Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote has already come and gone, but its impact on Apple’s aesthetics, apps, and services is still ringing as loud as the Marimba ringtone on your grandma’s full-ring-volume phone. While trendy AI features took a backseat, there was still plenty of commotion on the design side of things, and let me tell you… it was a bit of a bloodbath. If you were watching along and wondering to yourself, “How much Apple blood has been spilled?” I have you covered. Here’s a shortlist of everything Apple tried to kill at this year’s WWDC.
Intel Macs
It may feel like another lifetime, but the era of Intel Macs was just five short years ago. In today’s modern age, it’s all about Apple silicon. At WWDC, Apple officially punctuated the Intel era, confirming that its new macOS Tahoe 26 will be the last macOS to support machines with aging Intel chips. I can’t say I’m particularly sad about this one; Apple Silicon has been a vast improvement over Intel machines, and the M1 MacBook Pro I’m typing this on right now is still going strong despite being released in 2020. Still, respect where respect is due. I’m not going to dance on Intel’s grave here; that’s just mean. So I’ll say this: Adios, Intel Macs! Your time is almost up, but (for better or worse) not forgotten.
Accessibility
Probably the most notable change this year was in Apple’s design ethos. Say goodbye to the familiar flat design of iOS 7, which stuck around for so many years, and say hello to (movie announcer guy voice) Liquid Glass. ICYMI, Liquid Glass is what Apple is calling the look of all of its redesigned software, which, while certainly creative, uses a lot of semi-opaque menus that might make things a little less readable. I’ve not seen the redesign with my own two eyes yet, but I can see (sort of) what people are talking about. Because of the transparent “glass” look, text bubbles up from underneath menus to create a more muddled visual experience in some cases. Maybe not ideal for legibility, which could be a big problem for those of us who need contrast to see what the hell is happening on our non-Pro iPhones.
Okay, WhatsApp is not dying (in fact, Meta just released an iPad app for the messaging app after all these years), but Apple did add backgrounds and polls to the Messages app in iOS 26, which definitely gives Apple’s native text app more of a WhatsAppian vibe. What’s next? Message timers? Actually, write that one down, Mr. Federighi. I expect a big to-do about it next year.
Google Translate
The Apple Intelligence updates were maybe a little underwhelming this year, but one that stood out is Live Translation in Messages and FaceTime. While Google Translate had the market cornered for many years, having real-time translation abilities built directly into iOS should be a nail in the coffin. Hopefully it works better than some other Apple Intelligence features we were promised: I’m looking at you, text summaries and AI Siri.
Stage Manager
There are some casualties this WWDC that I don’t think anyone will shed tears over, and I’d count Stage Manager chief among them. Believe it or not, iPadOS got one of the biggest updates this year with the addition of an honest-to-God windowing experience. Yes, that’s right. You can multitask in iPadOS now, and you don’t need Stage Manager, Apple’s less-than-ideal solution that rolled out back in 2019.
Similarly to macOS, apps in iPadOS now open in their own windows and even have buttons for closing and minimizing. Not only that, but you can arrange them anywhere on your screen. It’s been a long time coming for iPad owners who want to use their tablet more like a traditional computer, and I think it’s time we finally cue the curtain-close on Stage Manager once and for all.
Raycast
Apple’s Spotlight feature on macOS got a big upgrade that expands what you can do beyond just launching apps. Now, Spotlight is smarter and more integrated with everything on your Mac, which means you can use shortcuts to do new stuff like send a message, play music, or create a note, for example. That’s great news for anyone using macOS, but not great news for the folks at Raycast, which is a third-party app launcher for Mac users that does a lot of the same stuff. New Spotlight isn’t a 1-for-1 with Raycast just yet, but it’s certainly most of the way there and will probably only get more sophisticated with time.
Personal Trainers
Sorry, personal trainers, Apple thinks AI can do your job. A new Apple Watch feature in watchOS 26 called Workout Buddy uses Apple Intelligence to offer insights on your exercise routine using health data collected by your smartwatch, and it even offers up motivational feedback. It might not be as enriching to get praise from a robot as opposed to a triathlete, but it’s a lot less expensive, too.
