"We call that new user interface Aqua, because it's liquid. One of the design goals was that when you saw it, you wanted to lick it!"

06:45

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ko4V3G4NqII&t=6m45s

You have to realise every single UI up to that point was solid white or grey and unable to access alpha channels. And the fact that they expanded upon this design “language” with the transparent Imac cases made it all cohesive and 2YK hip.

one forgotten difference is, the underlying hardware would have been built (by woz or others) to a high degree of quality

in general, the bar has fallen. it is not limited to design.

when you find these kinds of bad decisions permeate, you can usually point to the incentive-setters: leadership and shareholders.