Microsoft Trolls Apple: Windows Vista Pioneered Glass Design Nearly 20 Years Ago

Just a day after Apple unveiled its new Liquid Design language at WWDC 2025, Microsoft made waves on social media by sharing a nostalgic throwback to its own glass-inspired interface, sparking conversations across the tech community. The Redmond-based tech giant posted a video featuring the iconic Aero theme from Windows Vista on Instagram, accompanied by the sly caption: “Just leaving this here.” While Microsoft hasn’t explicitly commented on the timing, the move is widely seen as a clever jab at Apple’s latest design reveal.

The Origin of Glass and Transparent UI: Windows Vista's Aero Theme

For those familiar with operating system user interface evolution, the Aero theme was a defining feature of Windows Vista, released nearly two decades ago. Aero introduced users to transparent, glass-like windows and fluid animations, capturing the imagination of tech enthusiasts in the mid-2000s. The design emphasized visual depth, translucency, and gleaming bubble effects, setting a trend that influenced UI design for years to come—even if it came with increased demands on GPU performance.

Comparing Microsoft’s Aero to Apple’s Liquid Design

With Apple now bringing its own glossy, glass-inspired visual aesthetic to macOS and iOS through Liquid Design, Microsoft’s post serves as a timely reminder of its earlier innovations in user interface design. While Vista’s Aero faced performance challenges and was often disabled by users during gaming or heavy workloads, it paved the way for modern transparent UI elements now embraced by competition.

Market Impact and Relevance in Today’s Tech Landscape

Although Windows Vista struggled to find its place between widely celebrated predecessors like Windows XP and Windows 7, the Aero design language left a lasting mark on digital aesthetics. Apple’s move to adopt a similar style with Liquid Design signals that the demand for visually rich, immersive user interfaces—first made popular by Vista—remains strong in the ever-evolving world of operating systems and software design.