Deja vu?
Interfaces with glass effects are not news. From iMac G3 and Mac OS X with its lollipops to Windows Vista with Aero - it's all We have already seen . And then all this was killed together in in favor of the “flat” trend. Because “it’s clearer”, “it’s cleaner”. But it was not about style, but about marketing neutrality: so that no one interferes with selling.
Since of the 2020s, the resuscitation of the idea began in the form of glassmorphism - that same frosted glass with blur, white frames and light backlights. Beautiful, but even then it seemed that no one was using the potential of this idea at the maximum.
And Apple has decided enough is enough.
What is Liquid Glass
This is not just blur. This is dynamic, slightly distorted optics.
This is the interaction of light and interface: edges, refractions, realistic hover reactions.
This is a micro-animation where the interface literally flows in the hands.
This is a bold challenge to the entire industry, stuck in flat minimalism.
Moreover, there is nothing fundamentally new under the hood - shaders, displacement and simple interaction logic. I as an AR developer say: this has been possible for 10 years already on mobiles, without any disruption to performance. It’s just that there was no fashion, there was no there was will. Until Apple came and said: “it will be beautiful” . And became.
Attempts to repeat
While the developers are shaking their hands, trying to replicate the effect, everything ends in boring attempts to make a blur with saturate and a little brightness. The output is soap glass with bugs and breaking Safari: when you return to the previous page, the browser simply cuts off all your glass “show-offs” - except one. I already checked , yes and it looks like a cheap parody.
You wanted beautifully. And turned out as always.
This speaks about what? About the fact that Apple didn’t just draw the effect - they built it into the system. And everyone else is still just trying to simulate this effect.
And Apple themselves “fixed” it all
The most interesting thing is that in the latest update of the Apple beta has already rolled back some of these effects. The liquid turned into matte translucency. It has become “cleaner”, “simpler”, and - let’s be honest - more boring.
Most likely, marketers came and explained:
The user cannot be distracted by beauty. He should focus on product.
So, in fact, even Apple didn't let themselves be truly brave until the end. Liquid Glass remained in memory - as a teaser of what could have been , but did not happen.
Apple staked out the visual effect as a product
This is a powerful move. Like when they took space grey, notch, dynamic islandor chrome frames. Now Liquid Glass is Apple. Even if they fall back to the more boring “frozen glass”, the association has already taken hold. And everyone who tries to copy looks like those who fuck up style, and does not rethink.
Why is this important
Because in the world of dull, monotonous visual communication, Apple did not a banal innovation, but a manifesto. In the era, where everyone says “convenience is more important than beauty,” they went against it: they sacrificed a little readability, but gave a wow effect.
It's very designer-like. This is not a step for the sake of the user, but for the sake of sensation. And is what returns the emotion to the interface.
Liquid Glass is not about glass. It's about courage.
This style is like a fresh breath after a decade of flat interfaces designed to please everyone. But no one comes to design in order to please everyone. We come to do beautifully, effectively, with soul. And soul - wants glass, textures and meat.
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