It ’s no mystery that Apple ’s product are among the best project devices in the tech industry . Just one peep at theMacBook Proor theiPhone 16 Proand you hump that you ’re looking at timber .
There ’s a reason for that , and it ’s got nothing to do with unreasoning circumstances . No , Apple ’s design philosophical system has long been to strip away the unnecessary elements of a machine until you ’re left with only the essential components . There should be nothing foreign , no needless fluff . Instead , the production should be the core expression of a concept , such as a sound or a reckoner . That has led to some of its best design .
This was the approach taken by Apple founderSteve Jobsand the company ’s former design guru Jony I ve , and it ’s function Apple well over the year . By focusing on the essentials , Apple has been able to craft design that turn head teacher and send its rivals belt along for their photocopiers .
The latestMac Studioepitomises this perfectly . It ’s a dim-witted , minimal slab of machined atomic number 13 . There are no inessential aspects or flashy extra anywhere you look , just a beautiful , understated computer that looks almost column inch perfect .
I love Apple ’s approach here , and not just because it results in devices that are pleasing on the eye . It shows that Apple really understands that design is about more than just pretty products . Sure , the fellowship does n’t always get things correct , but its unmatched consistency gives the impression that Apple does n’t care about chasing trends or throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks . Its sympathy is more than just tegument deep .
The camera bar question
It ’s interesting , then , to compare the Mac Studio to the latestiPhone 17 Airrumors , which depict a long , horizontal camera bar along the telephone ’s back aerofoil . You might think that look pretty nifty , and to some extent it does . But is it “ Apple ” enough ? I would argue that it dead is not .
have ’s face at what the iPhone 17 Air is expected to get in the way of tv camera . Here , most rumour are repoint to justa individual lenson the back of the gadget . We can also anticipate a flash and a tiny cutout for the rear microphone . But given the phone ’s extreme thinness , it ’s improbable that Apple will have the quad for more camera module .
If that ’s all that ’s go to be present on the back of the iPhone 17 Air , why — as multiple leaks from multiple reputable sources have attested — is Apple thinking about lodging it all inside amassive camera barthat extends from one bound of the telephone to the other ? That ’s far more infinite than one lens system and a flash will ever require .
So what is the camera bar ’s aim ? Is it proceed to hold something that all the leakers have somehow missed ? Or does it exist strictly to count interesting ? If it ’s the latter , that ’s a big release from Apple ’s established design ism .
To me , that ’s a concern . Apple ’s intention is n’t just about looking good . As Steve Jobs once said , “ plan is how it works . ” In other intelligence , you should concentre on make something make for really well , and that means you withdraw anything that might get in the way of its optimal surgical process . Random visual flourishes are not key to how a Cartesian product works , so they should be removed .
If this camera streak has a bunch of empty space that does n’t seem to serve any practical purpose , it runs counter to the thinking that has craft so many fantabulous Apple ware over the years .
A new design direction
Yet despite all that , I ’m not overly worried about this ontogenesis . The Mac Studio is firebrand new , after all , and it still bewilder to Apple ’s tried - and - true excogitation principle . Apple is full of incredibly talented designers who are among the best in the industry . They ’re not going anywhere .
Yet there are a few things I ’ll be check closely . Theentire iPhone 17 rangeis rumoured to be getting large photographic camera bar , whileiOS 19 — which will establish alongside the telephone set — is expected to amount with amassive ocular inspection and repair . That suggest that Apple could be looking to take its devices in a new direction .
Ultimately , it ’s going to be fascinating to see what happens with theiPhone 17range this September . There ’s no way Apple will have just totally forgotten all the worthful design lesson it has learned over the yr , and I do n’t expect the iPhone 17 Air to be a calamity in that compliments . Apple is too stacked with natural endowment for that to materialise .
But the tv camera bar could signal a unexampled design evolution that gives me suspension for sentiment . I get it on the Mac Studio ’s design , and I hope Apple sticks to the rule that have served it so well over the years . In six months ’ time , we ’ll find out what Apple is unfeignedly thinking .
