Apple is introducing a new Liquid Glass design across its software platforms. It’s all about adding transparency and glass shine effects to Apple’s in-app interfaces across its renamed iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26 operating systems.

Apple introduced a new, compact design for Safari in iOS 26 that serves as the default layout, but there are two other design options available

What I’m getting at is that the main features of watchOS 26 are the design and name. Apple Watch will get the same Liquid Glass design as the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro.

Who did the glass-like design first? Was it Apple with its Aqua transparency effects in 2000, or Microsoft with its Aero Glass theme in Windows Vista in 2007? Either way, Microsoft seems to think Apple’s Liquid Glass design bears some resemblance to its glass look in Windows Media Center,

Apple’s forthcoming upgrades will solidify the company’s device leadership, but they arrive just as the tech industry questions whether devices will matter at all. The rise of generative AI has given us a new mode of interacting with technology.