time.
Let’s see where this goes!
Sure, the effects are nice in isolation. I like how menus and popups respond to touch with depth and a sense of fluidity. But applying Liquid Glass everywhere feels like overkill. On iPhone and iPad, the windows and icons are just too much — it adds noise, not clarity.
What really bothers me are the icons. Even on macOS, everything now has this blurred glass look, even in the standard view. It strips away the diversity and personality icons used to have. In some ways, it’s worse than the flat era — at least flat icons were crisp and clear. These now feel washed out and blurry. I honestly think icons should have texture again — some hybrid between skeuomorphism and flat design. That way, developers can create rich, detailed icons instead of these simplified, translucent blobs.
And don’t get me started on the new window designs on iPad. With heavy shadows, layered glass, and unclear affordances, it feels like a step back in usability.
To make matters worse, something I always disliked in the iWork suite — the welcome screen/interface when you open Keynote, Pages or Numbers — has now made its way into Preview. It just doesn’t feel like it belongs in the same OS. It reminds me of Android KitKat, and not in a good way.
After spending some time with the new betas, I have to say — I’m still quite skeptical about the new Liquid Glass design language.
Somehow is even worse. Why not just show the documents, like Files app.
(I can’t be the only one to find this ugly)
Honestly, I don’t know what Alan Dye and the design team are thinking lately. It feels like Apple’s starting to fall behind — visually and functionally.
And just to be clear: Liquid Glass can look great in moderation. I actually liked it in the WWDC sessions. But in practice, with this level of intensity, it’s too much. Hopefully it evolves with time.
Let’s see where this goes!
