THIS MACOS 26 ICON STRATEGY PUNISHES MAC USERS MORE THAN DEVELOPERS

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

macOS 26 has sparked backlash over design changes, particularly the revised Finder and Macintosh HD icons, with users criticizing inconsistencies in perspective, added visual clutter, and a lack of clarity. Apple's new layered glass icon style and enforcement of a uniform squircle shape—often resulting in blurry visuals and “gray box” placeholders for non-conforming third-party apps—has led to usability concerns and a perception that the Mac is becoming harder to navigate.