The “Liquid Glass” Design… The Beginning of the End for the Smartphone as We Know It?

Since the latest WWDC, criticisms of iOS 26’s new design have been piling up.

Some call it overly blurry, too shiny, lacking in accessibility. And to be fair: yes, the first impression is strange. A little too smooth, almost unreal.

But I can’t help but wonder...

What if this design wasn’t meant for today’s habits — but for tomorrow’s?

For the past few days, this thought has been looping in my mind.
This “Liquid Glass” interface, with its translucent reflections and softened borders, gives me the feeling that Apple is preparing something. Not just a visual update.

A transition.

A slow shift toward a future... where the smartphone is no longer the central device.

The Smartphone, a Soon-to-Be Outdated Object?

We cling to our habits. To these screens we know by heart, to these gestures turned reflexes.

But who’s to say all this will still be relevant in 5 or 10 years?

What if our phones, as we know them, become what flip phones are today for seniors — objects designed for a certain generation, more focused on ergonomics than innovation and the needs of tomorrow? Our needsnn

And all this noise around the new design reminds me of another era...
The era of BlackBerry and physical keyboards.

Back then, people mocked the iPhone. No physical keys? Too fragile, too tactile, not serious. And then... we know how that ended.

An OS Designed for a “Screenless” World?

I wonder if Apple is already preparing for the post-smartphone era.

A system designed for glasses, watches, and objects we no longer touch.

An OS whose elegance no longer serves touch interactions, but gaze, gestures, augmented immersion.

This "Liquid" design may be a fluid interface for a world without surfaces.

A world where screens disappear... but information is still all around us.

What if, in a few years, we stop unlocking our phones — simply because we no longer need to?

It’ll still be there, in our pocket, but only as a power hub. The main display? Floating in front of our eyes. Ambient. Ever-present.

Resist the Blur… or Learn to Swim?

I’m not saying I love everything in this beta version. Some design rules feel bent too far, some contrasts still off. But I have this intuition that this isn’t really the point.

What if Apple deliberately exposed this transition to the public, right in the beta phase, to spark the conversation... and co-build the interface of tomorrow with its users? By intentionally pushing the limits now, so they can adjust more accurately later?

Maybe the real topic here isn’t the interface itself. It’s our resistance. Our difficulty in letting go of what we know.

That subtle but persistent fear: becoming the "old folks" of tech — the ones who no longer understand, who say “it was better before.”

What if this new design is simply confronting us with that? That the smartphone’s reign might be coming to an end.

I don’t have a firm conclusion. Just a question that’s been floating in me for a few days.

And this recurring intuition: Apple never does anything without intent.

Of course, the company isn’t perfect. But with every new launch — iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods — we hear the same old song: “This isn’t the right direction.” And yet... the world often ends up following.

Vision Pro is no exception. Some said it would go nowhere. Meanwhile, Samsung, Google, Vivo — all are moving in the same direction. And their designs? They’re slowly starting to look a lot like Apple’s. So...

What if this new design isn’t a mistake — but an opening toward a new relationship with technology — more dematerialized, more ambient, more ethereal?

Maybe we’re shifting from a world where we tap screens to one where we gently brush against information like a beam of light.

Less visible. But still present.