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Liquid Glass – WWDC25 [video]

developer.apple.com

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Re: Liquid Glass – WWDC25 [video]

#261

Post by bigstrat2003 »

deergomoo wrote: post #197
SwiftyBug wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was thinking the same thing. This communication style is outdated. All I see is an attempt of mimicking Steve Job's style in keynotes. But that looked natural on him somehow.

For all his faults, Jobs always sold the idea that he really thought the stuff he was showing was the coolest thing ever. There was at the very least an illusion of pride and excitement, even if it wasn't always genuine. He'd crack jokes, make off-hand remarks, and wasn't afraid to mention competitor's products. Modern Apple presentations are just like being read some marketing materials. It's very disingenuous.

> For all his faults, Jobs always sold the idea that he really thought the stuff he was showing was the coolest thing ever.

I am generally of the opinion that Jobs was vastly overrated, but one thing I will always give him credit for is that he was a brilliant salesman. One of the greatest the world has ever seen. I believe that the man could quite literally sell someone the shirt off their own back.

Re: Liquid Glass – WWDC25 [video]

#262

Post by whytaka »

Two problems from what I've seen so far:

1. Browser navigation overlapping website viewport in iOS Safari. What is the real height of the viewport?

2. Floating side panel on macOS: necessitates needless extension the app body. Also, the App close button is in the side panel, which is floating IN the app body. This seems like a betrayal of their so called structure philosophy.

Re: Liquid Glass – WWDC25 [video]

#264

Post by osigurdson »

bigstrat2003 wrote: post #256
seydor wrote: post #18

We have 'instinctive visual cues' for depth and light coming from above, hence why button gradients are so immediately effective,because our visual system recognizes it in milliseconds. we don't have "instictive visual cues" for refraction and lensing , that's why we are confused about underwater distances . That's why magnifying glasses make us dizzy. I just can't believe this is coming from apple.

> I just can't believe this is coming from apple. Apple has prioritized style over usability for decades now. Remember the godawful hockey puck mouse and how stubbornly they clung to it? It shouldn't be a surprise when Apple picks a solution that looks cool but is worse to use; that's who they are.

I agree that their keyboards and mice are the worst. Even the cheapest no-name peripherals do not invoke the same kind of anxiety that Apple's stuff does. I don't have any issue with their UIs however. I think they are generally very good. Things are not perhaps as discoverable as they could be but the alternative would probably be worse as it would lead to more clutter.

Re: Liquid Glass – WWDC25 [video]

#265

Post by sixothree »

iTokio wrote: post #13

I’ve been using it for 2 days now, and the first thing I noticed is that readability took a hit. My background is a mid tone warm photo, not dark or light, icons got a white foreground that’s very hard to read against their translucent background. The second thing I noticed, is that when I’m scrolling a webpage, icons now switch color randomly (according to the bg dominant color) and that’s distracting. The last thin…

After using it for 2 days I'm liking it, as in really liking it. People complain that controls are harder to find. I say controls were _always_ hard to find. They blended into the content somehow. Now I can find them easier while also _not_ finding them.

I always found controls in previous versions of iOS to be lacking. I hope the negativity doesn't make them backtrack because this is a _huge_ improvement.

Re: Liquid Glass – WWDC25 [video]

#266

Post by sixothree »

rkagerer wrote: post #147

Somehow I've always considered controls that float over your content to be a bit of a UI design cop-out. They often get slapped on top willy-nilly, and wind up blocking something below - either from view, or from interaction with another tool. While I recognize Apple's approach here tries to mitigate that complaint... I still appreciate when designers craft a distinct space for my buttons/menus/controls to live, trea…

I'm not seeing controls moved around much. So this argument really applies to older versions of iOS as well. Maybe that was the point? Either way, I sort of agree. It's less than ideal, but if you're going to be doing it at least do it in a way that looks good.

And boy do I think this looks good. After a few days I can only say that complaining is so wrong. Previous versions of iOS were hard to use. I am finding this cleaner and easier to use. I very much don't want to go back.

Re: Liquid Glass – WWDC25 [video]

#267

Post by jameslk »

seydor wrote: post #18

We have 'instinctive visual cues' for depth and light coming from above, hence why button gradients are so immediately effective,because our visual system recognizes it in milliseconds. we don't have "instictive visual cues" for refraction and lensing , that's why we are confused about underwater distances . That's why magnifying glasses make us dizzy. I just can't believe this is coming from apple.

> we don't have "instictive visual cues" for refraction and lensing

Do you have anything to back this up? Seems a lot of your argument is hinging on this point. I’m skeptical that 1. this is true, and 2. Apple wouldn’t have considered it if it were true

Re: Liquid Glass – WWDC25 [video]

#268

Post by sixothree »

ajam1507 wrote: post #37

UIs should be function first. That doesn't mean it can't be beautiful, but usability (and readability) should be the focus, with design being a way to turn a useful one into a beautiful one. It seems like they have started at the wrong end, trying to make their design language functional.

It's pretty clear one of the goals is for content to be first, not the function. OS controls are secondary to what is being displayed. They want them to go away.

And I am all for it. After a few days of this new OS, I really like it. It takes a day to train your eyes, but that happens with literally every version of the operating system. But once you do it is so nice for all of the function to just get out of the way.

Re: Liquid Glass – WWDC25 [video]

#269

Post by sixothree »

Naru41 wrote: post #150

This style of simulating faux-realistic materials (such as glass or aluminum) on the screen looks dated and cheesy now -- (Windows engineering team 2012) https://web.archive.org/web/20120614042824/http://blogs.msdn...

They really took that idea a little too far especially considering they never executed it even more than half way. We still have control panels that are using their pre-2012 look and feel.

Re: Liquid Glass – WWDC25 [video]

#270

Post by xnx »

jameshart wrote: post #231
philistine wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they refuse to pick a shade of grey for their UI's background, so we're stuck with transparent elements.

You know the dominant apps used on phones have large full screen user-generated video and imagery, right? These are UI elements designed to work great over scrolling content feeds, full screen product images, album artwork, and thirty second videos of people doing meme dances. There is no room for ‘a gray background’.

> These are UI elements designed to work great over scrolling content feeds, full screen product images, album artwork, and thirty second videos of people doing meme dances

Liquid glass also seems terrible for this type of application. TikTok's overlays are much less intrusive and distracting.

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