Latest news with #LiquidGlassDesign


Geeky Gadgets
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Geeky Gadgets
Apple CarPlay Evolution: iOS 18 vs. iOS 26
Apple CarPlay has undergone substantial advancements with the release of iOS 26, introducing a range of updates that significantly enhance its functionality, usability, and visual appeal. Compared to iOS 18, the latest version offers a more refined interface, advanced communication tools, and innovative features designed to improve safety and convenience. Whether you rely on CarPlay for navigation, staying connected, or entertainment, iOS 26 provides a more seamless and engaging experience that caters to modern driving needs. The video below from Simple Alpaca gives us more details on Apple CarPlay. Watch this video on YouTube. Liquid Glass Design: A Sleek and Functional Interface A key highlight of iOS 26 is the introduction of the Liquid Glass Design, a polished and modern interface that reflects Apple's commitment to intuitive design. This updated layout emphasizes clarity and accessibility, making sure that essential functions like navigation, media controls, and communication tools are easy to locate and use. The streamlined design reduces visual clutter, creating a distraction-free environment that enhances both usability and aesthetics. With its cohesive and user-friendly approach, the Liquid Glass Design transforms the way drivers interact with CarPlay, making every action smoother and more efficient. Enhanced Communication Features for Safer Driving Communication while driving has been thoughtfully reimagined in iOS 26, with updates that prioritize safety and convenience. Two standout features include tapbacks and pinned conversations, which simplify message management without compromising your focus on the road. Tapbacks: These allow you to respond to messages with quick reactions, such as a thumbs-up or heart, directly from the CarPlay interface. This eliminates the need for lengthy interactions, helping you stay attentive while driving. These allow you to respond to messages with quick reactions, such as a thumbs-up or heart, directly from the CarPlay interface. This eliminates the need for lengthy interactions, helping you stay attentive while driving. Pinned Conversations: Important chats can now be pinned to the top of your message list, making sure they remain easily accessible without requiring you to scroll through extensive threads. These updates streamline communication, making it easier to stay connected while maintaining a strong emphasis on road safety. Compact Call Notifications for Minimal Disruption Incoming calls are now less intrusive with the introduction of compact call notifications in iOS 26. Instead of taking over the entire screen, call alerts appear as small banners at the bottom, allowing you to manage calls without interrupting ongoing activities like navigation or media playback. This subtle yet impactful change ensures that critical information remains visible, enhancing the overall user experience. By minimizing disruptions, this feature makes CarPlay more intuitive and driver-friendly. Customizable Widgets for Tailored Functionality iOS 26 introduces customizable widgets, allowing you to personalize the CarPlay interface to suit your preferences and driving habits. These widgets provide quick access to essential information, such as: Real-time weather updates Upcoming calendar events Music and media controls This level of customization ensures that the most relevant details are always at your fingertips, enhancing the practicality of CarPlay for everyday use. Whether you're planning your day or managing your entertainment, the widget integration offers a more personalized and efficient driving experience. Live Activities for Real-Time Updates The Live Activities feature in iOS 26 keeps you informed with real-time updates, reducing the need for constant interaction with your device. Whether you're tracking a delivery, monitoring live sports scores, or following other ongoing events, this feature ensures you stay updated without diverting your attention from the road. By providing timely and relevant information, Live Activities enhances situational awareness and adds a layer of convenience to your driving routine. Video Streaming for Stationary Entertainment For moments when your vehicle is parked, iOS 26 introduces video streaming capabilities, transforming your car into a temporary entertainment hub. You can stream videos directly from your iPhone, making it an ideal feature for long waits, breaks, or downtime during road trips. This addition not only enhances the versatility of CarPlay but also provides a convenient way to relax and enjoy entertainment on the go. A Comprehensive Evolution of Apple CarPlay The updates in iOS 26 represent a significant evolution for Apple CarPlay, blending functionality, safety, and entertainment into a cohesive and user-focused platform. From the sleek and intuitive Liquid Glass Design to practical enhancements like compact call notifications and customizable widgets, these changes prioritize convenience and engagement. Features such as Live Activities and video streaming further enrich the experience, making CarPlay an indispensable tool for modern drivers. For those upgrading from iOS 18, these advancements offer a substantial improvement, elevating your time on the road with a more seamless and enjoyable interface. Stay informed about the latest in Apple CarPlay updates by exploring our other resources and articles. Source & Image Credit: Simple Alpaca Filed Under: Apple, Apple iPhone, Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. 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Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Apple fans blast new iOS 26 update
Published: | Updated: After months of anticipation, Apple has finally unveiled its next major iPhone update - iOS 26. The design overhaul, announced at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), brings translucent, glass-like effects to app icons, the lock screen, and home screen. Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, described this so-called 'Liquid Glass Design' as 'gorgeous'. However, it hasn't gone down well on social media, where users have dubbed the glass-like elements as ugly and difficult to use. 'Liquid Glass Design is the ugliest thing Apple has ever done!' one user vented. Another added: 'Apple's new glassy UI [user interface] design literally hurts my eyes to look at. The notifications are a literal eye sore.' And one vented: 'Apple has done it again; they have managed to make their UI worse than last year. 'I don't know who is in charge of the Apple aesthetics, but whomever they put in charge should be fired immediately.' The Liquid Glass update for iOS 26 is one of the biggest overhauls Apple has made to its design in recent years. It's also the first time a design has been universal across all platforms, with Liquid Glass is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, the Apple Watch, and even on Apple TV. To reflect this unified design, Apple has also updated its software naming system to reflect the date rather than how many previous releases there have been - making all of Apple's latest software version '26'. Liquid Glass replaces Apple's standard blocky, flat icons with a dynamic theme meant to look like a 'translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings'. Icons, buttons, sliders, switches, text, and media controls will all be more transparent and will distort the background behind using real-time rendering. Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, said: 'iOS 26 shines with the gorgeous new design and meaningful improvements to the features users rely on every day, making iPhone even more helpful.' However, the design change has not been met with enthusiasm by Apple's dedicated fans. One irate commenter vented: 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This force-fed, ugly, bloatware-filled Apple update is a disgusting abomination.' A common complaint among Apple fans was that the new design didn't live up to the standards of sleek, intuitive design that customers have come to expect. One commenter wrote: 'Been playing with new OS since morning and it's like they left a few interns in a room with crayons. 'It's hard to put in words, but it totally lacks Apple elegance.' 'Steve Jobs would've fired everyone on that team,' another chimed in. Another commenter suggested Liquid Glass 'might be the worst UI design Apple has released yet.' While another said: 'Readability is completely hampered. I cannot read or see button clearly here. This is going to be a complete mess. Apple fans might have expected WWDC to bring some major new updates for Apple's AI offering, Apple Intelligence, after these were promised last year. But the event brought only minor updates alongside Liquid Glass including live translation for Messages, Facetime, and Phone. The update also extends visual intelligence to users' iPhone screens so they can search or take actions on anything they are viewing across apps. Users can ask ChatGPT what they are looking at or search using Google and Etsy to find similar products. iOS 26 is currently only available as a developer beta - an unfinished version of the software not for public release - with the full version expected around September later this year.


Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Apple fans BLAST new iOS 26 update - and claim the Liquid Glass Design is the 'ugliest thing Apple has ever done'
After months of anticipation, Apple has finally unveiled its next major iPhone update - iOS 26. The design overhaul, announced at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), brings translucent, glass-like effects to app icons, the lock screen, and home screen. Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, described this so-called 'Liquid Glass Design' as 'gorgeous'. However, it hasn't gone down well on social media, where users have dubbed the glass-like elements as ugly and difficult to use. 'Liquid Glass Design is the ugliest thing Apple has ever done!' one user vented. Another added: 'Apple's new glassy UI [user interface] design literally hurts my eyes to look at. The notifications are a literal eye sore.' And one vented: 'Apple has done it again; they have managed to make their UI worse than last year. 'I don't know who is in charge of the Apple aesthetics, but whomever they put in charge should be fired immediately.' The Liquid Glass update for iOS 26 is one of the biggest overhauls Apple has made to its design in recent years. It's also the first time a design has been universal across all platforms, with Liquid Glass is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, the Apple Watch, and even on Apple TV. To reflect this unified design, Apple has also updated its software naming system to reflect the date rather than how many previous releases there have been - making all of Apple's latest software version '26'. Liquid Glass replaces Apple's standard blocky, flat icons with a dynamic theme meant to look like a 'translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings'. Icons, buttons, sliders, switches, text, and media controls will all be more transparent and will distort the background behind using real-time rendering. Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, said: 'iOS 26 shines with the gorgeous new design and meaningful improvements to the features users rely on every day, making iPhone even more helpful.' However, the design change has not been met with enthusiasm by Apple's dedicated fans. One irate commenter vented: 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This force-fed, ugly, bloatware-filled Apple update is a disgusting abomination.' Another commenter complained that the Liquid Glass design 'literally hurts my eyes to look at' A comment complaint from Apple fans was that the design was not up to Apple's normal design standards One commenter said that the design looked like Apple 'left a few interns in a room with crayons' A commenter joked that Steve Jobs, former Apple CEO, would be disappointed with the design changes A common complaint among Apple fans was that the new design didn't live up to the standards of sleek, intuitive design that customers have come to expect. One commenter wrote: 'Been playing with new OS since morning and it's like they left a few interns in a room with crayons. 'It's hard to put in words, but it totally lacks Apple elegance.' 'Steve Jobs would've fired everyone on that team,' another chimed in. Another commenter suggested Liquid Glass 'might be the worst UI design Apple has released yet.' The biggest problem users spotted was that text in translucent displays became hard to read while the images in the background became badly distorted. 'Is it just me or does liquid glass make everything hard to read?', one commenter asked. Another added: 'This is honestly a flop for the tech giant. The contrast in this UI is so low, it's practically unreadable - especially for anyone with visual impairments.' Many Apple users complained that the translucent overlays made it hard to read text in notifications Commenters pointed out that the Liquid Glass display was especially hard to read for users with visual impairments While another said: 'Readability is completely hampered. I cannot read or see button clearly here. This is going to be a complete mess. Apple fans might have expected WWDC to bring some major new updates for Apple's AI offering, Apple Intelligence, after these were promised last year. But the event brought only minor updates alongside Liquid Glass including live translation for Messages, Facetime, and Phone. The update also extends visual intelligence to users' iPhone screens so they can search or take actions on anything they are viewing across apps. Users can ask ChatGPT what they are looking at or search using Google and Etsy to find similar products. iOS 26 is currently only available as a developer beta - an unfinished version of the software not for public release - with the full version expected around September later this year. THE TRILLION DOLLAR RISE OF APPLE 1976: Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne created the company on April 1 1976 as they set about selling computer kits to hobbyists, each of which was built by Wozniak. The first product was the Apple I. 1977: Apple released the Apple II in June, which was the first PC made for the mass market. 1981: Jobs became chairman. 1984: The Macintosh was introduced during an ad break for the Super Bowl and later officially unveiled during a launch event. It was discontinued a year later and Jobs left the firm. 1987: Apple released the Macintosh II, the first colour Mac. 1997: Apple announces it will acquire NeXT software in a $400 million deal that involves Jobs returning to Apple as interim CEO. He officially took the role in 2000. 2001: Apple introduced iTunes, OS X and the first-generation iPod. The first iPod MP3 music player was released on October 23, 2001, at an event in Cupertino and was able to hold up to 1,000 songs. 2007: Apple unveils the iPhone. 2010: The first iPad was unveiled. 2011: Jobs resigned in 2011 due to illness, handing the CEO title to Tim Cook. Jobs died in October from pancreatic cancer. 2014: Apple unveiled the Apple Watch. It also unveiled its first larger iPhones - the 6 and 6 Plus. 2015: After purchasing Beats from Dr Dre, Apple launched Apple Music to compete with Spotify and other music streaming services. 2016: Apple returned to its roots and announced the 4-inch iPhone SE. Meanwhile, the firm is embroiled in a legal battle with the FBI, involving the agency demanding access to the locked phone used by Syed Farook, who died in a shootout after carrying out a deadly December attack in San Bernardino, California with his wife. The court order was dropped on March 28 after the FBI said a third party was able to unlock the device. 2017: Apple introduces the iPhone X, which removes the home button to make way for a futuristic edge-to-edge screen design and a new FaceID system that uses advanced sensors and lasers to unlock phones with just the owner's face. Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks at an Apple event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. 2018: In a first for the company, Apple introduces new features in its latest operating system, iOS 12, that encourage users to manage and spend less time on their devices. The move was spawned by a strongly worded letter from shareholders that urged the firm to address the growing problem of smartphone addiction among kids and teenagers. 2019: In January, Apple reports its first decline in revenues and profits in a decade. CEO Tim Cook partly blamed steep declines in revenue from China. 2020: In March, Apple closes all its bricks and mortar retail stores outside of China in response to coronavirus. 2021: In an online virtual event in April CEO Tim Cook declared Apple's goal of becoming carbon neutral for Earth Day. Later in the year the iPhone 13 was announced. 2022: In September the iPhone 14 was announced. One of the new features included a new sensor to detect if a user had been in a car crash as well as an improved camera system. 2023: Apple brought back its 'Home Pod' after the first generation was discontinued. The 'Home Pod' can be seen as an alternative to Amazon's Alexa or Google Home as it is powered by voice commands.