In the aftermath of Apple’s WWDC keynote, a lot of individuals quickly asserted that this was among the more monotonous WWDCs in recent times. If I’m being truthful, I tend to concur. The catch, however, is that I don’t inherently view that as a negative aspect. Admittedly, the keynote didn’t unveil any revolutionary features. And no, I wasn’t particularly impressed by the Liquid Glass redesign. But after the vaporware debacle that tainted last year’s WWDC — with many promised Apple Intelligence functions that remain unfulfilled — it was refreshing to witness Apple concentrate on enhancements we can realistically anticipate for release day.
Thus, while Apple’s WWDC keynote may not be remembered as a revolutionary occasion, there are a sufficient number of features to render macOS Tahoe and iOS 26 appealing upgrades. That said, there is one minor alteration in the upcoming macOS that will inevitably leave experienced Mac users puzzled, if not outright angry. It might seem trivial to an everyday user, but for those who have extensively used Macs for years, this change will be annoying, to put it mildly. Specifically, I’m referring to the revamped design of the macOS Finder icon.
What in the world is that?!
The new design is subtle, yet once you notice the alteration, it’s impossible to overlook. As illustrated above, the color arrangement of the two Finder faces has been inverted. For over two decades, the Finder icon displayed a darker blue shade on the left and a lighter blue/grey shade on the right.
Apple’s Finder icon has a rich and notable history
For some historical proof, on the left is an image of the Finder icon from a Mac OS X Public Beta dating back to 2000. That’s 25 years of legacy. 25 years of a recognizable face now completely altered for absolutely no explicit reason. And for longtime Mac users, you’ll recall that the Happy Mac icon as we recognize it today originates from Mac OS 8 in 1997, as shown on the right. Additionally, the icon design itself, exclusive of the colors, dates back to System 7 even before that.
The new design is at best unnecessary and at worst unappealing. While the shape of the icon itself has subtly evolved over the years, the color scheme has stayed consistent.
Examining various social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit, the Mac loyalists are not pleased with the icon change. It certainly won’t lead to a shift to Windows — and who knows, perhaps we’ll all adapt after a few days of use — but I struggle to understand why the design was altered in the first place. Why tweak an iconic and recognizable design needlessly for no apparent reason?
One designer on Twitter demonstrated how Apple could have implemented its Liquid Glass theme to the Finder icon without disrupting the original aesthetic too much.
It’s noteworthy that the original Happy Mac icon was crafted by none other than Susan Kare, the renowned graphic designer responsible for many of the early Mac system fonts and icon designs. After a lengthy period at Apple, Kare went on to create countless icons for a variety of clients over several decades. To put it mildly, she’s a design icon. And given that, it’s peculiar that Apple would show enough respect for nostalgia and history to repurpose the icon for its Face ID animation, yet not enough reverence to preserve its iconic color scheme.
For all I know, this may become inconsequential as users adapt to it. Remember, many initially found the notch on the iPhone X distracting. Following that, many found the Dynamic Island distracting as well. But over time, the human mind tends to acclimate to change. Perhaps the Finder icon will soon fall into the same category. But until that happens, I hope Apple reconsiders in upcoming macOS betas. In the meantime, ensure you check out our overview of the 5 best macOS Tahoe features. It’s an interesting update despite the annoying icon change to the Finder.
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