Design Is How It Works
10:01 am: We start with a quote: “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” — Steve Jobs
How many of us groaned at that? This has got to be the worst invocation of Steve Jobs’ memory given how this year’s redesign seems to be pretty much the opposite of that ideal.
Always good when the keynote stream starts with me doing a spit take.
I’m not really sure why Apple chose to open their 2025 iPhone event with the famous “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” quote. It preceded a video focused on design elements of Apple products that I guess was meant to show case how well all their products work together? It was a nice little video. But overall, I don’t think this year was more about design than any other Apple keynote.
I’m still shocked Apple completely glossed over #iOS26 / #LiquidGlass. The event was short, so I bet they had planned for 30 minutes on it and were too embarrassed to even show it.
Imagining constantly repeating a quote without ever taking its meaning to heart.
They’re trolling us
I feel like we were watching in real time Tim Cook convince himself that liquid glass is the right direction
We care a lot about design which is why we are about to introduce the worst designed OS in years
Quoting Steve Jobs with “Design is how it works” and then shitting the bed with #LiquidAss is bold.
Ballsy for Tim Cook to say “design is how it works” because Liquid Glass is absolute crap for usability and accessibility. Stacking views just for effect is consideration for Apple and not its users.
This “design is how it works” shit seems like a recognition of how bad Liquid Glass is and an attempted cover-up.
I don’t understand how can you put this on the slide, and ship macOS 26 like that at the same time
See also: Accidental Tech Podcast.
Previously:
- macOS Tahoe 26 RC
- iPhone Air
- iPhone 17
- iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max
- macOS Icon History
- One Size Does Not Fit All
- Assorted Notes on Liquid Glass
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The event was without a doubt cut short: there were at least a couple of rough cuts during which the speakers’ pacing and intonation implied that more was coming.
I doubt they would have cut half an hour of UI demos, but I do feel some of the Watch and eSIM feature presentations were shortened at the eleventh hour, with no time to re-record the speakers, or even dub them.
I did laugh bitterly at reading that. Glad I’m not the only one who thought that it was a bold and tasteless move.
The thing is, right after the quote they showed many physical items that are actually pretty good. So in that sense it was appropriate.
But of course we all know the problem with the iPhone and Mac anymore, it’s the software. That, and Apple’s complete tone deafness. So in that way it was ironically appropriate.
Was that the first public shot fired in an internecine struggle between Alan Dye and those who understand that quote? One can hope.
