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iPhone 17 will highlight Apple's design struggles, just like iPhone 16 proved it was behind in software

By Anam Hamid

Updated: Feb 18, 2025, 5:05 PM

19comments

iPhone 17 Pro render | Image Credit - asherdipps

What does a responsible adult do when confronted with a problem in the modern world? Simple: ignore the problem at hand and focus on ruining something else to divert attention. It's called multitasking, look it up. Apple is no different.

Instead of improving its AI models, the company has seemingly decided to make a questionable change to the iPhone 17 family.

Apple Intelligence was rushed

To say Apple fumbled the AI rollout would be an understatement. Yes, the company's suit of AI features, which it calls Apple Intelligence, work for the most part, but it feels like too little too late.

Apple Intelligence is years behind competing products. Even Chinese startup DeepSeek managed to outwit Apple despite having far fewer resources.

Apple reportedly started working on Apple Intelligence only in early 2023, just as the AI craze was changing the technology landscape. The platform wasn't ready for showtime when the iPhone 16 was launched, and to date, the features are being drip-fed.

Ideally, Apple should have spent this year improving its AI platform instead of proving once again that competitors have taken the lead.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

Latest iPhone 17 Pro renders. | Image Credit - asherdipps

Apple has reportedly decided to move away from the square camera bump after years. Three of the four iPhone 17models will have a horizontal bar at the back. And just to prove that it wasn't inspired by Google, Apple may make the camera bar on the iPhone 17 Pro taller and keep the camera arrangement the same.

The early renders may not have done justice to the real design and they may have failed to capture the essence of the design. Subsequent renders have done a better job. But that's beside the point.

Apple has lost its footing

The iPhone 17's horizontal camera strip will be an admission that it has started looking to rivals for ideas. And there is nothing wrong with that. Besides, there are just so many ways to stick cameras on a phone.

What strikes me - and many others - as peculiar about the iPhone 17 Pro's design is that it doesn't make sense. The camera arrangement is still the same. This seems like change for the sake of change.

iPhone 17 Pro camera prototype molds. | Image Credit - Majin Bu

For years, Apple fans have begged the company to revamp the design of the iPhone. Instead of getting creative, the company has made a poor attempt to copy the Pixel's design.

For a company known for its design chops, this is a concerning shift, especially amid talk of it falling behind in the software department.

Is there nothing Apple does better than other mobile makers anymore?

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.