Apple Big Gamble: Is the 'Liquid Glass' Revolution Just a Pretty Facade?

Apple WWDC 2025: An Expert Review of the New Software Lineup

Apple has just wrapped up its much-anticipated WWDC event, announcing the next generation of software powering all its devices this September. Unlike past years, Apple has unified its operating system naming: no more iOS 19, tvOS 19, macOS 16, watchOS 12, or Vision OS 3. Everything is now version 26, complete with a striking visual overhaul inspired by glass and transparency. While the design language brings cohesion and a modern look, the question remains—does this update truly address Apple's recent struggles, or is it just a polished facade?

PhotoCredit: Apple

A Tough Spot for Apple

Apple faces several challenges heading into 2025. The previous year centered heavily on Apple Intelligence, but the company overpromised and underdelivered. Vision Pro, once seen as a potential revolution, failed to spark the expected shift. iOS 18 was widely regarded as Apple’s most buggy update, Siri continues to lag behind as a voice assistant, and developers express growing frustration with Apple's ecosystem. Given all this, WWDC 2025 presented a pivotal moment to regain momentum.

PhotoCredit: apple

iOS 26: A Subtle but Sophisticated Refresh

Apple touted iOS 26 as the biggest redesign since iOS 7—an ambitious statement that set high expectations for a radical transformation. However, the changes are more evolutionary than revolutionary. The introduction of a "liquid glass" material across apps like the Camera and Safari creates a futuristic, immersive interface with subtle three-dimensional lighting effects rather than the flat styles of previous iterations.

One challenge with this transparency-centric design is legibility. Clear, glass-like icons look slick but can cause squinting, especially in bright environments. Interestingly, Apple’s new design language might be unique to them, as many companies are moving away from such translucency. For app developers, this fresh aesthetic will mean revisiting UI designs to align with Apple’s new style—a potential source of frustration.

Positives include a streamlined Camera app, pared back to essentials, and a more dynamic lock screen with fluid animations that adapt to your wallpaper and even include animated music artwork. Apple has also improved the Photos app interface to correct past clutter issues. However, the redesigned Control Center simply redistributes the complexity, rather than resolving it.

Small but practical improvements show up across the system. The Phone app now combines Favorites, Recents, and Voicemail into a unified layout and finally includes call screening to block unwanted callers. A particularly clever feature, Hold Assist, keeps you in queue silently when you're on hold, alerting you only when a human operator is ready. Messages gain customization with adjustable backgrounds and new polls in group chats, features overdue but welcome.

The standout new feature is Live Translation integrated into Messages, FaceTime, and Phone. It works offline, enabling fluid conversation across languages, perfect for connecting with relatives or friends internationally. Additionally, Apple Music can now translate and provide pronunciation guides for foreign lyrics, perfect for singing along to global hits like Blackpink.

Overall, iOS 26 earns a solid but modest 5/10—most valuable for the subtle, practical features quietly embedded beneath the visually refreshed surface.

Apple Intelligence: A Work in Progress

While Apple's AI features have broadened functionally (live translations, on-screen search), expectations for deep intelligence advances remain unmet. Apple is opening Apple Intelligence to developers for offline app integration—a promising step—but its AI model still lags behind competitors like Google's Galaxy AI or OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

The company noticeably avoided detailed updates on Siri, signaling ongoing struggles to build a competitive assistant in-house. Apple appears reliant on external AI engines to compensate for these shortcomings, indicating AI remains a challenge rather than a breakout strength. Here, Apple Intelligence lags at 3/10.

WatchOS 26: Design Over Substance

WatchOS delivers mostly visual changes, adopting the overall glass-inspired design. Though many wear smartwatches primarily for style, the software additions and AI-powered live translation mirror phone updates but depend heavily on the paired iPhone’s intelligence.

A new wrist flick gesture offers navigation novelty, but the most bizarre new feature is Workout Buddy—an AI-generated energetic voice coach using your past workout data. While intended to motivate, it feels gimmicky and ungainly, failing to address core improvements users want, such as enhanced automatic workout detection or precise sleep scoring. WatchOS 26 rates a 4/10.

tvOS 26: Karaoke and Clarity

tvOS sees modest change beyond the new glass design that suits large screens by minimizing distractions. The unexpected star is a built-in karaoke feature that transforms your iPhone into a microphone with Apple TV displaying lyrics.

PhotoCredit: apple

Karaoke may seem niche, but repurposing existing device features in clever ways demonstrates Apple’s strength in ecosystem integration. tvOS 26 rates a 6/10, largely for savvy positioning rather than sweeping innovation.

macOS 26: A Surprise Highlight

The Mac platform, mature yet evolving, receives thoughtful redesign focused on interaction and customization:

• Call screening and live translation migrate from iPhone to Mac.

• The liquid glass UI resembles classic Windows Aero but with tasteful refinement.

• Users gain more creative control over folder colors and icons.

• Continuity lets you start activities like food delivery on iPhone and seamlessly monitor them on Mac.

Spotlight evolves into a powerful productivity hub, delivering actionable tools directly from search results, reducing friction between searching and doing.

Though gaming support remains a weak link due to the high developer effort required to port games, macOS 26 takes a firm 7/10 for pushing user interaction forward meaningfully.

VisionOS 26: Steady Progress in Spatial Computing

VisionOS advances are incremental but important. Widgets gain depth and permanence in 3D space, surviving headset reboots, with an immersive Photos widget acting like a window into another world. Improved tech now converts 2D images into interactive 3D visuals for richer spatial browsing.

Personas generated for virtual calls are eerily lifelike, despite limited facial capture by headsets. Support for new accessories—including a Logitech 3D pen and PSVR2 Sense controllers—expands hardware compatibility. However, Vision Pro still leans toward enterprise use, trailing consumer-friendly rivals like Meta Quest. It earns a cautious 6/10.

iPadOS 26: The Mic Drop Moment

iPadOS gets the royal treatment with transformative multitasking upgrades. Windows become floatable, resizable, and dockable like macOS equivalents. The pointer system improves for keyboard and mouse use, and demanding tasks like video exports can run seamlessly in the background. A new menu bar and enhanced file management further erode the line between iPad and Mac—delivering features that long prevented serious pro users from switching.

Though a complete Mac replacement it isn’t (some missing elements persist), this feels like Apple flying close to the sun. Added polish in audio and video—improved AirPods voice clarity and high-quality video call recording—round out a superb upgrade. iPadOS 26 is the event’s clear winner with a deserved 9/10.

Final Thoughts

Apple’s WWDC 2025 software rollout is a mixed bag—visually stunning but uneven beneath the surface. iOS 26’s glassy sheen and practical usability updates lay good groundwork but don’t fully address past missteps. Apple Intelligence shows gains but stumbles in core AI leadership. WatchOS and tvOS offer modest improvements, while macOS continues its steady evolution toward seamless productivity.

VisionOS inches toward a compelling spatial computing future, though still enterprise-focused, and iPadOS boldly pushes usability and multitasking boundaries, emerging as the star of the suite.

For Apple users and developers, these updates offer both hope and challenges—a reaffirmation of Apple’s design authority but a reminder of the fierce innovation needed to stay ahead in an increasingly AI-driven world.