WWDCs best announcement was something Windows did 15 years agohere's why it's awesome

Date:
Mon, 09 Jun 2025 20:30:22 +0000

Description:
Apples Liquid Glass interface recalls Windows 7s Aero theme, and Im so glad
to see it.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

I might spend most of my time writing about Apple I was following along with the WWDC show today, in fact but my first computing experiences were of a decidedly Windows flavor. In fact, Ive used Windows since Windows 95, but the first edition that I truly fell in love with was Windows 7.

But it wasnt any of the new features or functionality that captured my attention at the time it was the design. Windows 7 took Microsofts operating system from a staid, grey platform that could give itself boredom into one that was modern, sleek and classy, all in a single OS update.

The key element in this was Aero, Windows 7s glass-like transparency effect. With this in place, colors subtly refracted through windows and title bars, and it all shimmered and shone in real time as you dragged your apps around your screen. For my design-obsessed young brain, it was a graphical marvel.

It was, to borrow a phrase from Steve Jobs, so good you wanted to lick it.

Naturally, I was devastated when Microsoft did away with this design, and I still dont think the company has been able to match it in the decade and a half since.

Yet watching Apple unveil its new Liquid Glass design language during the companys WWDC keynote today, I felt a sudden jolt of nostalgia. Here was a glassy, translucent interface that used light and colour to create gorgeous effects on your desktop. It was everything I loved from those halcyon Windows 7 days, back with new twists for a new era.

Who would have thought that Apple would bring back a Microsoft design with such aplomb? More than just fashion (Image credit: Apple)

Of course, Liquid Glass is likely to provide plenty of fuel for those critics who allege that all Apple does is copy other peoples work. Yet not only does Liquid Glass show what a braindead take this is, it also highlights exactly the kind of thinking that goes into all of Apples designs and showcase a key difference between its mindset and that of Microsoft.

Because as much as I absolutely adored Windows 7s look and feel, Aero was essentially a cosmetic coat of paint. It was about looking great and sure,
it sumptuously smashed it in that department but it didnt go much beyond that.

Liquid Glass, on the other hand, is about form and function. Its not just a pretty face (although it is that too in spades) but offers much more on
closer inspection.

For instance, Apple made a point of showing the responsiveness of its new interface. Swipe up or down and your iPhones floating menu panels automatically adjust their size. Resizing something will prompt it to flex with your mouse or finger. Its all designed to impact the way you use your device, not just how you look at it. (Image credit: Apple)

This hits a core principle that has driven Apple since the days of Steve
Jobs: design is how it works. Many people think that design just means making something pretty, and thats all there is to it. But design should never exist just to serve itself it must serve the user, and that means you have to create something that works amazingly well. Design is what makes that happen.

Steve Jobs summed it up when he launched the original iMac. In response to Microsofts Bill Gates claiming Apple had merely put a new lick of paint on
its old devices, Jobs shot back: The thing that our competitors are missing
is that they think its about fashion, and they think its about surface appearance. They say, Well slap a little color on this piece of junk
computer, and well have one too.

In other words, you cant put lipstick on a pig. Dress up an awful device and you still have an awful device underneath. Something must work brilliantly
and look great in order to be designed well.

This idea is what makes me so excited about Liquid Glass. Not only is it a revival of the elegant transparency effects of Windows 7s Aero, but it actually adds extra functionality. It gives you new ways to use your Mac or your iPhone, and it looks stunning while doing it.

Design is how it works. Liquid Glass just proved it. Read more from WWDC 2025... macOS Tahoe 26 announced at WWDC 2025 with a new look and new numbering scheme iPad just won WWDC 2025 heres why the iPadOS upgrades just made me cry tears of joy The 5 new Apple TV 4K features coming in tvOS 26
that you need to know about



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/wwdcs-best-announcement-was-something-wind ows-did-15-years-ago-heres-why-its-awesome


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)