Laptop design took over, and since key goals are strength, thinness, and lightness, and since the market is now global, and anything too weird would annoy at le

Laptop design took over, and since key goals are strength, thinness, and lightness, and since the market is now global, and anything too weird would annoy at least some customers, there isn't much of an opportunity to do anything outstandingly creative. For example - you could anodise unique swirly coloured patterns into the aluminium. You could coat parts with a mirror chrome finish. You could make and sell your own Apple rubber bumpers in a series of interesting textures, including nice renewable materials like bamboo. But at least as many people would hate those as love them, which is why Apple will always play safe, and the bumpers will be left to after-market. Space Gray, Silver and Alu-Gold are timid design choices, and the muted blues/greens/etc on the new iPhones look pretty mediocre IMO. But they're cheap, practical, and relatively durable, so I doubt Tim Cook's Apple is going to move beyond them any time soon.