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

Famously, through the launch of the primary iPad, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as soon as claimed that “know-how alone shouldn’t be 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 usually taken as a bit pretentious on Jobs’ half, however the final level was that know-how should not be an insular factor. Gadgets are utilized by people, and people care in regards to the inventive. They need pleasing kind 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 essentially the most environment friendly means attainable.

Apple has largely carried on that precept, if not taken it to extremes when you think about units just like the iPhone Air. However for all of that, it appears to me that the corporate is lacking out on an apparent approach to exploit its philosophy that does not contain spending a fortune on new classes or kind elements, and even new apps and equipment: giving prospects extra methods to customise software program on a extra frequent foundation. It is a easy thought, however there’s loads 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 massive September updates to iOS, macOS, and iPadOS inevitably embrace new wallpapers and customization choices, for 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” shade palettes. Apple is overdue for launching a third-party face gallery, however I digress.

My challenge is the remainder of the yr. 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 linked to Christmas, Eid, Hanukkah, Diwali, or different main non secular holidays, and largely secular occasions like July 4th and Halloween get brief shrift, too. Even in case you are deeply invested in issues like black historical past and LGBT rights, you may be upset 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 right 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 high-quality with present choices, and like their very own wallpapers anyway. I am most likely far too invested in customized wallpapers, in actual fact — my iPhone’s homescreen cycles by dozens of them each week, and I am at all times on the hunt for extra. I do know numerous different individuals are high-quality with a single image of their associate, household, or pet.

There’s undoubtedly a bunch on the market, although, that may get enthusiastic about new customizations dropping each month, or a minimum of each few months. Everybody likes free stuff, and Apple has entry to a whole lot {of professional} artists, in addition to the heart of its working programs. It may well pull off some distinctive visible aptitude. If it wished to, it may 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 high-quality approach to upend the flexibleness its rivals are identified for.

These adjustments would not essentially persuade anybody to purchase an iPhone or a Mac for the primary time, however it could be one other incentive to remain within the Apple ecosystem. Folks 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. After I phrase it that means, it is obscure why Apple is not already invested in an idea like theme packs.

The hindrances

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

The obvious clarification on paper is that Apple has restricted sources. Which 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 various 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 just a little prettier could also be laborious to justify, significantly 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 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 undertaking, partaking in a poaching battle with Tesla, solely to cancel it unceremoniously because it wavered on what the last word purpose was. Essentially the most we bought out of it — if something — could have been CarPlay Extremely and a few enhancements to Apple Maps. If it could actually afford that, it could actually afford to commit a number of million {dollars} yearly in the direction of one thing extra of its prospects can make the most of.

Maybe Apple is frightened about sustaining a constant aesthetic. It is a generally accepted motive why Apple took so lengthy to allow us to tint icons a unique shade, and why it nonetheless limits watchfaces. The extra customizable issues are, the upper the prospect of clashing and even damaged interface parts, which could flip some individuals 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 prospects to resolve what constitutes “style,” although. Somebody who buys an Apple product would not simply think about it a portal into different services and products — they (rightfully) think about 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 may 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 offered me the brushes and paint cans.

Is there an opportunity Apple goes to take up the concept of extra content material releases and customization choices, maybe beginning with iOS 27? It is attainable, however I doubt it. Rumors recommend that Apple’s massive focus in 2026 can be creating an interface for the iPhone Fold, demanding not only a greater and extra versatile format, however the addition of multi-window assist and another utterly new features. 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 this may preserve the significance of personalization on Apple’s radar by making a sound enterprise case.