Is the new Liquid Glass interface introduced by Apple in macOS 26 a software design revolution? Microsoft has some ideas on the matter and is taking the opportunity to take a jibe at its competitor with a reference to Windows Vista.
At WWDC 2025, Apple presented one of the most significant software updates in its history with a new interface for all its operating systems. macOS 26 (Tahoe) will be based on the Liquid Glass design, all translucent glass and transparency, bringing an inimitable aesthetic touch to devices bearing the Apple logo. But Microsoft doesn't seem particularly impressed, quite the contrary.
On Instagram, the official Windows 10 account published a message accompanied by a video. It shows Windows Vista's Aero Glass graphical interface, which already offered window transparency and a glassy effect revealing the desktop in the background. Microsoft's way of saying that Apple wasn't the first to think of it and that Liquid Glass might not be that innovative, even if the latter pushes the controls even further.
Did Aero Glass pave the way for Liquid Glass?
We remember that Aero Glass put the GPUs of our least powerful computers to the test. In the late 2000s, offering such graphic effects was no small feat for our computers. Microsoft had even developed Aero Basic, a version that removed transparency and modified window borders. Less resource-intensive, it put less strain on less powerful PCs and allowed older machines to be upgraded to Windows Vista.
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The Aero interface was perfected with Windows 7, arguably one of the most popular versions of the OS, before Microsoft radically changed its philosophy with Windows 8, which returned to a minimalist UI designed for mobile devices with touchscreens.
For its part, Samsung has not held back from poking fun at the new AI and design features of iOS 26.
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