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Slightly OT: I am most impressed by Apple‘s bold move to drop the iPhone‘s decade old, iconic symmetric design while establishing a new iconic asymmetric design

Slightly OT: I am most impressed by Apple‘s bold move to drop the iPhone‘s decade old, iconic symmetric design while establishing a new iconic asymmetric design almost over night. As odd as the new design feels, Apple already owns this design, this buckle, this asymmetry. Edit: Why the downvotes (just wondering)?

macintux 9y ago
Indeed. https://twitter.com/neilcybart/status/908154535054643202 https://twitter.com/neilcybart/status/908154535054643202
macintux 9y ago
Positive observations regarding Apple, factually correct or not, seem to attract downvotes. The downvotes on this comment in particular really baffled me: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15538585 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15538585
aetherson 9y ago
I downvoted you because I thought your comment was without content. What does it mean, to own the design? What alternate world would cause you to feel differently about the design?
- mattnewton 9y ago
  Not gp, but it means to me that when someone looks at the layout they unmistakably know it is an iPhone X, in the way the phone’s top and bottom bars used to mean iPhone.
parzivalm 9y ago
Apple probably owns the design because most other manufactures hopefully see that you shouldn't be looking at a notch every time you are viewing a video. I've been an iPhone user since day 1 but the screen shape on this phone just makes so little sense. It wouldn't be the worst if Apple made it that iOS scaled everything so media wasn't blocked by the notch but instead if I get the iPhone X I have to wait for app developers to fix the issue. Seems like a poor decision.
- treepeople 9y ago
  >the screen shape on this phone just makes so little sense. It is the only design that makes sense. The other manufacturers just put a bar down the bottom that has no purpose at all. No one cares about a notch. Obsessive personalities are just fixating on it.
  - parzivalm 9y ago
    You easily could have just not put the notch in, and left a slight bezel on the top. Saying no one cares about the notch is a bit much. If it bothers someone, it bothers someone. If it doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother you. People are allowed to have different opinions.
  - ahartmetz 9y ago
    Here is what I think is the real purpose of the notch: Phones, and especially iPhones, are status symbols. A brand new iPhone only works as a status symbol if the people you want to impress can actually see at a glance that you have the latest model. It's the only strong and clear reason for this weird design I can think of.
    - waytogo 9y ago
      Agree and well articulated!
    - Theodores 9y ago
      People are forgetting that Steve Jobs was always about the tech and the marketing. In his mind the marketing and putting the customer first was every bit as important as the product. Apple really was a synergy of product and marketing from the get go. A lot of work went into the notch, I doubt that Mr Ive et al. thought the marketing angle first but you are right, the biggest thing about the notch is people 'bikeshed' over it and talk about it. It gets noticed. And yes it does identify you as having the latest model. That takes you into the marketing that Apple is 50% about (with tech being the other 50% in how Steve Jobs did products). Although we no longer have Steve Jobs at the helm his vision lives on in the team that he built.

macintux 9y ago

Indeed. https://twitter.com/neilcybart/status/908154535054643202 https://twitter.com/neilcybart/status/908154535054643202

macintux 9y ago

Positive observations regarding Apple, factually correct or not, seem to attract downvotes. The downvotes on this comment in particular really baffled me: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15538585 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15538585

aetherson 9y ago

I downvoted you because I thought your comment was without content. What does it mean, to own the design? What alternate world would cause you to feel differently about the design?

mattnewton 9y ago
Not gp, but it means to me that when someone looks at the layout they unmistakably know it is an iPhone X, in the way the phone’s top and bottom bars used to mean iPhone.

parzivalm 9y ago

Apple probably owns the design because most other manufactures hopefully see that you shouldn't be looking at a notch every time you are viewing a video. I've been an iPhone user since day 1 but the screen shape on this phone just makes so little sense. It wouldn't be the worst if Apple made it that iOS scaled everything so media wasn't blocked by the notch but instead if I get the iPhone X I have to wait for app developers to fix the issue. Seems like a poor decision.

treepeople 9y ago
>the screen shape on this phone just makes so little sense. It is the only design that makes sense. The other manufacturers just put a bar down the bottom that has no purpose at all. No one cares about a notch. Obsessive personalities are just fixating on it.
- parzivalm 9y ago
  You easily could have just not put the notch in, and left a slight bezel on the top. Saying no one cares about the notch is a bit much. If it bothers someone, it bothers someone. If it doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother you. People are allowed to have different opinions.
- ahartmetz 9y ago
  Here is what I think is the real purpose of the notch: Phones, and especially iPhones, are status symbols. A brand new iPhone only works as a status symbol if the people you want to impress can actually see at a glance that you have the latest model. It's the only strong and clear reason for this weird design I can think of.
  - waytogo 9y ago
    Agree and well articulated!
  - Theodores 9y ago
    People are forgetting that Steve Jobs was always about the tech and the marketing. In his mind the marketing and putting the customer first was every bit as important as the product. Apple really was a synergy of product and marketing from the get go. A lot of work went into the notch, I doubt that Mr Ive et al. thought the marketing angle first but you are right, the biggest thing about the notch is people 'bikeshed' over it and talk about it. It gets noticed. And yes it does identify you as having the latest model. That takes you into the marketing that Apple is 50% about (with tech being the other 50% in how Steve Jobs did products). Although we no longer have Steve Jobs at the helm his vision lives on in the team that he built.