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

Famously, throughout the launch of the primary iPad, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as soon as claimed that “expertise alone shouldn’t be sufficient,” arguing that it was “expertise 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 expertise should not be an insular factor. Gadgets are utilized by people, and people care concerning the creative. 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 probably the most environment friendly approach attainable.

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 solution to exploit its philosophy that does not contain spending a fortune on new classes or kind elements, 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 a lot price elaborating on.

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

Work to rule

I would not say Apple is doing something unsuitable, 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 couple of new watchfaces, and up to date “seasonal” coloration palettes. Apple is overdue for launching a third-party face gallery, however I digress.

My concern is the remainder of the yr. The corporate releases a tiny little bit of Black Historical past Month materials in February, and related Satisfaction Month materials in June…after which, just about nothing. There’s hardly ever any materials linked to Christmas, Eid, Hanukkah, Diwali, or different main non secular holidays, and principally 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 is perhaps dissatisfied 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 issues. 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 issues.

To be honest, lots of people are nice with current 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 way of dozens of them each week, and I am at all times on the hunt for extra. I do know a number of different persons are nice with a single image of their accomplice, household, or pet.

There’s undoubtedly a bunch on the market, although, that might 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 bunch {of professional} artists, in addition to the heart of its working programs. It may 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 may be a nice solution to upend the pliability 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 approach that I might miss my weekly hit from Spotify’s Launch Radar if I jumped ship to Apple Music. After I phrase it that approach, 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 rationalization 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 alternative product traces, all of which demand an enormous quantity of labor simply assist their current software program. The thought of splitting or increasing sources to make issues a little bit prettier could also be arduous to justify, significantly with Apple Intelligence and Siri nonetheless languishing years behind Google Gemini. The thought of ramping up customization might 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 truly does have sources to spare. It spent billions of {dollars} on its Apple Automotive venture, partaking in a poaching struggle with Tesla, solely to cancel it unceremoniously because it wavered on what the final word purpose was. Essentially the most we bought out of it — if something — might have been CarPlay Extremely and a few enhancements to Apple Maps. If it might afford that, it might afford to dedicate a couple of million {dollars} yearly in direction of one thing extra of its clients can benefit from.

Maybe Apple is apprehensive about sustaining a constant aesthetic. It is a generally accepted motive why Apple took so lengthy to allow us to tint icons a special 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. 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 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 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 choices, 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 attainable, however I doubt it. Rumors recommend that Apple’s massive focus in 2026 will likely be creating an interface for the iPhone Fold, demanding not only a greater and extra versatile structure, however the addition of multi-window assist and another fully 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 maintain the significance of personalization on Apple’s radar by making a sound enterprise case.