GoKawiilApple kicked off WWDC 2026 Monday, not by talking up Siri's added AI smarts or explaining new iOS 27 features. No, it started by slapping a name on the next version of MacOS. With the help of a VW bus driving by, Apple software chief Craig Federighi introduced MacOS 27 Golden Gate.
I associate hippies and the summer of love with the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood rather than the Golden Gate Bridge, but I suppose you'd need to drive your bus across the Golden Gate if you wanted to hang out in The Haight. If you were coming in from Marin County, anyway.
Based on the results of CNET's Big Guessing Game, Apple threw us a curveball with Golden Gate. It was not among the top guesses, which included Redwood, Shasta, Mammoth, Big Bear and Emerald Bay.
MacOS Golden Gate: Siri AI and Liquid Glass slider
After introducing the polarizing Liquid Glass design last year, this year's WWDC update is more about performance and stability improvements than a radical design shift. Think tighter corner radii on windows rather than an entirely new look. Apple promises Golden Gate will feel more responsive, with snappier animations. And search has been rebuilt to be more efficient and comprehensive, so you can find things faster in Spotlight, Photos and Mail.
Apple promises that search in MacOS Golden Gate will be faster and better. Apple/Screenshot by CNET
With Spotlight Search, you can also engage the new Siri AI and "Ask Siri." The revamped assistant will be able to understand personal context, complete actions in apps and be aware of what's on your screen, thanks to Apple's Visual Intelligence. Siri AI will also get its own standalone app so that you can return to a conversation or ping pong between your Mac, iPhone and iPad within the Siri app. Siri AI will be available only in English at the start, but more languages are set to be added later.
The Liquid Glass look isn't going away, but you can tone down the transparency effects. Apple added a slider so you can find the sweet spot between clear and tinted. There's also a more uniform toolbar at the top of apps that's meant to make labels and headers easier to read.
Mac sidebars will now expand to the very edge of a window and retain their color to make it clearer which window is which and which window is active. Lastly, Apple added some new polish to app icons that adds more Liquid Glass layers, which Apple says will make icons sharper and more defined.
MacOS Golden Gate keeps the Liquid Glass design introduced with last year's Tahoe but adds a slider to control its transparency effects. Apple/Screenshot by CNET
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