AllYouCanTech

Apple’s Human Interface Design Progression: Liquid Glass and iOS 27

In December, Apple appointed Steve Lemay as the new Vice President of Human Interface Design, following Alan Dye’s exit to join Meta. This change ignited conversation regarding the future of Apple’s Liquid Glass design language, a hallmark of its user interface.

Recent information from Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter suggests that Apple is not intending to forsake the Liquid Glass design. Rather, the company is considering the introduction of a system-wide slider that would enable users to modify the intensity of the Liquid Glass effect. This capability was first envisioned during the development of iOS 26 but encountered engineering hurdles that stalled its widespread implementation.

The slider was partially delivered on the lock screen clock, yet extending it to app folders, the home screen, and navigation bars proved challenging. Nevertheless, with iOS 27 approaching, Apple seems hopeful about surmounting these obstacles and making the slider a universal feature.

If accomplished, this could drastically transform the user experience in relation to Liquid Glass, fostering increased customization and possibly addressing user feedback. Gurman highlights Lemay’s strong support for Liquid Glass, indicating a continuity in its evolution.

Even with the potential for a system-wide slider, some experts, including contributors from 9to5Mac, are skeptical about its deployment. They contend that while enhancements to the interface are required, a slider could complicate the user experience and result in inconsistent UI components.

As Apple continues to refine its design strategy, the dialogue surrounding Liquid Glass and user customization remains lively, with iOS 27 set to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Apple’s interface design.

Apple has revealed the official successor to the AirPods Max today. Years after the initial model was launched, AirPods Max 2 have arrived.

### AirPods Max 2 Available for Order on March 25, Shipping in Early April

Today the highly anticipated AirPods Max 2 have been introduced.

The standout new feature is the H2 chip that has been a part of AirPods Pro and AirPods 4 for some time.

H2 enhances an improved Active Noise Cancellation experience for users. According to Apple:

> “With the remarkable performance of H2, AirPods Max are updated with up to 1.5x more effective ANC for the ultimate all-day listening experience,” mentioned Eric Treski, Apple’s director of Audio Product Marketing. “The audio quality is exceptionally clear, rich, and acoustically detailed — and when paired with features like Personalized Spatial Audio, AirPods Max 2 provide a deeply immersive experience.”

In addition to ANC enhancements, Apple states that Transparency mode has improved on AirPods Max 2: “With a new digital signal processing algorithm optimized for H2 and the microphone array on AirPods Max, Transparency sounds even more natural.”

H2 represents a significant advancement over the H1 found in the earlier AirPods Max. This is due to not just enhancing ANC but also enabling a range of new capabilities that AirPods Max with the H1 chip did not support.

The new features for AirPods Max 2 users comprise:
– Live Translation
– Adaptive Audio
– Conversation Awareness
– Voice Isolation
– Studio-quality audio recording
– Loud Sound Reduction
– Siri Interactions via head gestures
– Camera Remote

If you are an AirPods Pro user, these capabilities are nothing exceptional—but it’s exciting to finally have them on AirPods Max.

For those interested in the wired experience with AirPods Max 2, Apple indicates that it has been enhanced compared to the previous version, with support for 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio.

> For the highest-quality sound across music, movies, and games, the new AirPods Max support 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio when connected via the included USB-C cable. Lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio allow music creators to make full use of AirPods Max throughout their entire professional workflow on Logic Pro and other music creation software. With the USB-C cable, AirPods Max are the only headphones that enable musicians to both create and mix in Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking.

AirPods Max 2 will be priced at $549 and will be available for order starting Wednesday, March 25, with shipping in early April.

The new version retains the same color options available with the previous USB-C model of AirPods Max: midnight, starlight, orange, purple, and blue.

Are you considering upgrading to AirPods Max 2? Share your thoughts in the comments.