iOS 26 / MacOS

After using iOS 26 and MacOS for about a month, I have learned a few things. First and foremost, this new glass design of Apple products takes me back to the days of Microsoft Windows Vista - in a very bad way.

Microsoft Vista was a transparent Windows OS, which at the time was appreciated by looking more futuristic and modern back in 2006, and apparently Apple is ‘making a comeback’ with this design 19 years later, as usual.

Upon opening Apple’s new software redesign, mainly in iOS 26, the interface and glass design looks absolutely stunning. However the more I used it, the more it became a hindrance and mostly annoying over a usable OS for a small device.

MacOS, on the other hand, was less cumbersome than the smaller and less intuitive form on an iPhone. Mind you, I am also using an iPhone 15 Pro Max, one of the largest landscapes of the iPhone lineup. As I appreciate the redesign of MacOS, as it is usable, iOS 26 is not my cup of tea. I don’t care how many people praise it.

I decided to change the settings of the glass effect back to a more stable and opaque appearance within 24 hours of using iOS 26, but the icons for the apps are still a little blurry looking for my tastes with its subtle highlights created in the design of each app.

A few other things that I noticed after upgrading to iOS 26 is that the phone gets a bit warm while doing basic tasks and the battery life certainly is noticeably shorter. What was once lasting well over a day (or two, depending on my usage) no longer lasts a day to a day and a half. I would have to assume that this is due to Apple’s integrated ::coughs:: Apple Intelligence and how this service plays into the collection of data from your device. However, you are able to turn this off under settings for Apple Intelligence and then separately for each and every app installed on your device.

This reminds me of Microsoft’s telemetry data collection practices, which I am also not a fan of. I don’t feel that a company that advertises their focus on privacy, such as Apple does, and then is found using the data on your personal device to teach its AI model by default. Of course, this was also the default setting for iOS 18 as well.

Year after year, Apple has become more like Microsoft and Google in every way with data collection, operating system bugs, and even in design - and it’s a sad thing to watch. What was once premium, innovative, and secure is now basic in overall design and performance.