Microsoft trolls Apple's new Liquid Glass UI for looking like Windows Vista

Daniel Sims

Daniel Sims

Posts: 1,977   +56
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In a nutshell: The OS updates coming to Apple devices later this year will institute the company's first major UI design shift in over a decade, but eagle-eyed observers noticed similarities with an old version of Windows – comparisons that haven't escaped Microsoft's notice. Thankfully, users concerned about Apple's upcoming interface will have options to change its visual presentation.

Some of Microsoft's social media accounts recently poked fun at the upcoming "Liquid Glass" user interface design language Apple unveiled at WWDC this week. Although the Cupertino giant has hailed the update as a major innovation, many immediately began comparing it to Microsoft's nearly two-decade-old Windows Vista UI.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Windows (@windows)

Liquid Glass is Apple's name for the new visual style arriving in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26 Tahoe, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26, which will launch this fall. Inspired by the Apple Vision Pro's visionOS, the design language favors rounded edges and transparent backgrounds for inputs and other UI functions.

It is Apple's most significant design change since iOS 7 debuted almost 12 years ago, and the first to establish a unified language across all of the company's devices.

On the left: nice Liquid Glass UI minimalistic look. On the right: Liquid Glass looking all kinds of wrong in the current beta.

Apps, wallpapers, and other background content will be visible through app icons, notifications, and menu elements for a glass-like appearance. Apple claims that the effect will improve cohesion across the interface, but beta testers are concerned that text will become less readable.

Others, including Microsoft, mocked the update's resemblance to Windows Vista's glass-like "Aero" aesthetic, which debuted in 2007. That OS also made UI elements partially transparent, but Microsoft eventually phased it out when it began moving toward its current design language.

The official Windows Instagram account recently responded to Apple's presentation by posting a slideshow of Vista screenshots played over a nostalgic Windows boot tune. The Windows Twitter account also shared a picture recalling the Vista-era profile icons.

Other social media users joined in on the fun. Some highlighted the unfortunate placement of the YouTube icon in Apple's Liquid Glass explainer video, which the company altered. Others compared the design language to the unique chassis for Apple's 2000 Power Mac G4 Cube and the main menu for Nintendo's 2012 Wii U game console.

Fortunately, users can customize Liquid Glass by switching between transparent, light, and dark modes. They can also opt for a slightly more opaque presentation with a toggle located under Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Reduce Transparency.

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Microsoft trolls Apple's new Liquid Glass UI for looking like Windows Vista

 
Is anyone actually surprised? This is what Apple's "innovation" looks like. They just take ideas from other people / places, improve on them slightly, then pretend they invented it. Apple still pretends they invented smart phones and tablets.
 
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Not a huge fan of this redesign, themes like this were available back then on 3GS with jailbreak, but Microsoft is the last one in line to criticize something
 
Kashim said:
Is anyone actually surprised? This is what Apple's "innovation" looks like. They just take ideas from other people / places, improve on them slightly, then pretend they invented it. Apple still pretends they invented smart phones and tablets.
Click to expand...

Let’s not forget how Windows 11 decided to cosplay as macOS with its taskbar makeover.....center-aligned icons like it’s trying out for a role in an Apple commercial. And don’t get me started on the whole vibe. Honestly, it’s like someone cracked open the Windows Vista time capsule and said, “Yep, this’ll do, but shinier.” I mean, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Apple and Vista must be blushing!
 
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When things don't go your way, might as well troll others. That's Microsoft politics.

When Windows Vista came out, there wasn't a computer available on which the translucent UI wasn't very slow. And there were no retina-like screens to make it look good, or screen quality for that matter. It was just a non-practical know-how.

iOS translucency is fast, and it looks awesome due to hi resolution and great screen quality.

 
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I'm still using iPhone 14 Pro Max 1TB and I want the upgrade to iPhone 17 2TB. I honestly don't care about anything else at this point beyond the storage increase - although I'm sure the other upgrades will make it "the best iPhone ever" (yawn).
 
Translucency is just a bad design language, it just muddles stuff up and makes it harder to read things.

Are there ways to fix this? Sure. But why am I fixing the theme out of the box instead of just getting something usable to begin with?
 
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It looks kinda cool, but it might be overwhelming constantly having these animations while trying to do something. It does remind me of Windows Vista and 7 but refined. Everyone is making fun of it now but what usually happens is they all follow suit.
 
What? I read about liquid glass redesign and saw pictures, but now seeing the videos is something different: IT IS AWEFUL !!! Who wants to have the software act as glass and refract light in this way? Very annoying IMHO.
 
This is so funny!!

The same types who pray at the altar of Nvidia and its DLSS are now upset about ........reflections!! But hey, because you know, it's Apple!!

Don't like it?? Don't buy it!! Sheesh!
 
I liked Vista Aero (and I didn't have issues with Vista).

I don't like Apple.

I kind of wish the look of Vista made a come back in Window - it would look better than the trash they've been pushing out the past half decade. At least I think so.
 
VitalyT said:
When things don't go your way, might as well troll others. That's Microsoft politics.

When Windows Vista came out, there wasn't a computer available on which the translucent UI wasn't very slow. And there were no retina-like screens to make it look good, or screen quality for that matter. It was just a non-practical know-how.

iOS translucency is fast, and it looks awesome due to hi resolution and great screen quality.
Click to expand...
Tell me you weren't there for the Vista launch without telling me.

I ran this down a CRT looked fantastic, ask for video card in overall computer well I had no problems with it. My specs when I bought it in February 2007.

Athlon 64 X2 3800
2gb DDR2 667
GeForce 7950GT
500gb HDD

As you can see decidedly a middle range build a matter of fact I bought the video card that December because the GeForce 8000 sent prices on the old 7,000 cards spirally down I think I picked up my 7950 GT for about $150. And it did fine with aero glass. People that have problems with it were doing it on integrated Intel graphics or FX 5200s.
 
Apple just needs to buy Microsoft Windows phone mobile software, since MS totally abandoned it, and bring its home tiles feature to iPhone...! That would boost the iPhone sales...!
 
Che Cazzo said:
This is so funny!!

The same types who pray at the altar of Nvidia and its DLSS are now upset about ........reflections!! But hey, because you know, it's Apple!!

Don't like it?? Don't buy it!! Sheesh!
Click to expand...
In this case, it's just part of Apples OS update. No one's being forced to buy anything. Seems like the debate is more about the logo than the tech.
 
Kashim said:
Is anyone actually surprised? This is what Apple's "innovation" looks like. They just take ideas from other people / places, improve on them slightly, then pretend they invented it. Apple still pretends they invented smart phones and tablets.
Click to expand...
Invented? No, but made them commercially successful? Yes.
 
OortCloud said:
I thought the glass UI in Vista looked fantastic - it was everything else about Vista that was sh1te. Unfortunately it got taken out along with the rest as MS can resist fiddling with the UI while Rome burns.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say everything in Vista was bad. Vista brought many under the hood changes we take for granted today that initially paved the way to Windows 7 success. I agree that Aero was the highlight.
Loadedaxe said:
Let’s not forget how Windows 11 decided to cosplay as macOS with its taskbar makeover.....center-aligned icons like it’s trying out for a role in an Apple commercial. And don’t get me started on the whole vibe. Honestly, it’s like someone cracked open the Windows Vista time capsule and said, “Yep, this’ll do, but shinier.” I mean, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Apple and Vista must be blushing!
Click to expand...
I didn't know that center aligned icons were an Apple thing. But I should expect that from the company who thinks they invented rounded corners too. I personally approve of center aligned icons in Win 11 taskbar. I used to use a 3rd party program in Win 10 to achieve the same effect, but it was buggy. So moving to Win 11 I was able to get the same effect and stop using one extra program. Besides - those that want can change a simple setting to get back the traditional left-aligned icons.
VitalyT said:
When Windows Vista came out, there wasn't a computer available on which the translucent UI wasn't very slow.
Click to expand...
That's completely wrong. Don't equate some slow *** Intel iGPU's for the whole market. Most GPU's had zero problems running Aero.
GodisanAtheist said:
Translucency is just a bad design language, it just muddles stuff up and makes it harder to read things.
Click to expand...
We had the opposite in Win 10 for example where all window borders were gray and flat 2D which made distinguishing window borders very difficult. I hated it. I'll take translucency over that every day of the week.
Neatfeatguy said:
I kind of wish the look of Vista made a come back in Window - it would look better than the trash they've been pushing out the past half decade. At least I think so.
Click to expand...
They probably will. Win 11 already moved to this direction where some elements are semi-translucent and it has rounded corners.
candle86 said:
Tell me you weren't there for the Vista launch without telling me.

I ran this down a CRT looked fantastic, ask for video card in overall computer well I had no problems with it. My specs when I bought it in February 2007.

Athlon 64 X2 3800
2gb DDR2 667
GeForce 7950GT
500gb HDD

As you can see decidedly a middle range build a matter of fact I bought the video card that December because the GeForce 8000 sent prices on the old 7,000 cards spirally down I think I picked up my 7950 GT for about $150. And it did fine with aero glass. People that have problems with it were doing it on integrated Intel graphics or FX 5200s.
Click to expand...
I ran LCD and I agree with you. I had a PC which at the time was very powerful. I believe I built it in 2006:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+. (dual-core. Most PC's at the time were single-core).
4x512MB (4GB) DDR-400. (Most PC's at the time had 512MB).
GeForce 7900GTX. (Nvidia's flagship at the time when GPU's did not cost the same as used cars).
36GB 10000rpm WD Raptor HDD for OS. 750GB 7200rpm HDD for other things. Raptor was amazing. Noisy but the best before SSD's were a thing.
 
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RaXelliX said:
I wouldn't say everything in Vista was bad. Vista brought many under the hood changes we take for granted today that initially paved the way to Windows 7 success. I agree that Aero was the highlight.
Click to expand...
Yes I know there was some good stuff especially under the hood - huge improvements to the drivers and driver models, especially with display driver stuff. In some ways it was ahead of its time and so it ran very badly on most the mid-range hardware of the day.
 
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