What we know so far about Apple’s Liquid Glass UI – Computerworld

“It’s hard to read sometimes,” said designer Allan Yu, “I think because they’ve set it to be a little too transparent.” Apple will almost certainly address these criticisms before it arrives in final form on various operating systems. (It’s currently only available in early developer betas.) To my eyes, Liquid Glass is a particular problem in Control Center; Apple may need to make everything underneath the controls more opaque.

So just what is Liquid Glass?

It is important to stress that Liquid Glass will be deployed across all Apple devices, from Macs, iPhones, and iPads, to Apple TV and even Apple Watch. In use, the new interface elements are both translucent and dynamic, giving you the impression that your device is made of liquid, not metal and glass. It delivers a graphics-rich environment made possible by the power of Apple Silicon, which has the power to run it.

Like glass, you’ll find the color of interface elements is informed by the content it surrounds or sits above. Apple calls some of this “lensing” — the ability to dynamically bend and shape light to reflect what you’re working with. “Liquid Glass objects materialize in and out by gradually modulating the light bending and lensing, ensuring a graceful transition that preserves the optical integrity of the material,” Apple said in a statement.