Apple and Microsoft update interface design approaches

Apple is introducing significant updates to the iPhone lock screen with the upcoming release of iOS 27. Key features include customizable clock sizes and fonts, improved wallpaper framing, and more useful widgets. The update also introduces an ‘Extend’ option powered by Apple Intelligence, which can automatically expand photo edges to fill the screen without awkward cropping.

Separately, Microsoft has declined to implement a ‘Liquid Glass’ transparency effect in Windows 11, despite user requests following Apple’s design shifts in iOS 26. Microsoft’s design team cited concerns regarding usability, accessibility, and system stability. The company noted that high levels of transparency could compromise text legibility and contrast, and that applying such changes across its vast ecosystem could lead to performance issues or instability.