Liquid Glass, Robotics, and the Barcode

What does it mean for retail?

Hey Friends,

Lot’s of retail tech stuff circulating this week, so I wanted to do a deeper dive on my thoughts.

Apple’s WWDC 2025 delivered sweeping updates across its entire ecosystem, headlined by the debut of “Liquid Glass”—a new design language bringing translucency, depth, and adaptive visuals to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS. Apple also rolled out major advancements in AI under the umbrella of “Apple Intelligence,” introducing real-time translation in FaceTime and Messages, visual recognition tools, and the ability for developers to integrate Apple’s on-device foundation models. The newly rebranded operating systems (now labeled by year, such as iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe) feature enhancements like improved multitasking on iPad, smarter call screening and polls in Messages, and an AI-powered Workout Buddy on Apple Watch. For developers, new SwiftUI and UIKit updates make it easier to adopt the refreshed aesthetic. While Apple didn’t unveil any new hardware, the event reinforced its software-first strategy and commitment to privacy-led intelligence. Public betas drop next month, with full releases expected this fall.

What does it mean for retail?