Apple’s year is just about done, so it’s time to pick some high and low points.

Winners: UI Experts on Social Media

macOS Tahoe, iOS 26, and their cousins will go down in history for being the releases that introduced Liquid Glass.

One of Apple’s stated desires with this design language was to unify its platforms with one universal look and feel, as shown off in the image at the top of the company’s press release about Liquid Glass:

Liquid Glass created a tidal wave of opinions about Apple losing its way, forgetting about accessibility, and trying to distract from its AI woes.

Now that iOS 26 is rolling out to the masses, we’re back at it, with folks posting screenshots and links to their Substack. Apple tweaking the design as updates to the OS Class of 26 come out is only pouring fuel on the fire.

I like Liquid Glass and I’m well aware of its issues, but the whole thing is just exhausting.

Loser: Apple’s AI Efforts

The further we get from WWDC24, the more bonkers it seems that Apple announced so many Apple Intelligence features that were nowhere near ready. The company clearly felt pressure to jump into AI features but wasn’t ready. In the time since, the company has been shuffling teams around and publishing research, but the features that have shipped are fairly lackluster. The promised next-generation Siri is still not here, and if reporting is to be believed, Apple doesn’t yet have its own technology to power it. Yikes.

Winner: The iPhone Lineup

The current slate of iPhones is super impressive. The base iPhone picked up some amazing features, including an always-on display and ProMotion. It’s the best no-adjective iPhone Apple has ever shipped.

The iPhone Air is an amazing feat of engineering. I’ve been using one as my daily for a while now, and cannot believe how much I love this phone. I was rather cool on it in my review due to the trade-offs its thin design demands, but every time I pick it up, I smile.

In that review, I wrote:

One look at the iPhone 17 Pro should tell you that Apple is very willing to make an iPhone with the opposite trade-offs than the Air. Apple seems more willing than ever to offer its customers options, and I don’t think we should do anything to discourage that, even if it leads to hard decisions when standing in the Apple Store.

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max eschewed the previous jewelry-like design of previous Pro models and traded it out for something much more utilitarian. It’s chunky and bold, all in the name of housing Apple’s best camera system in the device. It has a bunch of features that mere mortals will never use, but for pros making content with their phones, this one is a real winner.

PLUS IT COMES IN ORANGE. I mean… come on!

Losers: Aficionados of Large Desktop Macs

It’s a tale as old as time, but the “current” Mac Pro is too old and too expensive for what it is.

…but at least it exists, which is more than what can be said for a professional-grade iMac. I adore the current iMac, but it doesn’t fill the space the 5K iMac and iMac Pro once did.

Apple’s solution for users who want a powerful Mac with an Apple-made display is the Mac Studio paired with a Studio Display or Pro Display XDR, both of which are also too old and too expensive for what they are.

Winners: Aficionados of Small Desktop Macs

The Mac Studio got a nice upgrade earlier this year and now rocks the M4 Max and the new M3 Ultra chip. While this raised a bunch of questions about Apple’s silicon strategy, there’s no doubt the Studio continues to be a beast.

The Mac mini did not receive an update this year, but the 2024 redesign continues to impress. I finally got my hands on one just a couple of weeks ago to replace the M1 Mac mini I was using as a home server. The small size is really impressive, and I think the M4 and M4 Pro are going to feel plenty fast for a long time.

Loser: Apple’s Budget for Legal Fees

Apple continues to find itself at odds with governments around the world over its handling of the App Store, third-party software and hardware integration, and more. The tug-of-war Apple is playing over things like App Store commissions could end up fundamentally changing how the company’s products work, but it seems unwilling to concede meaningful ground.

Loser: The Developer in Charge of Updating Apple’s Leadership Webpage

This year has brought a lot of change at the top of Apple. Sabih Khan became COO when Jeff Williams announced his retirement. John Giannandrea is also retiring, with his previous role being carved up between Mike Rockwell, Amar Subramanya, Craig Federighi, Sabih Khan, and Eddy Cue.

Lisa Jackson and Katherine Adams are both leaving early next year, with Jennifer Newstead taking over their respective roles.

Alan Dye, whose departure did not garner a press release, [is headed to Meta](https://9to5mac.com/2025/12/03/apple-design-vp-alan-dye-departing-for-meta/), to the joy of many folks in the Apple world.

(Thankfully, Johny Srouji seems to be staying put.)

All of this is happening with a clock ticking in the background as Tim Cook is reportedly handing over the reins sometime in 2026, probably to Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus:

Some of these executive-level changes are probably long overdue, but it’s still wild to see it starting to take place.

Winner: Yours Truly

I’m going to take a rare victory lap here and say that my writing on Tahoe’s initial Finder icon spurred Apple to change it. I know some folks wanted more, but I think the current icon works within the context of Tahoe’s redesign.

I have it on good authority that my blog post from the day of the keynote was quoted at the highest levels of the company when the uproar was discussed. I’m pretty proud of that, and it goes to show that blogging can still change the world… or at least an icon.