It's hard to look at Apple's new "Liquid Glass" aesthetic and not think about Windows Vista, Microsoft 's much-maligned OS which also touted transparencies and glass-like effects as a bold new vision for computing.

Apple dialed back its announcements at this year's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), opting for practical optimizations over futuristic launches.

What was arguably the most impactful announcement was the reveal of Liquid Glass, a new "cross-platform design language" that introduces the company's "biggest [UI] update since iOS 7."