We can find great Apple designs throughout history that have remained even for posterity and not only of the brand, but also of history. However, it seems that in recent times there is a certain tendency to change very little or not at all the designs of their product lines. And although this is not necessarily a negative thing, it seems that not everyone likes it. In fact, Tesla’s chief designer has talked about it.
“There is nothing to expect” they say from Tesla
Tesla is one of the leading companies at the moment when it comes to technology, vehicles and design. That is why we always find it interesting to listen to men like Franz von Houlzhausen, the brand’s chief designer. He gave a recent interview on the Spike’s Car Radio podcast and, among many other things, talked about Apple devices.
Houlzhausen gave his point of view, assuring that apple products represent “a simple continuation of what was already there”. He even went so far as to describe this as a “sad” fact because it does not provide any inspiration to those in the design sector and for this reason he feels resigned to never expecting anything new from the Californian company.
Franz von Houlzhausen, Chief Designer at Tesla
In the thread of the conversation about Apple, he also came to admit that he used an Apple Watch, stating that he “hated to admit it.” We do not know if it is the design or another factor that leads Houlzhausen to feel that way about wearing an apple smartwatch, but he did state the reasons why he wore it and that they are precisely one of the great virtues of these watches: their excellent record of physical activity.
Are there reasons to complain?
These kinds of statements about Apple’s design are newsworthy as they come from a top Tesla executive, though it’s clear that he’s not the only one with mixed feelings on the matter. And it is that, according to the old dogma of “if something works, do not touch it”, the little change in the design of Apple products could be justified, but it is also true that it was not always like that.
It is evident that neither Apple nor any other company can make advances in design every year and for as many products as it houses these days. However, the changes have been so few over the years that it has ended up being striking. See but the case of the iMacwhich spent more than 10 years with a design pattern and form factor that was only undone last year with the arrival of the first M1 chip desktop.
The case of the iPhone is another one that stands out not very positively in this area. In fact, from the iPhone 6 to the iPhone 8, designs were recycled and even today that form factor is still present with versions such as the iPhone SE. From the iPhone X and up to the ’13’, there have not been too many variations on the front either. In the end, we observe small punctual changes that, indeed, a difference is noticeable over time, but not too many cases of abrupt changes from one year to the next are remembered.
Be that as it may, the debate is served. Apple is not a company that usually responds to this type of statement, but surely the company will not sit very well. And more with the silent dispute that they maintain with Tesla, a leading company in these times and that in its day could become part of Apple.
