{"id":117,"date":"2025-06-11T15:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T15:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/?p=117"},"modified":"2025-06-11T15:00:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T15:00:30","slug":"apples-liquid-glass-is-windows-vista-done-well","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/11\/apples-liquid-glass-is-windows-vista-done-well\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple&#8217;s Liquid Glass is Windows Vista done well"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"622\" height=\"319\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-1.png\" alt=\"Apple's Liquid Glass is Windows Vista done well\" class=\"wp-image-118\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-1.png 622w, https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-1-300x154.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 622px) 100vw, 622px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a refined view on Apple\u2019s <em>Liquid Glass<\/em> design and whether it\u2019s the \u201cWindows Vista done well\u201d moment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\uddca What is Liquid Glass?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Announced June 9, 2025<\/strong>, at WWDC, Liquid Glass is Apple\u2019s first major UI redesign since iOS\u202f7 .<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It\u2019s a <strong>translucent, layered, glass-like interface<\/strong> spanning iOS\u202f26, macOS Tahoe (macOS\u202f26), iPadOS\u202f26, watchOS\u202f26, tvOS\u202f26, and visionOS .<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Technically, it employs real-time rendering\u2014blurring, lighting, and color adaptation referencing ambient content\u2014powered by A18\/M-series chips.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vista Comparisons: Similar, but refined<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Many critics and designers have noted <strong>clear visual echoes of Windows Aero<\/strong> from Vista\u2014translucent glass effects, layered panes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Apple executives emphasize it&#8217;s built as a <strong>cohesive, modern evolution<\/strong>: implemented across all platforms with developer tools (SwiftUI, UIKit, AppKit) to maintain both polish and performance .<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unlike Vista, which was often seen as tacky or performance-heavy, Liquid Glass is optimized on powerful Apple silicon and designed for visual consistency and UI unity .<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reception: Mixed Reviews<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2705 Positives:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Elegant and expressive<\/strong>: Many designers admire its shimmering depth and dynamic integration .<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unified across device types<\/strong>, building on existing design language from visionOS and Vision Pro .<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u26a0\ufe0f Negatives:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Readability concerns<\/strong>: Some users find transparency \u201ca literal eyesore\u201d and hard to read; one UI designer noted it&#8217;s \u201ctoo transparent\u201d .<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Backlash &amp; memes<\/strong>: Online users are comparing it to iOS\u202f7\u2019s redesign and Vista-era overdesign, calling it \u201cugliest thing Apple has ever done\u201d .<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Market skepticism<\/strong>: Analysts say this refresh was overshadowed by a lack of AI breakthroughs, prompting Wall Street to regard the event as more \u201cincremental\u201d than groundbreaking .<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Windows Vista Done Well?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705 <strong>Performance<\/strong>: Leveraging modern silicon to deliver smooth visuals without system lag\u2014unlike Vista\u2019s hardware demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705 <strong>Ecosystem-wide<\/strong>: Liquid Glass is <strong>uniformly integrated<\/strong> across all Apple devices, avoiding the patchy feel Vista had in earlier Windows versions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u26a0\ufe0f <strong>Readability &amp; usability trade-offs<\/strong>: The same translucency that looks beautiful could make text harder to read\u2014though Apple is working on refining contrast and blur depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83e\udded <strong>More evolutionary than transformative<\/strong>: This is a <strong>major visual refresh<\/strong>, not a complete UI overhaul. It\u2019s a refined take on a classic aesthetic, designed to feel cohesive rather than nostalgic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bottom Line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Liquid Glass isn\u2019t Vista done well<\/strong>, but rather <strong>Vista-like done better<\/strong>\u2014with modern hardware, unified APIs, and refined visuals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It feels like a sleek nod to the glassy, layered design of past eras, but reimagined for performance and cohesion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Still, Apple will need to address <strong>legibility and practicality<\/strong>, especially in low-light or visually dense scenarios.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a refined view on Apple\u2019s Liquid Glass design and whether it\u2019s the \u201cWindows Vista done well\u201d moment: \ud83e\uddca What is Liquid Glass? Vista Comparisons: Similar, but refined Reception: Mixed Reviews \u2705 Positives: \u26a0\ufe0f Negatives: Windows Vista Done Well? \u2705 Performance: Leveraging modern silicon to deliver smooth visuals without system lag\u2014unlike Vista\u2019s hardware demands. \u2705 &#8230; <a title=\"Apple&#8217;s Liquid Glass is Windows Vista done well\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/11\/apples-liquid-glass-is-windows-vista-done-well\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Apple&#8217;s Liquid Glass is Windows Vista done well\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,5],"tags":[21,54],"class_list":["post-117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apple","category-ditital","tag-apple","tag-windows"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119,"href":"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117\/revisions\/119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lighterlighter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}