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Apple design - page 4

iPhone 11’s gorgeous new color options spilled by case-maker

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iPhone-11-Pro-aura
The best one reminds us of another new smartphone.
Photo: Olixar/MobileFun

Stunning new color options for iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro are today revealed in new images from case-maker Olixar.

One supposed finish — which mixes light pastel pink, green and yellow — is similar to the stunning Aura color options available for Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 10.

Apple should totally make an all-screen iPhone SE [Opinion]

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all-screen iphone 5
Who wouldn't want an all-screen iPhone SE?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Years ago, somebody dropped my old iPhone 5, and the screen exploded into a crazed sheet of splinters. Yesterday I finally “fixed” it by sticking a glass screen protector over the whole mess. It still looks terrible, but at least now I can use it without glass shards lodging in my fingertips.

And, now that I can handle the phone again, I realize that I love it. And it got me thinking. Why doesn’t Apple make a phone sized like the old iPhone 5, or iPhone SE, only with an edge-to-edge screen like the iPhones X?

Apple discontinues Jony Ive’s pricey design book, marking end of an era

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Designed by Apple in California book
Apple's high-end book paid tribute to work created over two decades.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple’s removal of the pricey Designed by Apple in California book from its online store marks the end of an era.

Apple released the book, which retailed in two sizes for $199 and $299, in November 2016. The retrospective paid homage to the design work of Jony Ive since the late 1990s. Now that Ive is no longer at Apple, the company seemingly decided to draw a line under the book as well.

Apple hires more designers and developers, fewer suits

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Jony Ive pays for thousands of orchards to be planted at schools
It’s going to take dozens of people to replace Jony Ive. Fortunately, Apple is hiring them.
Photo: Apple

Jony Ive told the world in June he’s ready to stop being Apple’s Chief Design Officer but it seems likely he told his employers months before that. New research shows Apple went on a hiring spree in its design department early this year.

At the same time, the company has apparently been following a general “fewer suits, more hoodies” hiring strategy.

Why Apple will miss Jony Ive’s fabulous ‘fiddle factor’

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Apple will miss Jony Ive's tactile approach to technology.
Apple will miss Jony Ive's tactile approach to technology.
Photo: Mariah Dietzler/Flickr CC

As a design student back in the 1980s, a teenage Jony Ive spent a semester with a design agency in London, the Roberts Weaver Group. One of his first projects was designing a new pen for Japan’s Zebra Co. Ltd., a pen-maker based in Tokyo.

Ive’s TX2 pen was made of white plastic — the beginning of a life-long obsession with the color — and had a pair of rubbery side panels for a better grip. But what set the pen apart from every other was a nonessential feature — a ball-and-clip mechanism on the top that served no purpose other than to give the owner something to fiddle with.

Ive noticed that people fiddled with their pens all the time. So he decided to give his pen something he called the “fiddle factor.” This crucial insight ultimately became an essential element of Apple design as Ive rose to become Cupertino’s chief design officer.

Not everyone is alarmed to see Jony Ive leave Apple

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AirPower
AirPower is one of Jony Ive’s most notable recent failures.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

While Jony Ive’s departure from Apple is being called “the end of an era,” not everyone is sad to see him go. This company’s Chief Design Officer has legions of fans but he also has detractors who blame Ive for repetitive designs, flawed keyboards and more.

Jony Ive is leaving Apple

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Ive
It's the end of an era.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s long-time design boss Jony Ive revealed today that he is leaving the company.

After helping create some of the most iconic consumer products of all time for Apple, Ive says he is going to strike out on his own to create a new creative business called LoveFrom.

New Mac Pro grille is actually a terrible cheese grater

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Cheese grater pro
You *could* use the Mac Pro to grate cheese. But you won’t be happy.
Photo: Winston Moy

The new Mac Pro sure looks a lot like a cheese grater, but it turns out that it’s pretty bad at grating cheese.

YouTuber machinist Winston Moy painstakingly re-created the complex circular structure of the new Mac Pro grille using his Shapeoko mill to put Jony Ive’s work to the test. The video of the entire process proves quite fascinating. However, the end result kind of disappoints.

Skip to the 5:30 mark to see it in action:

Mac Pro-inspired wallpaper turns other devices into cheese graters

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cheese grater wall paper
The best cheese grater is the one that's always with you.
Photo: @conath/Twitter via iDownloadblog

Most of us will never own the new Mac Pro, but our lesser Apple devices can still be cheese-grater chic.

Anyone with an iPhone, iPad or a more mortal Mac can now get wallpaper inspired by the futuristic ventilation holes on the Mac Pro unveiled by Apple at last week’s WWDC.

How new Mac Pro borrows from Apple’s best designs

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Mac Pro cheese grater
You might be better off with iMac Pro instead.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2019 bug It’s obvious that the new Mac Pro, unveiled this week during Apple’s WWDC keynote, is a reboot of the venerable Power Mac G5, a machine released in 2003 that featured a distinctive “cheese grater” grille.

Aside from looks, there are many similarities to the G5, plus a couple of ideas from other older Apple machines. Here are some of the clearest design influences on the new Mac Pro.

WWDC 2019, revealed! This week on The CultCast

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CultCast 387
WWDC is right around the corner....

This week on The CultCast: WWDC 2019 is right around the corner, and a new report sheds light on everything Apple’s prepping to reveal. We discuss! Plus: The magic of Corning glass, and how making your iPhone just slightly thicker would make it indestructible. And we reveal how (and why) Jony Ive created the massive mystery rainbow stage now present at the heart of Apple Park.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain..

How (and why) Jony Ive built the mysterious rainbow Apple Stage

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The colorful Apple Stage really pops in the center of Apple Park.
The colorful Apple Stage really pops in the center of Apple Park's massive "spaceship" building.
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

The mysterious, rainbow-colored stage erected inside Apple Park bears all the hallmarks of the company’s meticulous design, according to an Apple document provided to Cult of Mac.

It’s the latest creation by Jony Ive’s team — and it’s just as thoughtfully and intricately designed as you might imagine.

An article explaining the project to Apple employees sheds light on just how much thought, time and intense effort went into building the rainbow Apple Stage. And Jony Ive’s ruminations on the project show he and his collaborators put a lot of thought into it.

Your iPhone could be ‘unbreakable,’ if it were just 1 mm thicker

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Corning's Silicon Valley research center
Corning's Silicon Valley research center.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Update: Corning sent an email to clarify some of the claims made in this post, which I’ve included in the body of the post and at the bottom.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Even though the latest iPhones are made from glass front and back, they would be “nearly unbreakable” if just a bit thicker.

That was the message from glass manufacturer Corning during an open house at its Silicon Valley research center Tuesday.

“If the glass on the latest smartphones was just a little bit thicker, it would be nearly unbreakable,” said Dave Young, a Corning marketing communications specialist, at the event.

Leaked ‘iPhone 11’ schematics show a major camera upgrade

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iPhone 11 schematics
Is this our first proper look at the iPhone 11?
Photo: Weibo

Newly leaked schematics might provide our first look at Apple’s next-generation “iPhone 11.”

The technical drawing lends credence to rumors of a major camera upgrade for the upcoming device. However, if the iPhone 11 schematics prove legit, fans might not be happy with the placement of the smartphone’s camera lenses.

Don’t expect a major redesign for this year’s iPad mini 5

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iPad mini
The new iPad mini could just just like the old one.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

The iPad mini hasn’t gotten a sequel since 2015. However, if you’re expecting this year’s rumored refresh to be a massive leap forward, you might want to think again.

At least that’s the take based on an alleged CAD render seen by noted leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer, aka @OnLeaks. While he did not share the image, he suggests the supposed leak indicates the next-gen iPad mini will not see any major external design changes. iPad mini lovers — brace yourself for a simple spec bump.

How Apple could fix the iPad home screen in iOS 13 [Opinion]

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Ipad home screen
It this really an appropriate home screen for the powerful 2018 iPad Pro?
Photo: Apple

According to rumors, iOS 13 will bring a redesigned home screen to the iPad. It’s about time. The grid of apps might have worked fine on the iPhone before the App Store, but after nine years of using the expanded version on the iPad, the joke is starting to get old.

So, if Apple is finally ready to make a home screen worthy of the iPad, we have a few suggestions.

7 painful truths about the 2018 MacBook Pro

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2018 MacBook Pro problems: The CultCast host Erfon Elijah's got a bone to pick with the new Apple laptop.
Uh oh. The CultCast host Erfon Elijah has a bone to pick with the new MacBook Pro. Or maybe seven bones.
Photo: Erfon Elijah

The 2018 MacBook Pro might be the most disappointing laptop Apple has come out with in years.

Despite being one of the lightest and most powerful Macs ever, The CultCast host Erfon Elijah finds the 2018 MacBook Pro fraught with problems. In his latest video, he goes through all the reasons — from the lack of ports to the crappy keyboard — why he thinks the new machine is far from perfect.

Let him count the ways the new MacBook Pro falls short.

I work on my iPad every day, and here’s what drives me nuts [Opinion]

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The new 2018 iPad Pro is a lust object you probably don’t need.
The iPad Pro is amazing, but it can drive you crazy.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

A few of us here at Cult of Mac work on iPads pretty much exclusively. Apple’s tablet proves more than capable of “real” work, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Far from it, in fact. The iPad Pro 2018 is a fantastic machine that invites you to use it for everything. But that only makes the frustration worse.

Today I’d like to talk about what really drives me nuts about the iPad.

Aquarium calls out Apple’s incorrect squid emoji

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Squid 1
We don't want to get graphic, but Apple's squid emoji would poop out of its face.
Photo: Apple

The national nightmare that was “bagelgate” may be over, but Apple is apparently swimming into more controversial emoji territory. This time, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is pointing out that Apple’s squid emoji is physiologically incorrect.

Essentially, Apple’s lack of biological accuracy means that its squid emoji would, among other things, poop out of its face. For shame!

2018 MacBook Air review roundup: A beautifully big improvement

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MacBook Air 2018
The original ultraportable is back with a bang.
Photo: Apple

The long-awaited MacBook Air update sports an all-new design and more powerful internals, but early reviews indicate there’s still room for improvement.

It’s also the most expensive MacBook Air to date. So, should you spend $1,199 on it when it lands in stores this week? Here’s what the first 2018 MacBook Air reviews have to say.

2018 iPad Pro review roundup: The best tablet money can buy

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2018 iPad Pro
More of Apple's surprises spoiled.
Photo: Apple

According to early reviews, you should absolutely rush out to get a new iPad Pro when the tablets go on sale Wednesday.

The iPad Pro was already the best tablet money could buy. And yet, Apple somehow made it even better with an improved design, an edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display, and an A12X Bionic chip that delivers unbeatable performance.

Don’t just take our word for it. See what the reviewers are saying below.

iPhone XR makes Apple’s coolest phone the cheapest

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iPhone XR was India’s no. 1 ‘ultra premium’ smartphone in 2019
For the first time in years, Apple's best iPhone is also its cheapest.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone XR is out and, for the first time in years, Apple’s most exciting device isn’t the one that commands the really big bucks. For all the talk of an “Apple tax,” 2018’s coolest iPhone starts at just $749. That’s half the price of a top-of-the-line iPhone XS Max.

And that’s seriously great news for fans.

Dieter Rams has a new challenge for Apple

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Dieter Rams
Legendary designer Dieter Rams. Photo:
Photo: Vitsoe/Wikimedia Commons

Dieter Rams, a god-like figure to industrial designers around the world, usually speaks very glowingly about the design of Apple products.

But in a new documentary with the aptly minimalist title Rams, he expresses a growing sadness and frustration over the disposable excess that Apple and other Silicon Valley tech companies produce.

Every iPhone ranked, from worst to best

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Nicole Arbour 3
What was your favorite iPhone?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The new iPhone XS and XS Max are generating rave reviews. Having marked the iPhone’s 10th anniversary with last year’s awe-inducing iPhone X, Apple has now set the stage for a second decade of smartphone innovation.

But what about all the awesome iPhones that led us to this point? Which models are the classics that will occupy museum shelves long after they’ve stopped working? I decided to dive in at the deep end and rank every phone Apple ever made. Wish me luck!

How to use the new iPad gestures in iOS 12

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Is this Apple's secret iOS gesture-making machine?
Is this Apple's secret iOS gesture-making machine?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

iOS 12 was clearly designed for an iPad where Face ID replaces the Home button. Apple has revamped the tablet’s gestures for iOS 12, bringing us an easy way to return to the Home screen, and an iPhone X-style gesture to access the Control Center.

If you’re a long-time iPad users, these changes will seem a little jarring at first. You’ll soon get used to them, though, and even learn to love them. The new Control Center gesture, in fact, is a lot better than the old one.