macOS 27: Two More Changes Leaked Ahead of WWDC Next Month

"Lipstick on a pig," as Jeff Johnson said on Mastodon ('https://mastodon.social/@lapcatsoftware/116550682692705315').

Last year we got a redesign as a slight
This year we get a slight redesign

I find It perplexing that Gurman seems to have a weird defensive altitude about Alan Dye/Liquid Ass.

HERES A WILD IDEA FOR ALL OF IOS AND MAC OS....THEMES! Enable the user to customize their own unique themes and interface. You could even open up a new digital marketplace for this and make money off it. Thats what liquid glass basically is anyway, a forced visual theme not everyone likes.

Apple should enable people to use their computers how they wish. If i want to run MacOS looking like a classic 1980s era interface, i should be able to do that without a 3rd party program or hack. If i want to have my computer look like its running LCARS from Star Trek, or The Matrix Code, or even windows, APPLE should allow a market place where people can program themes across Ipad, Mac and Iphone and even the apple watch, and they can buy these packs, download them across there devices, and run them as long as the core functionality of the system doesn't change.

its just a visual coat of paint after all. The functionality is still the same. I dont get it. Apple lets me change my wallpaper, my ring tones, but not the overall look of the system, or what it does is just adjustments on what they allow (Bigger, Smaller, change color or opacity) but nothing else.

Why? You have to get approval to upload an app into the app store right? Same thing here..submit themes to the theme store, Apple says yes, it doesnt change any core functionality, aproves it, they get a cut, the maker gets a cut, everyones happy.

I mean...i spend thousands of dollars on this stuff, and yet i feel like it still isnt fully mine yet. If i want to run my ipad and macbook and iphone with a 80s user interface why cant i officially? I can buy retro cases for it, download retro wallpaper with it, use retro ringtones and sounds, but the UI is still very modern and just clashes and i cant change that without bypassing stuff that i dont want to bypass.

I don't see anything positive here. I don't want AI rearranging my tabs.

I feel like a lot was left out of this article.

Here is what Gurman actually said:

“
Apple Inc.’s macOS 26 Tahoe has proven to be more controversial than its iPhone and iPad counterparts — and Apple is looking to address that.

Though the Mac software introduced the same Liquid Glass interface seen in iOS 26, the design language hasn’t translated as smoothly to the larger displays and different input methods of desktops and laptops. Part of the reason is that Liquid Glass was created with more modern hardware in mind ('https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-06-08/apple-s-liquid-glass-ios-26-software-redesign-to-hint-at-20th-anniversary-iphone-mbnm2u0d'): the crisp OLED displays that are used on iPhones, some iPads and Apple Watches. The software also will be well-suited to the more glass-centric iPhone 20 coming in 2027.


Most Macs, in contrast, still rely on industrial designs introduced several years ago. The current look of the MacBook Air debuted in 2022, while the latest MacBook Pro and iMac designs date back to 2021. Macs also continue to use LCD displays, which don’t render translucency, shadows and glass effects as effectively as OLED ('https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-28/apple-plans-oled-for-ipad-mini-ipad-air-macbook-air-mini-water-resistance') screens.

If you’ve used Tahoe, you’re likely familiar with some of the quirks — particularly the transparency effects and shadows that can make lists and other text-heavy areas harder to read. The issue is especially noticeable in Control Center, Finder, and apps with sidebars and dense lists. In several places, the new textures reduce text clarity or create interface confusion.

In the grand scheme of things, this problem isn’t catastrophic, and I still think Liquid Glass has been a net positive for the company despite some of the criticism online. In some ways, it’s a rare instance of Apple’s software feeling more futuristic than its hardware. Upcoming Mac releases — including a high-end OLED touch-screen MacBook ('https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-24/apple-s-touch-screen-macbook-pro-to-have-dynamic-island-new-interface') — should help the interface look far better over time.

But for now, Apple clearly needs to refine the experience for Mac users and make the software feel more polished. I’m told the company is preparing what people internally consider to be a “slight redesign” for macOS 27. With the next update, Apple aims to address the shadows and transparency quirks.

But Liquid Glass itself isn’t going away ('https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-03-15/apple-s-liquid-glass-ui-isn-t-going-anywhere-siri-home-hub-foldable-iphone-mmrpcylx'), as I’ve said before. It’s simply being refined. I also expect iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to include a range of interface tweaks, though nothing will be too dramatic. The goal is more of a cleanup and refinement effort aligned with the company’s wider push to polish its software this year.

In fact, the changes to macOS are meant to make Liquid Glass look the way Apple’s design team intended it to from the start. Last year’s operating systems didn’t necessarily suffer from design problems, I’m told, but rather a not-completely-baked implementation from Apple’s software engineering team.

The cleanup approach isn’t unusual for Apple. After the company redesigned iOS 7 with flatter-looking interface elements in 2013, it spent the following year refining the software with iOS 8. The iOS 7 changes were similarly significant, adding glass effects, more dramatic transparency and updated shadowing throughout the interface.


Beyond adjusting the look of Liquid Glass, Apple will focus on bug fixes, battery-life upgrades and performance improvements. This refinement effort ('https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-23/apple-ios-27-snow-leopard-like-quality-focus-ai-features-tim-cook-retirement-mibq7jv8') is one of two major undertakings for Apple’s “27” operating system releases this year — the other being to add more artificial intelligence features. The company will unveil the software at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8.

The AI changes will center on Siri. Apple is introducing a new design and standalone app, and repositioning the technology as a more proactive assistant that helps users complete a wider range of tasks. The company is also working on a more chatbot-like interface, as well as deeper integration of Apple Intelligence features across new areas of the software.”