I know that there has been a lot of talk about the new design being too similar to the 4/4S and a lot of people have been complaining that they wanted something more radical. I don't agree with these opinions though there's nothing wrong with hoping for something very different I guess. But, I have to say, the new iPhone is starting to seem to me to be a masterclass in how to update a classic.
Here's the thing, if you look at any classic design, anything really iconic, over the years that design will shift and change. Sometimes it goes wrong - a really left-field take on a classic design can be new and interesting but it can lose the something special, the X factor, that made the design so great. The job of updating a classic design is really, really tricky.
Go too conservative and it starts to look stale. Go too radical and you can lose the magic. The trick is to design something that looks instantly familiar and also, in a way that people can't really put their finger on, instantly new too. I think this may be one of those designs.
The new bottom edge, as highlighted in these images, looks like an iPhone. If you had never seen this device and no one had told you what it was, you'd probably guess it was the new iPhone. How? I don't know. It just feels iPhone-like. The dock is new and the grilles are new but it just says iPhone to me. And the newly shiny, beveled edges that will now hug a screen and back that sit flush with the metal band instantly feel fresh but also evocative of the old design. It retains the instantly recognisable iPhone quality while also looking absolutely now, absolutely up to date.
Obviously taste is personal. I have it and most people don't... just kidding! No, seriously, some people will clearly not like this but I think we're seeing something special here. I think this will be a really, really great update to a really, really classic design.
