I don’t like the argument that Apple went downhill after Steve Jobs’s death. It’s a lazy analysis rooted more in nostalgia and bravado than substance. However, it’s hard to dismiss the point, as the company has become more of a weather vane than a trendsetter. Apple seems content to repackage popular ideas, hoping its impressive marketing arm will reassure us the latest iPhone is worth the beefy price. While convincing the phone-buying masses that the Emperor has no clothes is an enormous task, it shouldn’t be difficult to persuade Android manufacturers that the once venerable Apple is no longer worthy of emulation.
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Apple used to have it going on
The mystique has worn off
Apple has had an incredible run. The original iPhone transformed the industry. After seeing iOS, the software on my Motorola Q felt like something from the 19th Century. Apple Keynotes were appointment viewing, and it was exciting to see if Steve Jobs had one more thing to tell us.
I don’t link Apple’s slide into malaise to one event. I think Jony Ive’s prioritizing form over function went a long way toward damaging Apple’s mystique. The 2016 MacBook Pro was brutal. Apple removed several important user options and emphasized aesthetics over thermals, hindering performance. Whatever the cause, Apple lost something in the last decade.
iOS 18 is the most blatant example of the company losing step. Apple Intelligence is half-baked, and it feels like a re-tread of Galaxy AI and Google Gemini, only with Apple’s flashy presentation. Notification summaries are a mess, and Apple’s feeble attempt at customization options leaves much to be desired. The Camera Control button feels like something Apple would have done in the mid-90s when the company was lost in a sea of products and projects without clear direction. The Apple of 2024 is a shadow of its former self.
Android manufacturers haven’t noticed
The same ideas keep cropping up
Apple has fallen off, but Android manufacturers didn’t get the memo. OEMs are creeping towards an iOS look and feel to their Android skins. OxygenOS 15 is the worst example, as OnePlus ported over some things I hate about iOS. I have no idea why the company chose to implement split notifications. I appreciate that OnePlus allows us to revert to a traditional OxygenOS feel, but it’s bizarre why companies are choosing to lift design elements from iOS.
I’m disappointed because Apple’s lackluster design and innovation should allow Android makers to seize the initiative.
I may be singling out OnePlus, but it isn’t alone. Samsung, Oppo, and Google brought more than a few iOS elements into their software. One UI 7 might include subtle nods to Apple, but the influences remain. Similarities are not only on the software side. Google’s Pixel 9-series design language borrows heavily from the iPhone, hoping the premium and unoffensive design will lure people towards its devices. It’s a mind-numbing strategy and frustrating for Android fans, but it’s done for a reason: it works.
It’s unfortunate, but safe sells
Everyone ran toward the center
I fear companies aren’t concerned about whether Apple is worth imitating. They aren’t implementing Cupertino’s styles and features because they believe it’s the best way forward. It’s because Apple sells a ton of phones each year, and Android manufacturers would love to cut into more of those profits.
I don’t want to be unfair to Google. The company did a phenomenal job in the second half of 2024, listening to customers and releasing a killer product with the Pixel 9. However, a portion of the resulting sales success has been due to a design resembling an iPhone. Google consciously decided to compete better on carrier store shelves with a product that would comfort existing iPhone users.
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I’m disappointed because Apple’s lackluster design and innovation should allow Android makers to seize the initiative. The stage is set for someone to swoop in and dazzle us like Apple did 20 years ago. However, instead of taking chances, Android manufacturers are content with the status quo, hoping to offend the fewest users. The result is what we have today: Android skins that look like iOS, while iOS doesn’t look like much of anything.
I don’t think the solution is coming from Samsung or Google
It’s depressing to think we have a better chance of Apple innovating again than Samsung or Google trying something ambitious. However, we’re in this infinite loop where sales figures dictate strategies instead of bold innovation driving more sales. Google seems content to hold serve against the best Android phones, and Samsung is afraid of its own shadow. Apple didn’t ask for a show of hands while tearing through the mobile industry. I hope an Android OEM will shun focus groups and develop something we didn’t know we wanted. Still, I’m not holding my breath.
