Translucent UI will be first major interface change in a decade

The iPhone Fold could be just one of two new iPhone designs coming soon.

The coming Apple Vision Pro-inspired “liquid glass” user interface redesign at WWDC won’t just change how things look and feel in iOS, it will set the stage for the 20th anniversary iPhone and more.

As previously reported, the new “Solarium” interface will build on work done with visionOS to overlay windows and icons on top of the user’s real world view. The overhaul will be Apple’s biggest change to its user interface in a decade.

The most immediate change in upcoming OS releases will be the addition of translucency in menus, windows, and icons. Apple has allegedly dubbed the new interface Liquid Glass, and will showcase the look at its WWDC keynote address, set for Monday, June 9.

This will be first overall change to the look of Apple’s various OSes since Jonny Ive was in charge of design. He introduced the flat, non-skeumorphic overhaul of the interface back in iOS 7.

At the time, the move was controversial with users, but quickly become the norm to a generation used to smartphones and tablets. There was less need to relate icons to previous real-world devices, like home telephones.

Indeed, the current icon for the phone app is a good example: it still features an image of a landline handset. While this icon is still familiar to older customers, it is increasingly foreign to recent generations of users.

Setting the stage for new hardware

According to a new report from Bloomberg, the Liquid Glass design will both freshen up the look of recent and new products, and influence the hardware look of future products.

This could include the expected 2027 overhaulof the iPhone, in time for its 20th anniversary. That device is said to feature curved glass sides around the entire body, including the edges.

The report also claims it could dispense with the “cutout” on the screen for the front-facing cameras, having them operate from undernearth the screen. The alleged design will also all but dispense with bezels.

Upcoming interface changes could lean heavily on translucency and a glassy look. Image credit: Sebastiaan de With

The 20th anniversary iPhone is said to have the codename “Glasswing,” referring to a type of butterfly with translucent wings. Apple is also said to be planning a completely separate iPhone model, which will be a foldable and could arrive as early as 2026.

Also rumored for release in 2027 or late 2026 would be Apple’s first “smart glasses”“smart glasses” type product, and a “smart lamp” tabletop device that would mark the company’s entry into home robotic devices. This would follow along from a push for more smart home hardware and homeOS improvements expected in 2026 and beyond.

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