Does “Luxury Design for the Rest of Us” Even Make Sense?

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Apple's design focus has shifted from catering to the general public to appealing to a luxury market, as criticized following executive changes. Jony Ive's influence led to a minimalist aesthetic that lacks personality, moving away from the vibrant, playful designs of earlier Apple products. The current designs are seen as cold and utilitarian, prioritizing visual appeal over user experience. There’s a call for Apple to return to creating products with character and warmth, embracing color and texture, rather than conforming to a luxury aesthetic.

https://tidbits.com/2026/01/03/does-luxury-design-for-the-rest-of-us-even-make-sense/

Removing Tahoe’s Unwanted Menu Icons

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Recent criticisms of MacOS 26 (Tahoe) menu icons highlight their poor implementation, distracting nature, and inconsistency. While icons can be useful in moderation, Tahoe's excessive and uniform approach harms usability. Apple’s heavy-handed incorporation of icons into third-party apps has cluttered menus, prompting developers, like Rogue Amoeba, to remove them for cleaner designs. The aim is to enhance menu clarity and restore consistent experiences in their products.

https://weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2026/01/10/removing-tahoes-unwanted-menu-icons/

My Beef With the iOS 26 Tab Bar

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iOS 26's search tab resembles a button rather than a tab, causing confusion for developers. This design choice leads to predictable UI principles being violated, as developers treat it as a primary action button instead of a navigational tab. Apple hasn't provided adequate solutions for integrating reachable primary actions alongside tab navigation, forcing developers to work around the limitations, resulting in inconsistency across apps. Users are confused by this design change, which blurs the line between navigation and action, undermining the expected coherence of the iOS platform.

https://ryanashcraft.com/ios-26-tab-bar-beef/

It’s Hard to Justify Tahoe Icons

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Apple's macOS Tahoe introduces confusing, cluttered icons that hinder user experience, contradicting the basic principles of icon design. Icons should differentiate functions, maintain consistency, and avoid overwhelming users. Tahoe fails in these areas—overflowing with icons that lack distinction, clarity, and metaphor relevance. The article critiques Apple's icon choices, asserting that design principles dating back to 1992 still apply, highlighting the design's adverse impact on usability in contrast to historical guidelines. Overall, Tahoe represents a poor execution of icon integration in user interfaces.

https://tonsky.me/blog/tahoe-icons/

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