Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) bold new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26 drew praises from Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, but many fans -- including investor Ross Gerber -- think it's a step in the wrong direction.
What Happened: On Monday, during Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple introduced Liquid Glass, the company's new design language for iOS 26.
In a post on X, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared a video of the interface, calling it "Expressive. Delightful. But still instantly familiar."
The design features translucent elements that respond to motion and context, extending across system interfaces like the lock screen, Control Center and home screen.
Musk reposted the video on the platform, saying, "Cool."
See Also: Pierre Ferragu Takes Apple To Task For Dismissing The AI Revolution: ';Has Its Head In The Sand'
However, not everyone shared Musk's enthusiasm.
Apple's design decisions have long reflected the legacy of legendary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who championed clarity and simplicity.
A user on X, @Greggertruck, criticized the design, posting, "Steve Jobs would have fired everyone," alongside a screenshot of the new Control Center. The comment drew agreement from Gerber, who replied with a Hundred Points emoji.
Other users called the update "a smeary mess of colors" and compared it to a beginner's overuse of Photoshop effects.
Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Why It's Important: Apple also announced automated Call Screening, which answers calls from unknown numbers, asks for the caller's name and reason for calling and then forwards the call to the user -- a long-requested privacy tool.
A major practical addition with iOS 26 is Live Translation, powered by on-device Apple Intelligence. It enables real-time conversation translation in Messages, FaceTime and phone calls, and is also available for app developers via a new API.
CarPlay also saw improvements. With iOS 26, widgets designed for iPhone now work seamlessly on CarPlay and CarPlay Ultra -- the latter debuting on select Aston Martin vehicles and offering car control integration.
The iOS 26 Developer Beta rolled out on Monday, with a public release scheduled for this fall.
Price Action: Apple shares declined 1.21% on Monday to close at $201.45, but saw a slight after-hours gain of 0.15%, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate Apple is showing short-term bullish momentum, despite a downward trend over the medium and long term. More detailed metrics can be found here.
Photo Courtesy: Wongsakorn 2468 on Shutterstock.com
Check out more of Benzinga’s Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.
Read Next:
- Alibaba, JD See Sales Soar In 618 Festival, Apple And Xiaomi Emerge As Top Selling Brands
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
