The effect, which was purely cosmetic, allowed the desktop, icons and windows that were hidden beneath other windows to show through the surround of the application.
Google has decided to try to turn its own technology into, in effect, a new operating system, which will run on the internet rather than the desktop, so making Windows irrelevant.
Moreover the halo effect from the hot-selling media players has led to a surge in sales of Apple desktop and laptop computers that has made Apple a player in the computer market once again.