Why can’t Apple’s Pro users have fun too?

Macworld

Writing the column this week is proving more difficult than usual, because of a major distraction. My iPhone 16 Plus arrived a couple of hours ago, and it’s taunting me.

I’m not sure how many brand-new iPhones I’ve unboxed over the years–it must be more than a dozen–but the excitement never quite fades. From the hyper-engineered packaging to the user-friendly data transfer process, setting up a new iPhone is a weirdly fun chore. An adven-chore, if you like.

I’m particularly excited about this year’s new device because of its color. When given the choice (by no means guaranteed, when you’re a tech reviewer) I nearly always ask for the pink finish, but there’s pinks and there’s pinks. My iPhone 15 Plus looked nice enough in a delicate pale rose. But the 16 Plus has real punch: it’s a vibrant lilacky pink, the color of British sweets and 1980s spandex leotards. I’ve paired it with a fuchsia case for maximum impact.

Not that pink is the only option for this year’s buyers. Ultramarine is nice, and the teal is absolutely glorious—having seen it in the flesh, I was almost tempted to depart from my usual pink policy. After 2023’s oddly insipid finishes, the iPhone 16 heralds a return to unapologetic color across the board.

Well, not quite across the board. As usual, the more expensive Pro models get a separate set of color options, and it’s difficult to describe them as anything other than “functional.” The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max came in natural titanium, blue titanium, white titanium, and black titanium; the 16 Pro handsets keep the three dullest of those and replace blue with a new Desert Titanium. Which is a classy bronze-gold, but not exactly vibrant.

The iPhone isn’t the only Apple product with color options split to match the consumer and pro lines. The budget-minded 10th-gen iPad is available in blue, yellow, and gorgeous pink, while the iPad Pro is available in just black or silver. And you can get your Mac in some lovely colorful finishes, but only if you plump for the 24-inch iMac. All the more pro-targeted models come in black, gray, or silver.

When, I wonder, was this decision made? Which Apple marketing exec decreed that premium buyers will forever get the sombre colors and budget buyers the fun ones? Because it’s always struck me as bizarrely limited thinking. How many customers, I wonder, have spent less than they might because they wanted their iPhone to look nice? How many have walked into an Apple Store, taken one look at the ocean of silver and black, and declined to make an upgrade at all?

It seems obvious to me-without the benefit of a degree in marketing, obviously–that the iPhone 16 Pro would be more appealing to a wider range of customers if it was available in a mixture of classy and fun colors. It’s not like you need four variations on titanium, or all of the non-Pro colors; just sell it in natural titanium, black titanium, teal, ultramarine and pink. Then there’s something for everyone. (And if you want to carry on with the upsell stuff, you can keep the metallic colors as a Pro exclusive. The standard models get fun colors only.)

Over the past few years, Apple has started to move away from its old controlling ways. It’s reluctantly agreed to allow third-party app stores on the iPhone, it supports (grudgingly) self repairs, it no longer forces proprietary charging standards on customers, and it lets you customize the iOS experience more substantially than ever before. But it clings on to this rigid, ultra-controlling idea that high-end features and color vibrancy are inextricably linked, and refuses to let customers choose for themselves how flamboyant they want their premium phone to be.

Even professionals deserve pink phones. And this is the hill I am prepared to die on.

Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy bite-sized roundup. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner hours too.








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And with that, we’re done for this week’s Apple Breakfast. If you’d like to get regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters. You can also follow us on Facebook, Threads, or Twitter for discussion of breaking Apple news stories. See you next Monday, and stay Appley.