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

Famously, in the course of the launch of the primary iPad, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as soon as claimed that “know-how alone will not 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. Units are utilized by people, and people care concerning the creative. They need pleasing type components. 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 approach potential.

Apple has principally 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 method to exploit its philosophy that does not contain spending a fortune on new classes or type components, and even new apps and equipment: giving clients extra methods to customise software program on a extra frequent foundation. It is a easy concept, however there’s lots price elaborating on.

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

Work to rule

I would not say Apple is doing something improper, per se. Its huge September updates to iOS, macOS, and iPadOS inevitably embody 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 couple of new watchfaces, and up to date “seasonal” colour palettes. Apple is overdue for launching a third-party face gallery, however I digress.

My difficulty is the remainder of the 12 months. The corporate releases a tiny little bit of Black Historical past Month materials in February, and related Satisfaction Month materials in June…after which, nearly nothing. There’s not often any materials linked to Christmas, Eid, Hanukkah, Diwali, or different main spiritual holidays, and principally secular occasions like July 4th and Halloween get brief shrift, too. Even if you’re deeply invested in issues like black historical past and LGBT rights, you is perhaps disenchanted by what Apple places out. The 2025 Black Historical past pack consisted of a single Unity wallpaper in a couple 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 have to 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 honest, lots of people are tremendous with present choices, and like their very own wallpapers anyway. I am in all probability far too invested in customized wallpapers, the truth is — 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 lots of different persons are tremendous with a single image of their associate, household, or pet.

There’s undoubtedly a gaggle on the market, although, that will get enthusiastic about new customizations dropping each month, or not less than 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 methods. It may possibly 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 may be a tremendous method to upend the flexibleness its rivals are identified for.

These modifications would not essentially persuade anybody to purchase an iPhone or a Mac for the primary time, however it will be one other incentive to remain within the Apple ecosystem. Individuals leaping ship to Android or Home windows would possibly miss their month-to-month hit, a lot in the identical approach that I might miss my weekly hit from Spotify’s Launch Radar if I jumped ship to Apple Music. Once I phrase it that approach, 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 assets. 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 strains, all of which demand an enormous quantity of labor simply assist their present software program. The thought of splitting or increasing assets to make issues a bit prettier could also be laborious to justify, notably with Apple Intelligence and Siri nonetheless languishing years behind Google Gemini. The thought 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, nonetheless, that Apple truly does have assets to spare. It spent billions of {dollars} on its Apple Automobile challenge, partaking in a poaching struggle with Tesla, solely to cancel it unceremoniously because it wavered on what the final word aim was. Probably the most we acquired 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 commit a couple of million {dollars} yearly in direction of one thing extra of its clients 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 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 individuals off and have an effect on word-of-mouth. Definitely, 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 contemplate it a portal into different services — they (rightfully) contemplate it their property and an extension of their character. Most individuals are additionally sensible sufficient to acknowledge that in the event that they tweak one thing, and it would not look nice, that is perhaps 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 concept of extra content material releases and customization choices, maybe beginning with iOS 27? It is potential, however I doubt it. Rumors recommend that Apple’s huge focus in 2026 can be creating an interface for the iPhone Fold, demanding not only a larger and extra versatile structure, however the addition of multi-window assist and another utterly new capabilities. It isn’t even clear that Apple will ship on the Siri upgrades it first promised in 2024. I am simply hoping that op-eds like this can preserve the significance of personalization on Apple’s radar by making a sound enterprise case.