Since the can of worms has been opened, I wanted to add a bit of a different perspective, having been using *OS 26 on a daily basis on all of my devices.
Simply put, the design refresh is the absolutely most beautiful interface update I've seen. Not only that, but it's incredibly functional and smart -- it's the realization of the kinds of interfaces that have been science fiction until now.
The fluidity is the really exciting (and useful) part that so many people seem to miss. The old way (and still the Android way) is very static. You can find out all about them from a screenshot.
On the other hand, Liquid Glass isn't static. It's more of a gel at times; one that, like elegant, expensive crystal, captures, refracts and magnifies light. Controls even light with the energy from my fingertips when I press, slide and tap them. This fluidity plays out in making the interface much easier to use, and more efficient too. Instead of having, for example, the icons for several tabs displayed all the time, they can go away, until I want to change tabs, and then I press on the indicator, and it comes alive, lighting up, and showing the others, allowing me to change with a simple slide and release.
3 dots menu? Press and hold, and it transforms into the menu card that I can slide up to the one I want - with the selection lighting up for me.
The only thing I'd like to see Apple do quickly is to get the message out countering the uninformed influencers' message of 'turn on reduce transparency to make it easier to read.' That's like taking a sledge hammer to hang a painting on the wall. Instead, the message should be that the design refresh meets Accessibility standards, and most people shouldn't have a problem -- but for those who still do, the 'Increase Contrast' toggle is a much better choice.
