Apple ought to launch customization ‘theme packs’ to maintain its gadgets extra enjoyable

Famously, through the launch of the primary iPad, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as soon as claimed that “know-how alone is just not sufficient,” arguing that it was “know-how married with the liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields the outcomes that makes our hearts sing.” That was typically taken as a bit pretentious on Jobs’ half, however the final level was that know-how should not be an insular factor. Units are utilized by people, and people care in regards to the creative. They need pleasing type elements. They need good fonts. They need to have the ability to draw, listen to music, and browse their photographs, not simply jam out spreadsheets and code in probably the most environment friendly means doable.

Apple has largely carried on that precept, if not taken it to extremes when you think about gadgets just like the iPhone Air. However for all of that, it appears to me that the corporate is lacking out on an apparent solution to exploit its philosophy that does not contain spending a fortune on new classes or type elements, and even new apps and equipment: giving clients extra methods to customise software program on a extra frequent foundation. It is a easy thought, however there’s lots price elaborating on.

What’s mistaken with what Apple’s already doing?

Work to rule

I would not say Apple is doing something mistaken, per se. Its large September updates to iOS, macOS, and iPadOS inevitably embody new wallpapers and customization choices, as an example altering what you are able to do with widgets or your lockscreen. tvOS will get occasional screensaver additions, whereas watchOS will get a number of new watchfaces, and up to date “seasonal” coloration palettes. Apple is overdue for launching a third-party face gallery, however I digress.

My challenge is the remainder of the 12 months. The corporate releases a tiny little bit of Black Historical past Month materials in February, and related Pleasure Month materials in June…after which, nearly nothing. There’s not often any materials related to Christmas, Eid, Hanukkah, Diwali, or different main spiritual holidays, and largely secular occasions like July 4th and Halloween get quick shrift, too. Even in case you are deeply invested in issues like black historical past and LGBT rights, you could be disillusioned by what Apple places out. The 2025 Black Historical past pack consisted of a single Unity wallpaper in a number of variations, and a single watchface restricted to an imprecise analog dial with simply two problems. Look, a lot of my household is black — however I must know time all the way down to the minute, and I have been spoiled by the Modular Extremely face, which permits as much as seven problems.

To be truthful, lots of people are nice with present choices, and like their very own wallpapers anyway. I am in all probability far too invested in customized wallpapers, in actual fact — my iPhone’s homescreen cycles by way of dozens of them each week, and I am all the time on the hunt for extra. I do know a whole lot of different individuals are nice with a single image of their companion, household, or pet.

There’s undoubtedly a gaggle on the market, although, that may get enthusiastic about new customizations dropping each month, or at the very least each few months. Everybody likes free stuff, and Apple has entry to a whole lot {of professional} artists, in addition to the center of its working techniques. It may possibly pull off some distinctive visible aptitude. If it wished to, it might launch new icon packs, new filters, and new fonts, permitting everybody to create a glance that is one-of-a-kind. That will be a nice solution to upend the flexibleness its rivals are recognized for.

These modifications would not essentially persuade anybody to purchase an iPhone or a Mac for the primary time, however it might be one other incentive to remain within the Apple ecosystem. Individuals leaping ship to Android or Home windows may miss their month-to-month hit, a lot in the identical means that I would miss my weekly hit from Spotify’s Launch Radar if I jumped ship to Apple Music. Once I phrase it that means, it is obscure why Apple is not already invested in an idea like theme packs.

The obstacles

What’s holding Apple again, and a few remaining ideas

The obvious clarification on paper is that Apple has restricted sources. That may sound ludicrous to a few of you, since I am speaking a couple of four-trillion greenback megacorporation, however the firm does have many alternative product traces, all of which demand an enormous quantity of labor simply assist their present software program. The concept of splitting or increasing sources to make issues slightly prettier could also be laborious to justify, notably with Apple Intelligence and Siri nonetheless languishing years behind Google Gemini. The concept of ramping up customization could not have even crossed the C-suite’s thoughts. Heck, it is on the verge of reinvigorating its smart home lineup by way of merchandise like a hub show.

It is fairly clear, nevertheless, that Apple really does have sources to spare. It spent billions of {dollars} on its Apple Automobile venture, participating in a poaching conflict with Tesla, solely to cancel it unceremoniously because it wavered on what the last word purpose was. Probably the most we received out of it — if something — could have been CarPlay Extremely and a few enhancements to Apple Maps. If it might afford that, it might afford to dedicate a number of million {dollars} yearly in direction of one thing extra of its clients can make the most of.

Maybe Apple is fearful about sustaining a constant aesthetic. It is a generally accepted cause why Apple took so lengthy to allow us to tint icons a distinct shade, and why it nonetheless limits watchfaces. The extra customizable issues are, the upper the prospect of clashing and even damaged interface components, which could flip some folks off and have an effect on word-of-mouth. Actually, some customers appeared to throw style out the window when iOS 18 arrived.

It is as much as clients to determine what constitutes “style,” although. Somebody who buys an Apple product would not simply take into account it a portal into different services — they (rightfully) take into account it their property and an extension of their persona. Most individuals are additionally good sufficient to acknowledge that in the event that they tweak one thing, and it would not look nice, that could be their very own fault. If I do not just like the look of a neon-green kitchen renovation, I’ll blame my very own selections, not the corporate that bought me the brushes and paint cans.

Is there an opportunity Apple goes to take up the thought of extra content material releases and customization choices, maybe beginning with iOS 27? It is doable, however I doubt it. Rumors counsel that Apple’s large focus in 2026 might be creating an interface for the iPhone Fold, demanding not only a larger and extra versatile format, however the addition of multi-window assist and another fully new capabilities. It is not even clear that Apple will ship on the Siri upgrades it first promised in 2024. I am simply hoping that op-eds like it will maintain the significance of personalization on Apple’s radar by making a sound enterprise case.