I love Apple, but I loathe the last two iPhone designs.
The original iPhone was also ugly to me, with the plastic antenna cover on the rear not really lining up to anything else, and the curves feeling too “fat” or unrefined. The then iPhone 3G was released, and everything was forgiven. The single piece of plastic on the back was clutter free and beautiful, and the curves were perfect. Then came the iPhone 4 and ruined it. Ok, sure, as a pure statement of form, it’s very well designed. But why did they throw the ergonomics out the window? The iPhone 4, in my opinion, is not made to hold by human hands, so I refused to get one (also, glass and metal is so much colder than plastic, and thin glass feels fragile no matter what they say). And some of that could have so easily been fixed with just a slight curvature on that metal frame.
And now, the iPhone 5. I really, really hope that pictures don’t do this phone justice, because to me, it’s a horrible mess. They say it’s an all metal backside, but there’s still glass inlays somewhere? I don’t get it, but maybe I will when I hold it. Right, now, it just feels as if they took the clean statement from the iPhone 4 and cluttered it up, making it both a form and ergonomic failure. It looks like a spare part which fell out of some cold, industrial machine. I don’t feel attracted to it like the iPhone 3, which invited me to squeeze it, or spin it around on the table, or tap it with my finger to rock it back and forward.
It breaks my heart because it doesn’t have to be this way, and Apple themselves have the proof: The iPod Touch. Both this new iteration and the last one used the same front as the iPhone, but their backsides are worlds apart better! Both the last generation Touch and this one are absolutely the most beautiful tech devices on the market today, and I can only pray that the iPhone 6 will finally unify their design.
Right now, although I’m a Mac user, I’m seriously considering getting a Nokia. Their Lumia looks more Apple than Apple.