Apple's 'Liquid Glass' Redesign: A Muggle's Guide to the New Shiny (But Is It Really New?)

A Glass Act: Apple's Big Reveal... Or Was It?

Honestly you'd think after the Vision Pro last year Apple would be pulling rabbits out of hats or perhaps conjuring a Patronus of innovation. But alas their annual developer conference was more of a fizzle than a bang. Sure they're rolling out this 'Liquid Glass' design but where's the 'Alohomora' charm? It’s supposed to be a significant redesign since iOS7 but I’m not entirely convinced it’s more than just a cosmetic charm.

From Buttons to Pills: A Potion for the Eyes?

Apparently the lock screen will look like it's crafted from glass and buttons are morphing into these 'glass pills' that slide around. It sounds… slippery. I can only imagine the number of accidental calls I’ll be making. It’s all part of a new design language intended to ripple across all Apple devices. While I appreciate the nod to aesthetics I can't help but wonder if they're focusing on the 'Obliviate' charm to make us forget about the lack of truly groundbreaking advancements. As Dumbledore said 'It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live,' and I'm starting to feel like Apple is dwelling too much on appearances.

Wall Street's Wrath: A Case of Economic 'Expelliarmus'?

Unsurprisingly Wall Street wasn't exactly throwing Galleons at Apple. The stock dipped apparently unimpressed with the glass like façade. Investors are clamoring for a stronger AI game something to rival the likes of Google and OpenAI. One analyst even pointed out that many of Apple's AI features were already available through competitor applications. It's a classic case of 'you're just as sane as I am' – but with money involved.

Apple Intelligence: A Delayed Potion?

Remember Apple Intelligence? Last year's grand reveal of a 'more personal' Siri? Well it’s still brewing in the cauldron it seems. They had to delay the feature and even pull some ads. According to Apple's software chief Craig Federighi it “needed more time to meet our high quality bar.” Translation: it wasn't up to snuff. They’re sticking to the “coming year” timeline which is about as specific as Professor Trelawney's predictions. Honestly I’ve had more accurate forecasts from Crookshanks.

VisionOS: The Ghost of Designs Past?

The Liquid Glass design is supposedly inspired by VisionOS the software for Vision Pro. So it's like they're taking the look of a virtual reality headset and applying it to our everyday devices. Ambitious perhaps. But as Professor McGonagall would say 'That is SO yesterday'.

By the Numbers: A New Naming Charm!

In a baffling move Apple is renaming its operating systems after the year they’ll be available. So we're bidding farewell to iOS 18 and welcoming iOS 26. It's supposed to simplify things but honestly it sounds like they're trying to confuse us with numbers – like a particularly nasty bit of Arithmancy homework. All in all Apple has provided plenty to think about even if it leaves you pondering what is coming next just as much as what has already arrived.