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At the risk of oversimplifying, the "Liquid Glass" update from Apple is basically translucent buttons. How could one of the most famous design companies in the world classify this as its "broadest software design update ever," as Alan Dye, Apple’s VP of Human Interface Design, put it?

The translucence looks amazing, especially in person, but it prompted snickers from Microsoft enthusiasts who likened it to 2007's Windows Vista. At the end of the day, it's just...partially see-through buttons and menus. Like other people at the event, I politely "oohed" and "ahhed" at the demos while privately trying to piece together what was going on.

But then I figured out what this redesign is really about: Creating the optimal interface for smart glasses, which Apple is reportedly working on. It makes sense given Apple's focus on "visual intelligence," Meta's success with its Ray-Ban specs, and Google's new Android XR platform. The industry is going in this direction, and Apple wants to get a piece of it.

Liquid Glass makes it easier to stay focused on content on your iPhone, Mac, or iPad, even while accessing a menu. You can still see the gist of what's behind the menu, rather than it being completely blocked. So, it won't interrupt the experience of watching a full-screen movie, or browsing a web page quite as much as if it was a solid color. The menus also appear and disappear as you scroll, in case you want to navigate to a new web page.

When wearing a pair of glasses, the visual real estate is especially limited. The wearer will want to be able to access a menu without fearing they'll run into a tree. The translucent design makes that possible. If you look a little closer at the quote from Apple's Alan Dye, he says Liquid Glass "lays the foundation for new experiences in the future." Ah-ha.

Apple also punted on futuristic releases at this year's event, despite widespread criticism that it's falling behind in AI. Maybe it's just waiting to tie it all together at this fall's hardware event, where it'll wow us with a souped-up pair of glasses with translucent menus. Bloomberg puts mass production of Apple's smart glasses in 2026 or 2027, but Apple has been known to offer sneak peeks at products months before launch, from the Mac Pro more than a decade ago to the Vision Pro at WWDC 2023.

There's also the possibility I'm giving Apple way too much credit. Maybe Liquid Glass is just a fun redesign for existing gadgets. Apple devices are status symbols, and we like them to look pretty.

Apple may also have intentionally limited the scope of the design because it wants to prevent disrupting the experience too much for its enormous global userbase. Or, it's an overdue exercise in setting a standard design language across devices, even the Apple Watch.

More cynically, Apple might be distracting everyone from its AI mishaps. It could've done this a year ago. Why now? That brings me back to smart glasses. Liquid Glass is inspired by the design of visionOS for the Vision Pro, an impressive but pricey AR headset. Perhaps the company realizes a more clear AI future will involve a slimmer version of the Vision Pro, powered by Apple Intelligence, with a new UI that's easy on the eyes.