Glass design is not new, but will Apple succeed where Microsoft failed with Windows Vista

India Today

20 hours ago

Apple calls Liquid Glass, its new software design for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, both unique and familiar at the same time. This means that iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26, all of which feature the expansive redesign, don't change the way you normally use and interact with your iPhone, iPad, and Mac on a day-to-day basis. The only difference is that, now, some of these interactions would be – per Apple – more fun, magical, and intuitive than before. It is as if Jony Ive never left Apple Park, even though he has moved on and is building potentially competing AI products with Sam Altman's AI company, OpenAI, at the time of writing.advertisementSay what you will, but June 9, 2025, is a historical day for Apple. It has gone through this revamp cycle only two times since the dawn of its existence. The last such update came with iOS 7 in 2013. Jony played a key role in that. As is often the case with marketing, this third big revamp is also billed as the 'broadest software design update ever' and in many ways it is. There is no doubting that. And Apple is being transparent (no pun intended) about where some of the inspiration is coming from. It is inspired by visionOS which debuted on the Vision Pro two years ago. But that is Apple marketing speak. The internet knows better, and it remembers that Apple is not the first to do 'glassmorphism' in software. It is a recurring theme.advertisementMost famously, Microsoft tried to bring a glass-like aesthetic to the desktop with Windows Vista in 2007. The update was even called 'Aero Glass' to accentuate translucent window borders, reflective surfaces, and subtle animations, all designed from the ground up to invoke a sense of deep immersion. Some might even say that it was ahead of its time, which was also one of the biggest reasons why it failed catastrophically.
Windows Vista
Aero Glass, while futuristic on every front, was a major resource hog. All that fancy rendering demanded more from the system, particularly on the graphics side, which meant noticeable performance drops on older machines, particularly those with integrated graphics. Vista was not designed to feel slow and bloated – Microsoft would never do that, we reckon – but it was widely perceived as one that was – it is even today. The experience, for the lack of a better word, was inconsistent. Even jarring. (What made things worse was that it came immediately after Windows XP, one of Microsoft's most successful products of all time. No wonder it got a lot of heat from fans and critics alike.)But not everything was a hardware-borne issue. There were other problems. While it was pleasing to look at, the constant translucency could make text harder to read against a tight background, straining your eyes and reducing productivity. The lack of clear functional benefit over form ultimately overshadowed its visual merits. In other words, Microsoft failed at execution.Breaking the glass ceilingadvertisementThings are different with Apple and while it is still very early to give a definitive statement – good or bad – preliminary evidence suggests that Liquid Glass may not suffer from the same fate. It could have its own challenges, sure, ones we will surely look at in depth after spending some time with the update, but improper hardware isn't one of them.Apple is aware of its strengths with silicon and claims running its new software on compatible devices won't be an issue since the 'new design takes advantage of Apple's powerful advances in hardware, silicon, and graphics technologies', promising levels of fluidity that 'only Apple can achieve.' Modern Apple devices are more than capable of rendering sophisticated graphical effects without a significant performance hit. This should allow it to push the boundaries of visual design without compromising the user experience, something Microsoft couldn't do with Vista.Apple's implementation also seems far more refined and subtly integrated, at least from the promo materials that it is sharing. Rather than making every element transparent, it is using frosted glass effects for specific UI components like sidebars, toolbars, and control centre. This creates a sense of depth seemingly without sacrificing legibility. Promo materials also suggest the blur applied to the translucent elements mutes the background effectively, ensuring that content remains readable without any hassle.advertisementApple is known to place a strong emphasis on purpose and clarity. Its new software design echoes this sentiment through subtle but powerful visual cues that enhance logic and understanding, rather than merely existing for decorative purposes. The glass effect in a sidebar, for instance, subtly reveals what's behind it, without distracting from the primary content.Finally, user expectations have evolved since 2007. We're now more used to rich, animated interfaces while expecting a degree of visual polish – all because it is possible now. The developer betas for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26 are available to download, while the public betas will arrive in July. We'll get more hands-on between now and September, which is when Apple will roll out these updates for one and all.But regardless of how things pan out – and whether Apple will succeed where Microsoft failed big time – Liquid Glass is not a one-off thing but a big bet on the future. It is going to be at the heart of all Apple devices for as long as the next big one comes along, which isn't expected anytime soon. With no new major update on Apple Intelligence in sight, Apple has chosen to once again, let old-school software do all the heavy lifting for it. It is a tried and tested formula. Apple knows it does it well. The question is, for how long, can it afford to do this? With Google and OpenAI (and Amazon and Meta) charting new frontiers each day, every day, the world at large is moving in a whole different direction and Apple must catch up fast.