Apple dropped the new “Liquid Glass” design language at WWDC 2025. It’s the biggest makeover for iOS since 2013’s iOS 7. The update spans all major Apple devices, including iPhones, Macs, and Vision Pro VR headsets.
Buttons look like glass pills sliding on glass rails. Lock screens appear as if made from glass. The whole system features smoother animations, like new effects when answering calls. Apple credits Apple Silicon’s power for making this possible. The look is inspired by VisionOS on Vision Pro.
The announcement fell flat on Wall Street, dragging the stock down 1.2%. Investors want bigger AI moves, especially to catch up to Google and OpenAI’s frontier models. Apple’s Siri and AI upgrades felt minor, with some calling them “incremental” and already seen on competitors. 
Apple Intelligence, last year’s bold ChatGPT competitor, remains delayed. No new launch date was given, only the usual “coming year” timeline from software chief Craig Federighi.
"This work needed more time to meet our high quality bar," Craig Federighi said on Monday.
Apple did announce deeper ChatGPT integration. iPhone users can now send screenshots to ChatGPT to get text summarized or explained. Plus, AI-powered live translation during calls will speak responses in the other party’s language — no server needed, all on-device.
Apple also switched up its OS naming. Forget iOS 19 or 20. Next fall, the company will name iOS and all its OSes by the year — starting with iOS 26, iPadOS 26, WatchOS 26, tvOS 26, and VisionOS 26.
"Apple Silicon has become dramatically more powerful — enabling software, materials and experiences we once could only dream of," Federighi said in a recorded video.
Reactions online are mixed. Some praise the fluid, transparent UI. Others slammed it as a “Windows Vista” throwback.
The iOS 26 beta hits this summer. The full release lands this fall. Meanwhile, Apple’s AI critics are still waiting for the big leap.
[Watch the CNBC video on Apple’s Siri AI upgrade below]
