Here come the iOS 26 memes
A lot of comparisons to Windows Vista and Frutiger Aero.
Today’s issue of PHONE TIME includes: Apple’s WWDC 2025 brings on the memes. Plus, people are quite entertained by Google’s AI Overview response to “i’m a small baby deer where is mama.”
Apple introduced “Liquid Glass” at WWDC 2025 today. In a press release, the company wrote that Liquid Glass was inspired by the “depth and dimensionality” of visionOS and “extends from the smallest elements users interact with every day—like buttons, switches, sliders, text, and media controls—to larger elements, including tab bars and sidebars for navigating apps.”
Essentially, buttons and controls now look as if they are made from glass, enabling users to see more of the content on their screens—although many have raised concerns about accessibility and readability. I’d recommend this thread on the r/Design subreddit, in which one user comments, “I cant fucking believe it. The entire UI/UX community hated on glassmorphism for years and apple saw it and thought: Yep. Thats cool. We want this.”
I’m always excited for Apple’s software updates at WWDC and new device launches in the fall, specifically for the memes. CNET did a roundup here. Much of what I saw on X compared Liquid Glass to Windows Vista and the design language Windows Aero.
For years, Apple announcements have sparked waves of reaction memes. They’re a good no-bullshit way to cut through the glimmering product launch language and see what people are actually thinking.
I looked back at some old WWDCs using the Wayback Machine.
Elsewhere online
“Infinite Unreality: How an AI kangaroo tricked the internet”—Thom Waite, Dazed
“Anthropic’s AI-generated blog dies an early death”—Kyle Wiggers, TechCrunch
I saw this post on the subreddit r/CuratedTumblr, where people typed “i’m a small baby deer where is mama” into Google. The AI Overview would respond as if talking to a baby deer. I tried out a “where is my mother” query with various animals. Check out this X thread for even more.
Google’s AI Overview response to the query “I’m a baby shark where is my mother” clarifies that the song “Baby Shark” is not true to reality. Here’s the ChatGPT 4o response to “i’m a baby deer where is my mother.”
ChatGPT’s answer was a bit more poetic and winding than that given by Google’s AI Overview.
“It’s Time to Kill Siri”—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED.
“Saying goodbye to Siri would be a big move for Apple—after all, it has spent more than a decade investing in it. But most people today still use it for playing music, checking weather, and setting timers, and aren't even pushing the boundaries of its current, relatively limited, capabilities. It's hard to see that changing anytime soon, even if Siri's feature-packed next generation arrives as promised.”
“YouTube Playlists Are Advertising ‘No AI’ as Entire Site Gets Choked by AI Slop”—Frank Landymore, Futurism.
Here are a couple “No AI”—labeled playlists I found.
iPhone-related things I posted that you might enjoy
My lede to a review of the play “McNeal” I wrote last November:
“In the Vivian Beaumont Theater, audience members are greeted by a mysterious, eerie sight: A giant iPhone lock screen, taking over the back of the stage, illuminated in a bright cobalt blue and impossible to ignore.”
Does anyone remember when people would color in their shattered iPhones with highlighter? I wonder how many cuts this caused.
If you want to crochet your own iPhone blanket, check out this blog post.
