Apple has released the iPhone 12 in a new purple color, "just in time for spring," and available in all parts of the world that don't experience that post-winter thaw. Ever the masters of marketing, the folks at Cupertino gave their hero device a new paint job and it's sold as new.
Why are smartphone colors a big deal? Ask anyone who got an iPhone in Rose Gold, Jet Black, Midnight Green and Pacific Blue. It shows that you have the latest and greatest tech available.
The new purple iPhone 12 could have launched with the blue, red, black, white and green ones in October 2020, but it would be last year's color. Six months later, it shared top billing at a grand virtual launch with new iMacs (now available in multiple colors) and a new iPad with a white keyboard accessory instead of black.
"The new purple finish, just in time for spring, adds another bright and fun option to the lineup, and we think customers are going to love it,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.
Beyond the color options, the mid-2021 iMacs and iPad Pro come with a significant upgrade under the hood -- Apple's own M1 chip that pomises a smoother app experience across the laptop-tablet-smartphone trifecta. The M1 was previously available only on the newest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro and reviewers are unanimous that the M1 notebooks are snappier and easier on the battery.
When Apple is not introducing radical changes to the iPhone form factor, colors don't matter. Remember 2017's iPhone X? The first iPhone to kill the home button and introduce the notch only came in silver and space gray. When a Max model was launched in 2018, suddenly there was a gold model.
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Apple sells new iPhones every year like it was necessary to upgrade every year or two. The colors are just one part of the equation. The chip number goes one notch higher (A14 for the iPhone 12 series from A13 the previous generation). It's supposed to be faster, last longer and more resistance to scratches and breakage.
Apple's rivals have also upped their color game. Samsung's S21 comes in "phantom" black and silver, not just black and silver. However, having held the phantom black S21 Ultra, it's exaggerated name matches how it looks and feels in the hand. It's stealthy looks very expensive.
Huawei's breakthrough device, the P20 series in 2018, came in an "Aurora" paint job that mimicked the Northern Lights. It's Chinese compatriots soon followed but the Shenzhen-based tech giant was always a step ahead. The P30 series the following year came in "Breathing Crystal" which is white that turns to blue then purple depending on the angle and lighting. There's also "Amber Sunrise" which literally looks like the sunrise, a rare orange flagship phone.
Other manufacturers experimented with the material when not changing the colors. Oppo's excellent but expensive Find X2 Pro from 2020 had a vegan leather back like the Huawei Mate 30 Pro. For a time, Xiaomi offered a faux transparent back ainmed squarely at gadget geeks.
Of course, all of this matters only if you use a transparent case or use your phone naked.
