Apple’s macOS 26 Tahoe has sparked more controversy than its iOS 26 and iPadOS counterparts, and the company is now moving to address the backlash.
While the Mac update introduced the same Liquid Glass interface as iOS 26, the new design language hasn’t adapted as well to the larger displays and different input methods of desktops and laptops. According to Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman, Apple is preparing what insiders are calling a “slight redesign” for macOS 27, with the goal of fixing the shadows and transparency quirks.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
Liquid Glass itself isn’t going away… It’s simply being refined. I also expect iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to include a range of interface tweaks, though nothing will be too dramatic. The goal is more of a cleanup and refinement effort aligned with the company’s wider push to polish its software this year.
In fact, the changes to macOS are meant to make Liquid Glass look the way Apple’s design team intended it to from the start. Last year’s operating systems didn’t necessarily suffer from design problems, I’m told, but rather a not-completely-baked implementation from Apple’s software engineering team.
The cleanup approach isn’t unusual for Apple. After the company redesigned iOS 7 with flatter-looking interface elements in 2013, it spent the following year refining the software with iOS 8. The iOS 7 changes were similarly significant, adding glass effects, more dramatic transparency and updated shadowing throughout the interface.
Beyond adjusting the look of Liquid Glass, Apple will focus on bug fixes, battery-life upgrades and performance improvements.
MacDailyNews Take: Clean up in aisle 26! macOS Tahoe’s Liquid Glass is leaving quite the mess on bigger Mac displays. Good thing Apple’s already grabbing the mop for macOS 27.
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