This is what I think IOS 10 reveals about iPhone 8-9-10 and Jobs' input.
2000-2001 Jony Ive designs the colorful iMac (rounded shapes)
2002-2006 Jony Ive designs the iBook and iPods (white or black fronts, chrome rear) Rounded edges.
2007 iPhone 1 is released which mimics iPod look. Chrome back, plastic front, rounded edges
Same until iPhone 3GS.
All IOS versions until then have mimicked these rounded shapes, until IOS 6.
2010 iPhone 4 is released with pure input from Jobs not Ive (Ive had never iirc designed anything with square edges) Most are surprised at the squareness of iPhone 4. Remember Jobs: "we wanted it to remind you of a Leica camera." He was a 60's kid afterall. A Leica camera viewed from the front looks identical to an iPhone 4 viewed from the side but with the materials inverted.
2012 iPhone 5 is released which is a design evolution of the 4. With Jobs dead Ive is free to use his preferred and more modern unibody aluminum. Jobs was against aluminum saying it aged horribly badly, whereas steel aged gracefully in the steel and glass 4. iPhone 5 has the same square shapes because it was approved when Jobs was still alive.
Around this time IOS is heavily in need of an overhaul.
2013 IOS 7 is released and mimics the "squarer" design language in Jobs' iphone 4 and its evolution the iPhone 5. IOS 7 is a work of art. IOS7 (to 9) design was like a high tech, "actual" futuristic version of that 80's neon pop culture future depicted in the movie Back to the Future Part II. Bright neon, yet high tech, clean and simple. No traces of the industrial age left. But IOS 7 (to 9) was an "actual 2015" version of the design language suggested in that 1989 film. Over the top, eye catching yet minimalist at the same time. A seemingly impossible combination which appeared to be the work of a genius. High tech made more high tech by minimalism.
2013 With Jobs deceased Ive can return clean slate to his true love of rounded shapes per the pre-iPhone 4 era. iBook, iMac, iPod, iPhone 1-3GS.
2014 iPhone 6 and up feature rounded, soft shapes, again.
But with those hideous antenna bands! Jobs would have never approved imo. Here's Jobs (from the keynote) on the minimal 1/32nd of an inch (less than a mm) black line breaks on the steel antenna band of the 4: "What's this? These black lines. This is very UNLIKE Apple! Well it turns out..." And those were almost unnoticably thin breaks, compared to the thick bands on the 6 and 7. Also the raised camera on iPhone 7, etc. Again something Jobs would never have approved imo.
Now there is a mismatch with the new iPhones 6-7 and IOS 7-9s hard, square shapes and so we see:
2016 IOS 10 released with rounder shapes everywhere.
So I'm guessing (if Apple is as internally consistent and future proof as it appears) the iPhone 8 and later will continue with the rounded shapes Ive loves. Perhaps experimenting with different materials now. Ceramics, etc. A phone with a maximal touch screen can only have so many different "shapes" if it is to have soft, rounded features. Now the issue is that the material aluminum has been around too long.
It also sort of tells me what role Jobs played in the design process and how he was pretty much better in some ways than Ive, who isn't as good as his reputation seems to suggest (just look at iPhone 6 and IOS 10)
So I think the future of iPhones will be rounded shapes and different materials such as ceramics. Also more gimmicks like perhaps finally a glowing Apple logo (EL plates anyone?), with different colors to indicate different events. The LED flash alert is way too outdated.
Innovation and usability features will (I hope) genuinely blow us away, but seeing how IOS 10's primary innovations are aimed at 12 year olds (fireworks in messaging?) and Android defectors (ugly design) I'm scared as well.
It does make sense though:
1. Everyone already owns a smartphone, there is no market to attract people with what a smartphone can do. That leaves the only target market as being non-iPhone smartphone users (Android users). So for conversion you must design something they are used to, to reduce < conversion fear (so Android like features and therefore =unfortunately ugly, unintuitive design).
2. The only people who ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, MUST have a new iPhone every year are 12-16 year old kids, so thats your market as well. And kids don't care that much about great design or maximising simplicity and minimalism, but more about confetti in their messages.
Someone at Apple really knows alot about finance lol, because 1+2 is simple, dispassionate financial logic.
But 1+2 leaves us with an ugly phone with features aimed at children. Jobs really did die and now Apple has become "the copycats".
Obviously this is all my opinion but I wanted to put it out there.
2000-2001 Jony Ive designs the colorful iMac (rounded shapes)
2002-2006 Jony Ive designs the iBook and iPods (white or black fronts, chrome rear) Rounded edges.
2007 iPhone 1 is released which mimics iPod look. Chrome back, plastic front, rounded edges
Same until iPhone 3GS.
All IOS versions until then have mimicked these rounded shapes, until IOS 6.
2010 iPhone 4 is released with pure input from Jobs not Ive (Ive had never iirc designed anything with square edges) Most are surprised at the squareness of iPhone 4. Remember Jobs: "we wanted it to remind you of a Leica camera." He was a 60's kid afterall. A Leica camera viewed from the front looks identical to an iPhone 4 viewed from the side but with the materials inverted.
2012 iPhone 5 is released which is a design evolution of the 4. With Jobs dead Ive is free to use his preferred and more modern unibody aluminum. Jobs was against aluminum saying it aged horribly badly, whereas steel aged gracefully in the steel and glass 4. iPhone 5 has the same square shapes because it was approved when Jobs was still alive.
Around this time IOS is heavily in need of an overhaul.
2013 IOS 7 is released and mimics the "squarer" design language in Jobs' iphone 4 and its evolution the iPhone 5. IOS 7 is a work of art. IOS7 (to 9) design was like a high tech, "actual" futuristic version of that 80's neon pop culture future depicted in the movie Back to the Future Part II. Bright neon, yet high tech, clean and simple. No traces of the industrial age left. But IOS 7 (to 9) was an "actual 2015" version of the design language suggested in that 1989 film. Over the top, eye catching yet minimalist at the same time. A seemingly impossible combination which appeared to be the work of a genius. High tech made more high tech by minimalism.
2013 With Jobs deceased Ive can return clean slate to his true love of rounded shapes per the pre-iPhone 4 era. iBook, iMac, iPod, iPhone 1-3GS.
2014 iPhone 6 and up feature rounded, soft shapes, again.
But with those hideous antenna bands! Jobs would have never approved imo. Here's Jobs (from the keynote) on the minimal 1/32nd of an inch (less than a mm) black line breaks on the steel antenna band of the 4: "What's this? These black lines. This is very UNLIKE Apple! Well it turns out..." And those were almost unnoticably thin breaks, compared to the thick bands on the 6 and 7. Also the raised camera on iPhone 7, etc. Again something Jobs would never have approved imo.
Now there is a mismatch with the new iPhones 6-7 and IOS 7-9s hard, square shapes and so we see:
2016 IOS 10 released with rounder shapes everywhere.
So I'm guessing (if Apple is as internally consistent and future proof as it appears) the iPhone 8 and later will continue with the rounded shapes Ive loves. Perhaps experimenting with different materials now. Ceramics, etc. A phone with a maximal touch screen can only have so many different "shapes" if it is to have soft, rounded features. Now the issue is that the material aluminum has been around too long.
It also sort of tells me what role Jobs played in the design process and how he was pretty much better in some ways than Ive, who isn't as good as his reputation seems to suggest (just look at iPhone 6 and IOS 10)
So I think the future of iPhones will be rounded shapes and different materials such as ceramics. Also more gimmicks like perhaps finally a glowing Apple logo (EL plates anyone?), with different colors to indicate different events. The LED flash alert is way too outdated.
Innovation and usability features will (I hope) genuinely blow us away, but seeing how IOS 10's primary innovations are aimed at 12 year olds (fireworks in messaging?) and Android defectors (ugly design) I'm scared as well.
It does make sense though:
1. Everyone already owns a smartphone, there is no market to attract people with what a smartphone can do. That leaves the only target market as being non-iPhone smartphone users (Android users). So for conversion you must design something they are used to, to reduce < conversion fear (so Android like features and therefore =unfortunately ugly, unintuitive design).
2. The only people who ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, MUST have a new iPhone every year are 12-16 year old kids, so thats your market as well. And kids don't care that much about great design or maximising simplicity and minimalism, but more about confetti in their messages.
Someone at Apple really knows alot about finance lol, because 1+2 is simple, dispassionate financial logic.
But 1+2 leaves us with an ugly phone with features aimed at children. Jobs really did die and now Apple has become "the copycats".Obviously this is all my opinion but I wanted to put it out there.
Last edited:
