Apple’s fresh take on aesthetics has resulted in Liquid Glass, its latest update to software design.
A new yearly naming convention, a range of new updates to its operating system and a new glassy software design are just some of the major updates Apple announced at its latest Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) yesterday (9 June).
The announcements come as Apple – and other major tech firms – face increased scrutiny in the EU over concerns around market dominance and fair competition. While the threat from US-imposed tariffs are set to cost the iPhone-maker an additional $900m this quarter. Although, the company is still doing well – with its latest quarterly revenue up 5pc year on year.
The most obvious update from the conference (set to run until 13 June) has to be Apple’s new naming convention for its operating system (iOS), which will now be numbered based on year.
So, rather than Apple announcing iOS 19 – following iOS 18 last year – the latest iOS update is instead called iOS 26.
‘Glassy’ software design
Apple launched a new software design called Liquid Glass, which is meant to give onscreen items a glassy look with a blurred background.
According to the company, the new translucent material reflects and refracts its surroundings to bring better focus to controls, navigation and icons.
US tech magazine Wired spoke to product designers, some of whom claim that the transparency makes some of the material on screen difficult to read. While another calls it “rough around the edges”, potentially veering into “distracting and challenging”.
Apple says that the new design will extend across iPhones, Macbooks, watches and TVs, with updates to the lock screen, home screen, desktop and dock. Liquid Glass is available to developers, and a public beta is scheduled for next month.
ChatGPT for coding
Apple launched Apple Intelligence at last year’s WWDC conference. And along with it came a partnership with OpenAI, which saw ChatGPT’s integration across its devices.
This year, that partnership is deepening with Apple integrating ChatGPT into the latest version of Xcode, its app development suite. Now, developers can connect AI models directly to write and test code.
Developers can start using ChatGPT in Xcode without needing to create an account, and subscribers can connect their accounts to access more requests, Apple said in the announcement.
Plus, new updates to Apple Intelligence introduce features such as live translation of text and voice with captions on video calls, while users can also directly select and search items from images.
Users can also ask ChatGPT questions about what they’re looking at on screen, as well as search Google, Etsy or other supported apps to find similar images and products
Last update for Macs on Intel
Say goodbye to MacBooks equipped with Intel chips as they will no longer receive major software updates after macOS Tahoe releases later this year. The company introduced its own in-house Arm-based powerful M1 processors in 2020.
Apple’s senior director of developer relations, Matthew Firlik, said that “macOS Tahoe will be the final release for Intel Macs” at the WWDC 2025 Platforms Sate of the Union keynote yesterday (9 June).
Intel-based Macs, including the 2019 and 2020 MacBook Pro, as well as the 2020 iMac will receive the Tahoe update, but no more. Fortunately for users, they are also set to receive security updates for three years.
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