Apple Wants Orange to Be the New Black. It Isn’t

Apple’s new idea for the iPhone 17 Pro is simple: paint it in the same color as cheeto dust, construction cones and the one you only tragically see slowdown in the lots of rental cars. Apple may call it “Cosmic Orange”, but there is absolutely nothing celestial on this subject.

Yes, the iPhone pro has officially become Orange Clarion … and I think we are supposed to claim that it is exciting.

Read also: Pumpkin, Fanta or Cheetos: What orange flavor is the iPhone 17 Cosmic Orange?

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Bright colors can work. Ferrari Red? Iconic. Deep midnight blue? Elegant. I really like the iPhone 15 which is Barbie Pink. But the fluorescent orange to signal traffic? It is a statement that will look like a seasonal accessory that remains Halloween in exactly three months. Or, as my publisher also pointed out, it seems that Tim Cook pushes the hideous color palette of his mater on the innocent population of the world.

A new painting work does not repair an old story. Under the mandarin shell, it is the same iphone pro formula – slightly better cameras, a slightly better, slightly more expensive battery. Apple knows that the list of innovations is not breathtaking or, well, “awe dropping” this year, so it is based on the shock value. You do not buy an orange iPhone for subtlety. You buy it because you want people to notice you (and then perhaps give your taste).

Here is my real problem. The iPhone has always been on balance. Style and substance, material and design, beauty and brain. With Orange, Apple does not deliver either. It is strong without being elegant and gadget without adding substance. It is not a daring minimalism. It’s the pumpkin cosplay.

And the part that crushes the most speed is that the apple has already nailed colors. Rose Gold was emblematic and the purple of the iPhone 12 was fresh without being sticky. Even the red product has aged gracefully.

But who remembers the yellow iPhone 14? Person. Or at least, they do not remember it with a semblance of tenderness. This color looked like an apple clearance rack experience of day 1.

Instead of double on the chic road, why not give us the colors that people really want?

I have begs an ethereal green iPhone for years now, and Apple has finally given it to us with the ordinary range of the iPhone 17, but not for the pro. A cobalt would be a welcome change, or, devil, would give us any blue which is really blue. Even a matt bronze would feel superior. Apple is the company that is obsessed with design, but in a way its most requested finishes never see the light of day.

Apple will run this as a new dynamic personality for your iPhone. In reality, it is a marketing tip disguised as bravery. The real bravery removes an orange iPhone at a meeting in five years and will convince anyone, it always looks good. (Deeply sorry for my colleagues employed by CNET who like the orange shade. I hope you always love me after reading this.)

I will give you one thing, however. At least when you put it in front hidden in the street, you will quickly find it. It will be the thing that shines as a sign of danger.