Why the iPhone 12 is the future of Apple Design
It’s nearly time for the newest iPhone to arrive and the hype is building, but for the last few years, it’s been pretty subdued but somethings changing this year.
Apple is heading in a new direction with their design language that began with the iPad Pro in 2018 and will now be pushed forward with the iPhone 12, let's take a look at how we got here and what's changing.
The leaks and rumours have been constant throughout the summer and we’re almost at the main event this Autumn, so we have a fair idea what's coming but let's start at what came before with the iPhone 4 in 2010.
The iPhone 4, one of the greatest designed tech products of all time that ushered in incredible pieces of engineering for the next 4 years with the iPhone 4S, 5 and 5S. Using stainless steel on the 4 and 4S and then Aluminium on the thinner iPhone 5 and 5S, they gave us some great hardware design that looked premium and felt it but then Apple went with a different direction in 2014 with the iPhone 6 and changed the design language completely to a more friendly round curved design.
Personally, I was never a fan of the rounded frame and curved design, It always felt awkward, uncomfortable, and made devices feel or look wider. Now I know the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are the biggest selling iPhones of all time but I like to think that's more due to the fact they had larger improved screens with 4.7" and 5.5" at a time when everyone was craving larger displays rather than the overall design.
Since then I’ve hoped for a change to the frame design of the iPhone for years because I loved the industrial look and feel of the flat edges, it always felt more futuristic and unusual. For the next few years that design change didn’t happen with the iPhone 6S and iPhone 7, but in 2017 we got the iPhone X with a glass back for wireless charging and full edge to edge screen signalling the future of iPhone for the next decade, I accepted the curved design must be here to stay for good to match the curved edges of the display.
But then in 2018 Apple did something different to everything else they were making at the time and released the new iPad Pro and things changed, It was a whole new design language for the iPad line and very reminiscent of the iPhone 5 with an edge to edge flat design.
A stunning return to the industrial sharp design with the new liquid retina display gave it a fantastic edge to edge look, from that moment I believed this to be the future of iPhone and possibly even Apple at some point.
Rumours began in 2019 about the iPad Pro design coming to iPhone but it wouldn’t be that year unfortunately as Apple had entered into a 3-year cycle for designs and as we found with the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro models, they kept the same curved frame and although a little disappointed they were still fantastic devices and the camera improvements alone were incredible.
Which brings us to 2020, rough year for everyone so far but also the year we’ve been waiting for when it comes to a whole new designed iPhone. It’s been a long 6 years of roughly the same designed frame and feel and although many loved the curved design it did feel to me like we were stuck in a dull cycle for a long time and this change is long overdue.
So what should you be expecting? Looking at all the rumours from some reliable leakers, we’re getting 4 new iPhones this year ranging from 5.4", 6.1" and 2 Pro models at 6.1" and 6.7" and all models will come with OLED displays.
So aside from the new design and OLED, the iPhone 12 is also rumoured to bring with it possible 120hz screen refresh rate on the Pro’s, faster plugged and wireless charging, Lidar sensor (pro models only) for AR and photos and 5G on all models.
Standard features on most 2020 devices but iOS 14 is where things greatly improve and I’ve spoken before about how great this years update is but combine that with new hardware? you’ve got a winner this time for me.
The biggest take away is that all 4 models will come with the new design and not just the Pro iPhones, this makes me think the future is industrial again but now they might even go further this time with all Apple products like the watch and MacBooks in the coming year.
Apple are switching to custom Apple silicon chips in their MacBooks and it would be the perfect time to give the Mac line a refresh in design, the Apple Watch Series 7 is the rumoured next design change for the watch in 2021 and the newest iPad Air is already adopting the iPad Pro design in the coming weeks.
The 2011 iPad 2 introduced a new curved design that came to iPhone in 2014 and Apple Watch in 2015, once again the iPad started the new design but the iPhone will showcase it.
The iPhone in 2007 started it all but it wasn’t until the iPhone 4 that Apple truly changed the game with a premium build, display and industrial design, With this year being the 10th anniversary of that device, it feels like Apple are returning to that concept.
Will the iPhone 12 change Apple? Yes, I think it will lead the way in product design at Apple and create a unified look to everything they build and they want people to know you’re using an Apple product, and by giving them a similar design across devices, it gives you a complete ecosystem in software (Big Sur macOS and iOS 14 user interfaces) and now hardware.
Will the iPhone 12 change the industry again? probably not in a way that would improve technology greatly but in the way products are designed, definitely. In 2010, no one but Apple was making premium build devices with retina level displays, it was all plastic and this continued until around 2015.
Since the iPhone 6, the curved design has been used by everyone from LG to OnePlus but once the iPhone 12 is released I expect new designs from Android phones similar over the next 2 years. Apple may not lead on software features sometimes but it always leads on hardware design and others follow, from Touch ID, edge to edge displays, premium material devices and Retina displays they always give you something special.
The future for Apple customers is looking exciting once again.
