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The iPhone Is Designed to Be Expensive
Why you don’t care that its stainless-steel construction makes the phone heavier
Apple is no longer the uncontested design titan it once was.
In the not-so-distant past, Apple was light-years ahead of the competition. Just compare the iPhone 4 with the plastic-fantastic Samsung Galaxy S2 in 2011. There’s just no comparing the two. In fact, the iPhone 4 is still considered a modern classic in industrial design.
But now, in 2019, most flagship smartphones feature beautiful bezel-free displays and flush cameras, while the iPhone sports a giant notch and a bulging camera module.
However, one key difference in Apple’s design philosophy separates it from all other flagship smartphones. While competitor phones are focused on designing a premium smartphone, Apple’s hardware design language is in the tradition of luxury product.
The time-consuming process of polishing the iPhone’s stainless-steel surface to a mirror finish is just another manufacturing complexity that adds little practical benefit.
What does this mean, exactly? And why is it important?
