- Microsoft compared liquid glass with Windows Vista on its Instagram account
- It’s pretty late to the party in dragging this kind of comparison
- Remember you if someone has the right to do so is Microsoft that brought transparency with the Aero effect on the voice’s desk
Microsoft has joined the amount of those who have made fun of Apple’s new floating glass interface for MacOS Tahoe 26 (and iOS 26 or actually other platforms like iPados 26).
On its Instagram account yesterday, as marked by Windows latest, Microsoft published a collection of screens of Windows Vista. This arrived complete with nostalgic sound effects (time to start to the desk) from behind in the day (2007), with a simple, simple phrase: “Just want to leave this here.”
In the event that you missed it, Apple has caught quite a volley of criticism for what is perceived as making it seem like Liquid Glass, has reinvented the idea of transparency-a glassy, transparent interface-this was actually done by Microsoft in … yes, you guess it: Windows Vista.
In Windows Vista, this effect was called Aero (and later Aero also came to Windows 7) and as you can see in Instagram Montage above, it’s about transparent windows so you can see the background through them.
Microsoft is late for the party here, really, and in that respect the company looks a bit silly. Everyone has made their roof on how liquid glass is Vista (or Windows 7), how Apple is copycats, etc.
But still invented Microsoft Aero with these honorable desktop operating systems many Transparent moons since, so in a way, more than anyone else, the software giant has the right to put something fun on MacOS Tahoe 26 here.
Analysis: Fun, but not fair?
So, given the hail of critical balls trying to crush Apple’s liquid glass – Microsoft’s latest potshot included – it is worth considering an important question. Is it really fair to smooth out accusations of Mac and Idevice Maker to be so unoriginal and dated with his UI innovation here?
I don’t think it’s. Still, Apple must have known that it would meet this kind of setback, even if it is a pretty tongue-in-kind affair (mostly). And for Microsoft, it’s an obvious opportunity to take a rival down a stick or two who, let’s see it, shouldn’t miss. However, I’m not sure why Microsoft was slow with moving with his position.
Whatever is the case, one thing is obvious: Liquid Glass does not answer Vista’s Aero effect (and I hardly think Microsoft suggests it of course). Yes, there are clear visual parallels, but what MacOS Tahoe 26 does is very different from Windows Vista or 7.
For starters, the reason no one liked Aero was very much in Windows Vista because it caused us the environment to run slower – no one would have delayed when they pulled windows around the desk, surprisingly. (Windows 7 obviously did better here).
Not only is modern hardware ripe for a much better implementation of transparent interface elements now, so it will all be appropriate responsive but Apple’s liquid glass seems to be much More sophisticated in nature. It seems that there is a lot of careful craftsmanship here, with shades in the road that light passes through ‘glass’ and interacts with the interface behind.
Granted, it’s still too early to say exactly how this will pan out, but it’s not certain. I’ve been told by others at the Techradar team that have seen the interface in action that it looks much better in the real world than screens can convey.
Still, there are undoubtedly concerns. The most obvious potential thorn is the diminished availability and the potential lack of clarity that these smart, overall effects can cause. What we do not want is a muddy look where the user can fight to read basic text or find out icons in the foreground.
Time will talk about these concerns, but Apple seems to have believed this whole plan and overall philosophy through quite a full, considering that this is not only a pure interface renewal, but a wholesale venue platform association for macOS, iOS and the rest of the company’s operating systems.
So far, liquid glass looks pretty smooth, it looks like function is as important as shape, and yes, it looks like Windows Vista too. But hey, what did you expect Apple to do with all eyes on its big WWDC 25 -Interface reveals? Recognize Microsoft as a precursor to glassy transparency in desktop operating systems?
