So, Apple just reinvented glass. Of course.
They’re calling it “Liquid Glass,” which sounds less like a design language and more like something Gwyneth Paltrow would sell you for $99 in a frosted jar. Sorry.
But this isn’t about her. It’s about Apple. And how they’ve gone from setting the gold standard for design… to basically handing out Play-Doh to the masses.
Once upon a time, Apple devices didn’t just work, they were sort of like art.
Now, we’ve got jelly-like icons swimming in translucent soup called “Liquid Glass.”
It’s different. Sure. But design-wise? Rather strange.
Losing the Lead
This isn’t just a rant about unreadable text on blurry backgrounds (although yes, it’s unreadable). Many people have commented on that already.
It’s more.
Apple is no longer a design leader.
They’re not pushing boundaries. They’re not setting standards. They’re just going with the motions.
Design for the masses. Customization. Into stuff that looks just terrible. I don’t think Steve would have liked this.
Apple used to say no more than they said yes. That was their superpower. They edited. They curated. They made decisions so you didn’t have to.
Now, they’re just reacting to what people think they want. Funnily enough, this used to be the main criticism of Apple from a standpoint of an Android user who loved his customization. But it was also the strong suit of Apple. Now they ditched that.
“But choice is good!” — no, not always. Choice without taste is how you end up with entire home screens that look like a Tumblr page from 2009.
It’s by “Design” Ironically
Here’s the thing, though. This shift in mindset is by “design”. Ironically.
Apple could do it differently. Even that “Liquid Glass” could look cool, I suppose.
But the company that once built devices for creatives (because that was their market and share was small) now builds phones for your aunt Milly (because they’re THE market in many ways now).
That’s fine, of course. Aunt Milly deserves a good phone.
What I’m saying is: Apple’s now designing for the median user.
And I get it. In many ways, personalization sells, choice sells. Ask Google with Android.
But design-wise? Design is not democracy. Not really. Not everyone can be a designer. Not even with the help of ChatGPT.
Design is complicated. And it’s even more complicated to make it look simple. Effortless. And still fresh.
What About Steve
This ain’t the Apple Jobs built. We all know that.
Steve once said that people don’t know what they want until you show it to them. That’s what made Apple powerful.
Now they’re asking the crowd what they want and just… shipping it. That’s not innovation. That’s marketing.
It makes financial sense. That’s the point. Tim Cook is a finance guy.
Apple is now a trillion-dollar business that needs to please everyone, everywhere.
Liquid Glass is okay, but it’s also visually incoherent.
On one phone, it’s elegant. On another, it looks like a crazy person overused glue. The same UI looks completely different depending on the wallpaper, the theme, the mood of the user that day.
Apple used to sell one experience, tightly designed and obsessively polished. For everyone to understand. And it still looked pretty dope.
Apple used to be associated with clean, modern design. White space. Balance. Aesthetic discipline.
Now, Google’s design is starting to look pretty cool…
The Bottom Line
Apple used to design for vision. Now it designs for vibes. Personalization is fun… until it kills the brand identity.
So yeah. Apple design is dead.
Not because they can’t still make beautiful things. But because they’ve stopped choosing to.
Gwyneth Paltrow actually named her daughter Apple. 🍎😉