Much Better

14 September 2012

When a product you use every day suddenly changes radically the effect can be jarring.

When Apple changed the look of the iPhone 3G, it was jarring. So too, was was the redesign of iPhone 4. Those generational redesigns were significant aesthetic changes, that made people stop and take notice.

But the aesthetic of the iPhone 5 is very similar to the iPhone 4. So similar, that some may feel underwhelmed by the update. And that’s before you even consider the glaring omission of NFC, that useful, ubiquitous, life changing technology (I jest, others don’t).

When Apple announced the iPhone 4, I only bought one after seeing it for myself. The design looked very different, and it was the Retina screen that convinced me to part with my 3G.

This time it’s different. I don’t need to wait for the reviews because it looks beautiful. I’m not jarred by the new aesthetic. It’s not a shock to the system. The differences look subtle and natural. A much loved, well used device, better in almost every way.

The biggest change this time around is a slightly taller screen. But why, after five years, have Apple changed such a successful formula? Phil Schiller explained during the keynote: > Same width, but taller. > > But why? What is the design centre for a phone? It’s this: Your hand. > > When you carry your phone it should fit easily in your hand. It should be easy to send messages, type email and surf the web. And that’s just how we designed iPhone 5.

As iSpin explained earlier this week, iPhone’s width is perfectly suited to the average width of the human hand. The screen height was the only variable that Apple had leeway to change. Apple’s premise is that a taller - but not too much taller - screen gives a much better experience.

But if you want to understand why the iPhone 5 looks so similar to the iPhone 4, look no further than the screen: It is the device. It’s so important that Apple - one of the most calculating, meticulous, design-focused companies in the world - hasn’t changed its size for five years.

This screen resize represents the single, most dramatic aesthetic alteration to the iPhone since the original shipped in 2007. Apple’s designers don’t do things by accident. This is a huge deal.

It’s such a big deal that Apple had Jony Ive discuss the reason for the muted aesthetic changes: > When you think about your iPhone, it’s probably the product that you use most in your life. It’s the product that you have with you all the time. With this unique relationship people have with their iPhone, we take changing it really seriously. We don’t just want to make a new phone. We want to make a much better phone.

The changes in aesthetic between all previous iPhone generations were made for specific reasons. This year, the brief was clear: Thinner, lighter, “more room to work and play” (Schiller).

The iPhone is not a design playground. It’s too important to the people who use it everyday, and therefore too important to Apple’s business. Great design should make things look new, but only in the service of making great products much better.