Apple's Liquid Glass: When Aesthetics Beat Function

Form vs Function in UI

• Many see “Liquid Glass” as aesthetics trumping usability: decorative translucency, rounded corners and gloss for a work tool where clarity should dominate.
• Others argue a bit of frivolous design is fine in life, but not when it impairs a core tool’s readability and precision.
• A minority says minimal, “empty canvas” UIs are desirable for focus, but even they want clear affordances and predictable controls.

Readability, Accessibility, and Hidden Controls

• Widespread concern about poor contrast, blurred backgrounds, and hard‑to‑read text, especially on lock screens, nav bars, and notifications.
• Accessibility implications (low vision, contrast requirements) are repeatedly flagged; some find iOS 26 betas “sluggish and hard to read.”
• Broader complaint: platforms are “ashamed” of visible UI, shoving actions into “…” menus and hidden gestures, harming discoverability and adding extra taps.

Performance, Battery, and Energy Use

• Some worry about wasted GPU cycles and battery for non‑functional shaders and large radii; others counter that the energy cost per device is trivial.
• Disagreement over whether beta slowness/heat is just normal pre‑optimization or a preview of deliberate performance degradation on older devices.

AR/VR Justification and Cross‑Platform Unification

• Several say Liquid Glass might make sense in spatial/AR contexts, but looks wrong on phones and desktops; others dispute that it’s even good for AR (real‑world signage isn’t translucent).
• Many see this as part of a larger Apple strategy to unify iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and visionOS aesthetics, even if that worsens non‑AR use cases. Some question who actually wants this convergence.

Historical Parallels and Design Philosophy

• Comparisons to Windows Vista’s Aero and Apple’s own Aqua and iOS 7: transparency phases that were later toned down for usability.
• Deep disagreement over iOS 7: some viewed it as overdue simplification; others as a massive regression that destroyed affordances and information density—a fear now rekindled.

Corporate Incentives, Betas, and User Response

• Competing theories: panic redesign to distract from weak Apple Intelligence, top‑down “Vision™” from leadership, or performance‑review/branding pressures demanding visible change.
• Some say “it’s only a beta” and will be refined; others note multiple betas and the polished marketing framing, arguing criticism now is necessary course‑correction.
• Anecdotes suggest non‑enthusiast younger users find the effect “cool,” while many power users talk about deferring upgrades or even platform‑switching.