Apple is reportedly preparing design refinements for macOS 27 to address some of the interface issues introduced with macOS 26 Tahoe, according to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg.
The details suggest macOS Tahoe has proven to be more controversial than its iPhone and iPad counterparts. While Apple introduced the same Liquid Glass interface seen in iOS 26, the design language reportedly has not translated as smoothly to Macs because of larger displays and different desktop input methods.
Users are said to be facing readability and usability issues in areas such as:
- Control Center
- Finder
- Apps with sidebars
- Dense list-based interfaces
The transparency effects and shadows can reportedly make text harder to read and create interface confusion in certain situations. In some cases, the new textures are also said to reduce text clarity.
Why Apple is refining Liquid Glass
The information shared by Gurman notes that Liquid Glass was designed with modern OLED displays in mind, including those used on iPhones, select iPads, and Apple Watches. The interface is also expected to better suit Apple’s more glass-centric iPhone 20 planned for 2027.
Most Macs, however, still rely on LCD panels, which reportedly do not render translucency, shadows, and glass effects as effectively as OLED screens.
The report also points out that current Mac hardware designs are several years old:
- MacBook Pro and iMac designs debuted in 2021
- Current MacBook Air design launched in 2022
Despite criticism surrounding the interface, Liquid Glass is still said to be a positive shift for Apple’s software direction. The software is also described as feeling more futuristic than the company’s current Mac hardware in some situations. Upcoming Mac devices, including a high-end OLED touch-screen MacBook, are expected to better complement the interface over time.
Apple is now believed to be working on what is internally described as a “slight redesign” for macOS 27. The upcoming refinements are expected to improve:
- Transparency behavior
- Shadow rendering
- Text readability
- Interface consistency
- Overall software polish
Liquid Glass itself is not expected to go away. Instead, Apple is said to be refining the experience to better align with the original vision of its design team.
The changes are also reportedly intended to make Liquid Glass look the way Apple originally intended. According to Gurman, the current issues are viewed more as a not-fully-baked software engineering implementation rather than a flawed design concept.
Performance, iOS 27, and Siri AI upgrades
Beyond interface refinements, macOS 27 is also expected to include:
- Bug fixes
- Battery-life improvements
- Performance optimizations
Apple is reportedly taking a broader cleanup and refinement approach across its software platforms this year. iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 are also expected to receive interface tweaks, though no major redesigns are anticipated.
The situation is being compared to Apple’s transition from iOS 7 to iOS 8. After redesigning iOS 7 with flatter interface elements and heavier transparency effects in 2013, Apple spent the following year refining the experience with iOS 8.
Apple is also reportedly preparing new AI-focused features across its upcoming “27” software releases. These changes are expected to include:
- A redesigned Siri interface
- A standalone Siri app
- More proactive assistant capabilities
- Support for completing a wider range of tasks
- More chatbot-like interactions
- Deeper Apple Intelligence integration across new areas of the software
Apple is expected to unveil the new software updates during Worldwide Developers Conference 2026 on June 8.