'99% of the work doesn't make it out' – Apple's VP of Human Interface Design on how Liquid Glass hits the high bar

Apple’s last major redesign of a platform was iOS 7, a bright and vibrant take on the OS, but one that was developed and ultimately released within a different Apple. It was 2013, and Apple simply didn’t have as much of a cohesive ecosystem or as many devices.

It’s not 2013, though. It’s 2025, and Apple has an expansive and extraordinarily integrated ecosystem – you can copy and paste between an iPhone and a Mac, with an iPad in between, or vice versa. Universal Control lets you use your Mac's keyboard and trackpad on an iPad, and AirPods quickly sync between them all.

So with a feature set and a mantra or ethos that aims to blend hardware and software, Apple’s new Liquid Glass look for all its platforms – iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and ...