It’s no secret that Apple’s products are among the best designed devices in the tech industry. Just one peek at the MacBook Pro or the iPhone 16 Pro and you know that you’re looking at quality.
There’s a reason for that, and it’s got nothing to do with blind luck. No, Apple’s design philosophy has long been to strip away the unnecessary elements of a device until you’re left with only the essential components. There should be nothing extraneous, no needless fluff. Instead, the product should be the core expression of a concept, such as a phone or a computer. That has led to some of its best designs.
This was the approach taken by Apple founder Steve Jobs and the company’s former design guru Jony Ive, and it’s served Apple well over the years. By focusing on the essentials, Apple has been able to craft designs that turn heads and send its rivals racing for their photocopiers.
The latest Mac Studio epitomises this perfectly. It’s a simple, minimal slab of machined aluminium. There are no inessential aspects or flashy extras anywhere you look, just a beautiful, understated computer that looks almost inch perfect.
I love Apple’s approach here, and not just because it results in devices that are pleasing on the eye. It shows that Apple really understands that design is about more than just pretty products. Sure, the company doesn’t always get things right, but its unmatched consistency gives the impression that Apple doesn’t care about chasing trends or throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. Its understanding is more than just skin deep.
The camera bar question
It’s interesting, then, to compare the Mac Studio to the latest iPhone 17 Air rumors, which depict a long, horizontal camera bar along the phone’s back surface. You might think that looks pretty nifty, and to some extent it does. But is it “Apple” enough? I would argue that it absolutely is not.
Let’s look at what the iPhone 17 Air is expected to get in the way of cameras. Here, most rumors are pointing to just a single lens on the back of the device. We can also expect a flash and a tiny cutout for the rear microphone. But given the phone’s extreme thinness, it’s unlikely that Apple will have the space for more camera modules.
If that’s all that’s going to be present on the back of the iPhone 17 Air, why — as multiple leaks from multiple reputable sources have attested — is Apple thinking about housing it all inside a massive camera bar that extends from one edge of the phone to the other? That’s far more space than one lens and a flash will ever require.
So what is the camera bar’s purpose? Is it going to contain something that all the leakers have somehow missed? Or does it exist purely to look interesting? If it’s the latter, that’s a big departure from Apple’s established design philosophy.
To me, that’s a concern. Apple’s design isn’t just about looking good. As Steve Jobs once said, “design is how it works.” In other words, you should focus on making something work really well, and that means you remove anything that might get in the way of its optimal operation. Random visual flourishes are not key to how a product works, so they should be removed.
If this camera bar has a bunch of empty space that doesn’t seem to serve any practical purpose, it runs counter to the thinking that has crafted so many excellent Apple products over the years.
A new design direction
Yet despite all that, I’m not overly worried about this development. The Mac Studio is brand new, after all, and it still sticks to Apple’s tried-and-true design principles. Apple is full of incredibly talented designers who are among the best in the industry. They’re not going anywhere.
Yet there are a few things I’ll be watching closely. The entire iPhone 17 range is rumoured to be getting large camera bars, while iOS 19 — which will launch alongside the phones — is expected to come with a massive visual overhaul. That suggests that Apple could be looking to take its devices in a new direction.
Ultimately, it’s going to be fascinating to see what happens with the iPhone 17 range this September. There’s no way Apple will have just totally forgotten all the valuable design lessons it has learned over the years, and I don’t expect the iPhone 17 Air to be a disaster in that regard. Apple is too stacked with talent for that to happen.
But the camera bar could signal a new design development that gives me pause for thought. I love the Mac Studio’s design, and I hope Apple sticks to the principles that have served it so well over the years. In six months’ time, we’ll find out what Apple is truly thinking.
