The evolution of Apple zeitgeist Time Stamps: 00:00 Intro 00:18 Aqua Era 1:53 Skeuomorphic Era 3:24 Flat and Fun Era 4:43 No Nonsense Era 6:15 Current Era 7:46 Outro Watch my videos on Odysee! odysee.com/@Undefined:d7
Another thing to notice on the current era: Apple is starting to care about functionality and user experience slightly more than just pure aesthetics. Examples are pretty clear: the MacBook lineup resurrecting a lot of the ports and the late iPhones getting a bit thicker to accommodate bigger batteries. Me personally, I love it.
@@the_mariocrafter When apple fanboys say the macbooks have enough ports but then tell you to buy more ports it's ridiculous. If the majority of users need to buy hardware expansions then the manufacturer has built inadequete hardware.
I'm always fascinated by how dated technology I used just a decade ago looks. Like, back then it was the most modern, flashy design I've ever seen. How does this happen? Is it actually better now, or are we just so in sync with the overall design culture?
That's an interesting insight. Is it actually better now? I think we will see in 10 years. I feel like the design of smartphones overall is more refined which might make them not look aged in a terrible way. I don't know how modern iPhones would age, the notch would make them look aged in 10 years or and maybe the colours.
@@PeteS_1994with that logic Every smartphone that has a hole punch camera Will age the same or a little bit better than the notch of iPhone It’s actually a really great idea For Apple to have a notch Because everyone knows that is an iPhone And it stands out when every other smartphone has the same dot camera on the middle or left/right Also aging or something getting dated is In the eye of the beholder and taste/preference Some people don’t like the notch and that’s okay I personally find that every smartphone having the same hole punch Makes it cheap and unoriginal The notch also getting smaller very soon and Evolving into the Dynamic Island Is also a nice touch Those who like it that’s cool Those that don’t don’t like something else Or someone might like most design choices in phones For me the notch was always awesome without being perfect or the best thing when it comes to front display design For a smartphone I wonder what will come next after the Dynamic Island Maybe it will be a camera behind the display that can’t be seen Or maybe Apple will come up Again with a design choice that will differentiate them From the rest smartphones If smartphones won’t stop evolving Because we have reached a peak a couple of years ago. /;;/
I think the latter; we're simply influenced by whatever the current fad is. Take for example the few-years-old iPhones X or 11. They are rounded and so they look old to us. But now the newer iPhone 15 is ever so slightly rounded (though still mostly flat) and by the iPhone 17/18 I think we'll be back to rounded phones for a few generations. It's also technology evolving, and however the newest technology looks like will automatically be considered nice, as we associate it with being the best.
Phones have basically peaked since like 5 years ago and not much has changed since then besides minor camera improvements and usb-c. Even an iPhone 6s is still a perfectly usable and reasonable phone in 2024 and it’s 8 years old. Phones now even get much more software support than they did in say the iPhone 4 days increasing longevity 10 fold.
Its so interesting that Apple back then tried to skeumorphize their UI to the point where the computer slowed down dramatically, now they have amazingly powerful computers that couls handle skeumorphism but still choose to be minimalist.😊
I associate the flat and fun era with Johny Ive more than Tim Cook (even though putting him as a reference/turning point is also really accurate). Ive leaded the designed of iOS 7 and nearly single-handedly brought upon the flat era. His departure from Apple also coincides and marks the end of the era. For the current era I’d call it the personal era, since each device seems more unique and personal. Another name would be the Apple Silicon era. And it’s really interesting how this era kinda reflects the aqua era a bit, it’s kinda going full circle at least with the colorful hardware. Really great video!
The newest era started with 2018 iPad Pro that Jony Ive heavily designed. The marketing shift started with iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, starting with bold fonts and large text. With iPhone Xr, it completely changed and started the hype era with rap music in marketing. The iPad Pro led the way for iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, while also inspiring the new iMac…
Yes! Ive’s design’s were very beautiful and definitely coincide with that specific era. Not to mention the product commercials (that felt more like documentaries) that accompanied it.
Great video! I personally am a big fan of the Aqua look and that whole era for Apple. I think there's something to appreciate about Apple being as cohesive as they have been with their software and hardware designs, leaving nothing unchanged when they rollout a new design. Not sure how interested you are in fashion but there's a lot of brands that are going back to their late 90s-early/mid 2000s designs currently, one being Nike with their Air Kukini from 2000. Could be a fun topic to explore.
“No nonsense era” proceeds to create the butterfly keyboard and all sorts of other stupid choices in that era, that were mostly fixed in the current era
Most of the technology I grew up with was stuff from the early 2000's (even though I was born in '03), and by the time I'd situated myself into the internet the skeuomorphic design was current. This may just be skewed by nostalgia but I always saw these designs, particularly the Aqua ones as futuristic. When iOS and flat took over the world, it was novel but it wore off soon. It doesn't feel futuristic at all. Just feels like the world is a giant modern art museum. There are surely some people who hated the Y2K look, but they likely felt short-changed by the skeuomorphic design because it's not enough of a departure. I'd say that's how I feel about the 'No Nonsense' Era and the current. It's not awful, I can appreciate it, but I know something will replace it eventually and it won't be the same as before
I personally think the flat design looks cheap. And while I appreciate the fact that I, as someone with no design background, can fire up Inkscape and make something that wouldn't look too out of place next to a design made by an actual professional, I still miss the time when I was actually impressed by professional design. That said, modern iOS and macOS still look good, even with their flat design. Windows 10 looks like they've made some temporary programmer art and decided to ship it.
This is awesome! These eras are all iconic in their own ways and your explanations of them are amazing, great vid. This is the first vid of yours that I've seen, and it won't be the last.
I just discovered your channel and am absolutely loving your videos. They cover a niche that I didn’t even know I was looking for! I personally have very fond memories of the Skeuomorphic Era. Although I also think there’s something very special and beautiful about Ive’s work.
my first exposure to tech was during the aqua era, but my first time actually using technology was during the skeumorphic era. Needless to say, seeing the skeumorphic era of anything is very nostalgic.
Love the video! My favourite era was probably the skeuomorphic era, since it’s the era I group up on, I missed the brush metal look every bit of technology at the time had. Though I do like the customisation aspect the current era and early years of flat and fun have.
I really enjoy watching these videos about the design of OS or hardware, with the old eras and the images you show triggers that nostalgia feeling, and as the video goes on, that feeling of nostalgia transforms into excitement when you talk about the current era and what is to come yet. Keep making these!!
personally I like the flat and fun era because it felt so vibrant and nice without just trying to blend into everyday life. It truly was its own thing from the world and it was beautiful.
tbh this is the first video i’ve watched on your channel, and it definitely won’t be the last. i love the way you explained things simply but in enough depth at the same time
I will forever love the Skeumorphic and slightly industrial era, I have some knowledge about customizing android, I have plans on cooking a custom rom with Skeumorphic UI design omg
i just refound ur channel and omg i love it also id probably call the current era the Apple You era featuring more customizability, a focus on personality, creation and security making you feel like the apple device at your fingertips is the brush for ur next creation
Nice video! Really thought this was a million subscriber channel with all of this good content and production! Keep it up! A huge demographic craves for this including me :)
cool video glossing over the eras of apple, i give you, Undefined, thanks for giving entertainment, nostalgia, and education; i state that i got your video it from youtube recommended by the stack of videos to the right after watching a video titled "Why I Bought a 2020 M1 MacBook Air for 2023!!" by JSL Review; i appreciate your voice, the research, and the media used, making this video feel polished and enjoyable to watch; i say, you got yourself a new sub; keep up the great work - by: mico!
I feel like this new era feels much more artist inspired (if that makes sense?), lots of abstract and colorful design choices, over-ear headphones that are more stylish but less convenient than airpods, huge emphasis on customizability, etc.
Great video! I feel like the current era might be the "Functional" Era, as Apple seems to focus on function over form (hardware wise - thicker and chunkier MacBooks/phones, huge camera bumps, software wise -widgets/customization for more functions) etc. Like you said in the video though it's still hard to tell since it's early days! Hope you see more videos!
It would be nice to see some small hints of the aqua era in modern MacOS. They've re-added the centre stage feature? (I can't remember the name) in MacOS Ventura, so maybe they will bring other features or even design languages back from before
I wonder when the "we are 8-25 years behind anyone else" era will end, and their abysmal and incompetent developer teams will be replace with people that are not overwhelmed by the concept of icon placement, multi-tasking, widgets, calculator app or even mouse pointer. I am more interested in the end of this era more then anything else.
That's a GREAT analysis. Fun and Flat can be Cook era, Pastel era or Minimalism era, since it was the main target, No Nonsense era can be Liquid era or simply Ive era, and the current era can be Hankey era (the woman that replaced Ive and currently leads the hardware design [she will step down at 2023, starting a new era there] or The Personal era. Anyway it is an amazing analysis of design and trends in Apple, so far that it really feels on point with what they themselves wanted it to be.
I have never had an Apple product, but all I can say is that the Aqua era was the most revolutionary one. I think this era is one of the staples when you think of Y2K design, and it was game changer by bringing in the iPhone, iPod, etc. both in terms of design and technology. It saddens me to think of what could've been of Apple today if Steve Jobs was still around. He had a vision and a mind that even the best of today's Apple cannot match.
The aqua era seems slower evolving basically because of tech wasn’t as portable but one seems much more enthusiastic or optimistic about the future. It’s filled with wonder.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the pre-OSX eras. I was an 80s kid and I feel the same warm nostalgia for the beige boxes, black-and-white graphical interfaces, and rainbow logos of that time that younger folks do about aqua or early iOS.
Flat and Fun era was the best era. I remember when I got my first iPhone 4 with iOS 7 and I was amazed by the beautiful UI and design of the menus, apps, wallpapers, and how simple but powerful was against the (Back then) recent Android phones
I never really realised this changes but, when we look at the timeline, everything changed drastically. Airpods is a big thing now and it feels like it has always been here.
I used to think Apple’s design changed little since iOS7, but now that you break it down like this, I do see the change in direction of the current era.
Can you also make eras of Windows UI? The eras of Apple and Android UI that you have explained so well has inspired me so much, that I also made my own design eras, and making another one about Windows or Microsoft would be absolutely amazing, as the last touch to your explanation of design eras series! Waiting for more amazing and inspiring videos from you!! 🔥🔥
Very cool video! Also as someone who works with these phones everyday, Apple would make BILIIONS from doing a Program like google where you pay a monthly sub fee and get the newest device along with their services.
The only Apple product I've owned so far is a pair of headphones that came with an iPhone 4 my grandma used to apparently have. But I plan to get my first iPhone with the 14 Pro.
I could call the current era “The Nostalgic Rebirth Era”, since Apple brought back some nostalgic design language and combined with their modern design language.
It might be because I grew up in this era but the flat and fun era really stands out as the best to me. I love the fun poppy colors and the flat design despite how much hate it gets. This was also the time when I got my first iPad so a lot of good memories during that era of apple.
I think one major hallmark of the current era that is overlooked is just how much Mac has changed with M1. So much of the past has been focused on iPhone, but the current era feels like it’s a Mac era. Also a focus on looking back to the past - MagSafe returns on M1 Pro/Max and M2 Air, colorful iMacs, boxed edges for iPhone 12 onward like iPhone 4&5, etc
I remember when i used to HATE the flat and fun era, i always used to complain about it but now looking back at my old iphone 5 after years of change, the old ios 7 really brings back memories for me, as much as the skeuomorphic era.
Aqua, flat and fun and the current eras are my favourite ones. Colourfulnes is so necesary. But the best of all was the one during the nineties. The Classic 8 and 9 OS is my absolute favourite.
