Does the iPhone Look Dated?

What role does styling, industrial design, and visual appeal play in a handset buying decision?

Just a quick question today - does the iPhone look, um, "dated" to you? A couple of people have recently remarked to me that the iPhone looks a bit old now, and I'm inclined to agree. Its simple elegance has become perhaps too common, and just doesn't have the flash it once did (no pun intended).

Does this really matter? I think so. We make decisions based on style when buying cars and (at least partially) in choosing a mate. I think the coolness factor is a major element in buying consumer electronics of any form, and the iPhone just doesn't have it, or so some have remarked to me, anymore.

We shouldn't underestimate the need to refresh the line on a regular basis. If the lost/leaked iPhone really is what the next model will look like, the current design, evolved with only a few small tweaks, will take Apple through at least four years of production. Too long? Perhaps. It's not unusual for individual models of cars to have a run that long, or longer. But handsets often have a very short shelf life, and flashier newer models are at least part of the reason for this.

I had to buy a new kitchen stove recently, and immediately rejected the first model the salesperson showed me. Why? It was truly ugly. Absolutely atrocious. I spent more to get one with styling I liked, even though the functionality of two products was almost identical. I think the same can hold true for handsets - industrial design is very, very important. Remember Motorola's Razor? Thin was in; all the major handset guys had one. Today - well, we've moved on. Will cooler styling trump all those apps? It could happen...

• Wireless / Mobile
• handsets
• industrial design
• iPhone