Apple’s Liquid Glass design language has been controversial, to say the least. But it wasn’t just the glass-themed elements that came under fire. One of the macOS 26 Tahoe icons in particular came under fire, with Apple changing the Macintosh HD icon in response.
But some suggest the problems go deeper than this, with the macOS 26 icons as a whole described as “terrible” and “objectively bad” …
The Macintosh HD icon
The original Macintosh HD icon had been outdated for a great many years. It very clearly depicted a spinning metal hard disk drive long after Apple made the switch to chip-mounted SSDs.
It wasn’t until this year that the company finally reflected this with a new icon depicting an SSD. But that came in for criticism on a number of fronts. Some complained that it depicted an external SSD, which still looked nothing like the internal one. Others disliked the off-center USB-C slot and the random holes. Still others pointed out that the Apple logo didn’t reflect the three-dimensional orientation of the icon.
The company responded with a new version featuring a better-aligned Apple logo, and with both USB-C slot and holes removed.
macOS 26 Tahoe icons ‘terrible’ and ‘objectively bad’
But some critics feel the problems go deeper than this, and that many macOS 26 Tahoe icons are lacking.
Basic Apple Guy highlighted the utility app icons. Instead of each having a distinctive look, they are all small variations on the same design. This makes it harder to see at a glance the function of each, and “seeing at a glance” is kind of the one job of an icon.
Daring Fireball’s John Gruber didn’t mince any words when he commented on this.
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