Apple OS Updates, Don't Call it a Review

Unless you are living under a rock (or honestly just don't care), you are probably aware that there was a major update in the works to all of Apple's operating systems (MacOS, iOS, etc.) The biggest visible change is what is termed by Apple Liquid Glass. I beta test a lot of apps and all of them have been slowly preparing for the refresh, but I have not beta tested OS releases on my daily driver in awhile, so I wasn't able to see the grander effects until yesterday. As I have used the updates (on Mac, iPhone, and iPad) over the last 24 hours, I can't reasonably review it in full, but I can say that in my opinion right now, the update is great.

The way I explained it to someone recently was: if an app isn't updated for the new look, it immediately looks outdated; I think that is going to continue to be true and may even get worse as time goes on. Right now, there are tons of sore thumbs, but as the number dwindles, the apps that hold out will start to just look bad and be alone in how out of place they look. Here is the key about the update, though: Apple has touched almost every aspect of the OS and in large part every area looks more fresh and, without getting into marketing speak, lively.

Areas that I didn't realize had started getting long in the tooth have been updated (think dialogue and permissions boxes); everything has a fascinating feeling of depth (not just controls, but elements have texture and reflectivity); customization is in a whole different ballpark (icon masks, clock sizing on lock screen, widget placement on Mac). But the craziest part to me is how much I am in a place of discovery with the new systems. I have been around Apple products for a long time; I shouldn't be surprised or delighted by much here, but I have found myself on a couple occasions in the last 24 hours saying, "Oh! That's nice."

All of these little details lead to a more profound impact than with previous big-feature-focused updates. I find myself looking for changes and being delighted when I find them, like an unintentional scavenger hunt. I do hope that as this initial sense of awe fades and we live with these updates, it is replaced by a mature set of standards that lives on for the next 10 releases like the last paradigm. In a phrase: Enjoy it.