The Eras of Apple

The evolution of Apple zeitgeist
Time Stamps:
00:00 Intro
00:18 Aqua Era
1:53 Skeuomorphic Era
3:24 Flat and Fun Era
4:43 No Nonsense Era
6:15 Current Era
7:46 Outro
Watch my videos on Odysee!
odysee.com/@Undefined:d7

[@UenoLucas]

Another thing to notice on the current era: Apple is starting to care about functionality and user experience slightly more than just pure aesthetics. Examples are pretty clear: the MacBook lineup resurrecting a lot of the ports and the late iPhones getting a bit thicker to accommodate bigger batteries. Me personally, I love it.

[@ripthedvd9728]

I'm still waiting for them to bring back usb-a ports. Getting rid of those was the worst hardware decision Apple has ever made.

[@the_mariocrafter]

@@ripthedvd9728 agree.

[@the_mariocrafter]

@@ripthedvd9728 the Mac users are all telling me to get some dongle but I don’t want to lose it and it looks ugly.

[@ripthedvd9728]

@@the_mariocrafter When apple fanboys say the macbooks have enough ports but then tell you to buy more ports it's ridiculous. If the majority of users need to buy hardware expansions then the manufacturer has built inadequete hardware.

[@the_mariocrafter]

@@ripthedvd9728 yes, usb-a is essential for most people, and is still standered in the pc word and won’t be going away any time soon

[@andyzhang7890]

As someone who enjoys looking at the evolution of companies over time from logos, to branding, to design aesthetics, this video was a joy to watch

[@BIT866]

Could have just said that at the start.

[@darkwoodmovies]

I'm always fascinated by how dated technology I used just a decade ago looks. Like, back then it was the most modern, flashy design I've ever seen. How does this happen? Is it actually better now, or are we just so in sync with the overall design culture?

[@PeteS_1994]

That's an interesting insight. Is it actually better now? I think we will see in 10 years. I feel like the design of smartphones overall is more refined which might make them not look aged in a terrible way. I don't know how modern iPhones would age, the notch would make them look aged in 10 years or and maybe the colours.

[@escapefr0mslender]

q

[@jhinabloomingflower807]

@@PeteS_1994with that logic Every smartphone that has a hole punch camera Will age the same or a little bit better than the notch of iPhone It’s actually a really great idea For Apple to have a notch Because everyone knows that is an iPhone And it stands out when every other smartphone has the same dot camera on the middle or left/right Also aging or something getting dated is In the eye of the beholder and taste/preference Some people don’t like the notch and that’s okay I personally find that every smartphone having the same hole punch Makes it cheap and unoriginal The notch also getting smaller very soon and Evolving into the Dynamic Island Is also a nice touch Those who like it that’s cool Those that don’t don’t like something else Or someone might like most design choices in phones For me the notch was always awesome without being perfect or the best thing when it comes to front display design For a smartphone I wonder what will come next after the Dynamic Island Maybe it will be a camera behind the display that can’t be seen Or maybe Apple will come up Again with a design choice that will differentiate them From the rest smartphones If smartphones won’t stop evolving Because we have reached a peak a couple of years ago. /;;/

[@Siduch.]

I think the latter; we're simply influenced by whatever the current fad is. Take for example the few-years-old iPhones X or 11. They are rounded and so they look old to us. But now the newer iPhone 15 is ever so slightly rounded (though still mostly flat) and by the iPhone 17/18 I think we'll be back to rounded phones for a few generations. It's also technology evolving, and however the newest technology looks like will automatically be considered nice, as we associate it with being the best.

[@9852323]

Phones have basically peaked since like 5 years ago and not much has changed since then besides minor camera improvements and usb-c. Even an iPhone 6s is still a perfectly usable and reasonable phone in 2024 and it’s 8 years old. Phones now even get much more software support than they did in say the iPhone 4 days increasing longevity 10 fold.

[@jgsh8062]

Skeuomorphic era has to be my favourite, and aqua is a close second.

[@EpikBirb]

i love both and i hope they can return

[@ricestrange]

Yup!

[@ricestrange]

@@EpikBirb i mean... it's becoming a trend around small creators

[@MrKrewie]

Much better than the flat and boring era, it felt like a downgrade to "upgrade" to the new ios

[@Chad-Whiteman]

Its so interesting that Apple back then tried to skeumorphize their UI to the point where the computer slowed down dramatically, now they have amazingly powerful computers that could handle skeumorphism but still choose to be minimalist.😊

[@fathanfachri]

I miss the skeumorphic era of Apple so bad... 😭😭😭

[@angelfabia]

I associate the flat and fun era with Johny Ive more than Tim Cook (even though putting him as a reference/turning point is also really accurate). Ive leaded the designed of iOS 7 and nearly single-handedly brought upon the flat era. His departure from Apple also coincides and marks the end of the era. For the current era I’d call it the personal era, since each device seems more unique and personal. Another name would be the Apple Silicon era. And it’s really interesting how this era kinda reflects the aqua era a bit, it’s kinda going full circle at least with the colorful hardware. Really great video!

[@jaiskreno]

The newest era started with 2018 iPad Pro that Jony Ive heavily designed. The marketing shift started with iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, starting with bold fonts and large text. With iPhone Xr, it completely changed and started the hype era with rap music in marketing. The iPad Pro led the way for iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, while also inspiring the new iMac…

[@UnsightlyThinker]

Yes! Ive’s design’s were very beautiful and definitely coincide with that specific era. Not to mention the product commercials (that felt more like documentaries) that accompanied it.

[@maxcooks2963]

It’s been nearly 10 years since iOS 7 and I’m still not over the design change 😞

[@darlene_1998]

I really wish they could come back with the water era

[@peter6980]

Great video! I personally am a big fan of the Aqua look and that whole era for Apple. I think there's something to appreciate about Apple being as cohesive as they have been with their software and hardware designs, leaving nothing unchanged when they rollout a new design. Not sure how interested you are in fashion but there's a lot of brands that are going back to their late 90s-early/mid 2000s designs currently, one being Nike with their Air Kukini from 2000. Could be a fun topic to explore.

[@UenoLucas]

Glad to be here before your channel goes huge! Great analysis and content, very well put together narrative.

[@Undefined.100]

Thank you!

[@ConstipleVODS]

Your channel is going to be huge

[@Undefined.100]

:)

[@OM-sp3wk]

“No nonsense era” proceeds to create the butterfly keyboard and all sorts of other stupid choices in that era, that were mostly fixed in the current era

[@the_mariocrafter]

I call the No Nonsence era “the X era” and the modern age as “the rectified flat era”

[@dorenbabinger2824]

This is awesome! These eras are all iconic in their own ways and your explanations of them are amazing, great vid. This is the first vid of yours that I've seen, and it won't be the last.

[@Undefined.100]

Thank you! :D

[@michaelalvarado5057]

personally I like the flat and fun era because it felt so vibrant and nice without just trying to blend into everyday life. It truly was its own thing from the world and it was beautiful.

[@JawbreakerJuice]

your channel got me going down a aesthetic rabbit hole lol. good stuff

[@vincentsvirtues4172]

Most of the technology I grew up with was stuff from the early 2000's (even though I was born in '03), and by the time I'd situated myself into the internet the skeuomorphic design was current. This may just be skewed by nostalgia but I always saw these designs, particularly the Aqua ones as futuristic. When iOS and flat took over the world, it was novel but it wore off soon. It doesn't feel futuristic at all. Just feels like the world is a giant modern art museum. There are surely some people who hated the Y2K look, but they likely felt short-changed by the skeuomorphic design because it's not enough of a departure. I'd say that's how I feel about the 'No Nonsense' Era and the current. It's not awful, I can appreciate it, but I know something will replace it eventually and it won't be the same as before

[@ThePC007]

I personally think the flat design looks cheap. And while I appreciate the fact that I, as someone with no design background, can fire up Inkscape and make something that wouldn't look too out of place next to a design made by an actual professional, I still miss the time when I was actually impressed by professional design. That said, modern iOS and macOS still look good, even with their flat design. Windows 10 looks like they've made some temporary programmer art and decided to ship it.

[@PeteS_1994]

Flat design is in fact older than skeumorphism, it's more traditional. So it's like modern but nostalgic.

[@EpikBirb]

flat ios is the worst thing to happen to iphone

[@UnsightlyThinker]

I just discovered your channel and am absolutely loving your videos. They cover a niche that I didn’t even know I was looking for! I personally have very fond memories of the Skeuomorphic Era. Although I also think there’s something very special and beautiful about Ive’s work.

[@cauwama]

my first exposure to tech was during the aqua era, but my first time actually using technology was during the skeumorphic era. Needless to say, seeing the skeumorphic era of anything is very nostalgic.

[@scarwoods]

words cannot describe how much i enjoy your videos, you bring me true unadulterated nostalgia

[@lv1543]

love your videos. i made my linux desktop enviornment look like it came out of 2008 frutiger areo style thanks to you.

[@mooli7777]

Love the video! My favourite era was probably the skeuomorphic era, since it’s the era I group up on, I missed the brush metal look every bit of technology at the time had. Though I do like the customisation aspect the current era and early years of flat and fun have.

[@v.o2k2]

Aqua era is my favorite. Great video!

[@CollegeKid666]

Flat and fun is personally my favorite, lots of good memories I had with this one.

[@Kayakasaurus]

I like all these areas and it’s nice to see some of that aqua vibe pop back up in some places (in hardware)

[@Kezzzk]

I really enjoy watching these videos about the design of OS or hardware, with the old eras and the images you show triggers that nostalgia feeling, and as the video goes on, that feeling of nostalgia transforms into excitement when you talk about the current era and what is to come yet. Keep making these!!

[@TheInsane104]

This was a very cute and well structured video, loved it!

[@dgxobeats]

i hope this vid gets to a million, this is very well put

[@Undefined.100]

:) thanks!

[@DoctorSpaniel]

i loved this video! very descriptive, and a nice throwback to the earlier times of apple.

[@agentbuckshot4697]

Very clear & concise video

[@lukesahagian]

This video was so well thought out, great job!

[@nepgears]

i absolutely love this channel im so glad i found it

[@askmsayeefuddin920]

You bring out aspects rarely discussed from an unique perspective. You just got another subscriber.

[@aplbep]

so much thought and research went into this video! Great one, thanks for making it :)

[@employee472]

I feel like this new era feels much more artist inspired (if that makes sense?), lots of abstract and colorful design choices, over-ear headphones that are more stylish but less convenient than airpods, huge emphasis on customizability, etc.

[@DestinTeck]

I like the well put together information in this video, it was really helpful!

[@ItsMePhiliph]

I will forever love the Skeumorphic and slightly industrial era, I have some knowledge about customizing android, I have plans on cooking a custom rom with Skeumorphic UI design omg

[@kurt120032002]

I wonder when the "we are 8-25 years behind anyone else" era will end, and their abysmal and incompetent developer teams will be replace with people that are not overwhelmed by the concept of icon placement, multi-tasking, widgets, calculator app or even mouse pointer. I am more interested in the end of this era more then anything else.

[@MegaKirb]

tbh this is the first video i’ve watched on your channel, and it definitely won’t be the last. i love the way you explained things simply but in enough depth at the same time

[@MarEpor]

the way i see the current era is that apple appeared less classy and elegant and more fun and approachable yet formal

[@SamWalsh1]

I enjoy your videos. They are fun and well informed. Keep up the good work

[@paulspastaladen]

we are now absolutely in a very „Personal Era“ All the different colours and ios Designs wich u can chose differently on every product

[@mateusoliveira5286]

Girl, I'm in love with your channel. The Frutiger Aero's video catch my so much. Loving it.

[@kairyonaznable20]

TF? 23 likes and 14 comments? This is a solid video! Keep it up. May take a long time but if this is your early content you will make big I am sure.

[@Undefined.100]

Haha thanks!

[@anonymously_]

Guess what

[@SASTSimon]

The aqua era, the no nonsense era and current era are my favorites. They did everything perfect. The other 2 look like a weird mix

[@matthew001]

Amazing video! The current apple era seems to be resurrecting elements from the iphone 4/5 era, with the flattening of bezels on all apple devices

[@ricestrange]

The aqua era and skeuomorphism era are my favourites!

[@dennisthebrony2022]

I could call the current era “The Nostalgic Rebirth Era”, since Apple brought back some nostalgic design language and combined with their modern design language.

[@kingcoveryepic]

Yay. Two of my fav things: graphic design and history (especially eras)!

[@saca.technology]

Why isn’t this viral?

[@NR20244]

I like aqua, skeumorphic and flat and fun

[@hyun-shik7327]

There’s definitely this oscillation between serious (mid 90s, late 2000s, late 2010s) and playful (early 2000s, mid 2010s, early 2020s)

[@sevandri]

Nice video! Really thought this was a million subscriber channel with all of this good content and production! Keep it up! A huge demographic craves for this including me :)

[@Undefined.100]

Thank you! That's awesome

[@werdylp]

flat and fun era is the best name you could give it. The change from steve jobs model to tims one was huge and I remember wanting to reverse it, because I did not like the way it went. When I look at it back, it is most likely just me wanting to keep steves work a bit longer. The design reminds me of youtube where ppl were talking to themselves on youtube and saving starbucks cups

[@kensh851]

I like to name Apple's current era as "Pill Era" because the design of Apple beginning in 2020 feels like I'm taking a chunk of prescription pills

[@anonymous_qUIpXy]

Hey! Keep the good work. Nice video :) Your content will definitely go big.

[@nerdy8644]

I have a feeling your channel will grow

[@JoeGelman]

Keep up the incredible work!

[@Biotfanime]

Great video! I feel like the current era might be the "Functional" Era, as Apple seems to focus on function over form (hardware wise - thicker and chunkier MacBooks/phones, huge camera bumps, software wise -widgets/customization for more functions) etc. Like you said in the video though it's still hard to tell since it's early days! Hope you see more videos!

[@jokerpilled2535]

Very nice presentation. I could tell you put alot of thought into this topic and it was very professionally made as well. Keep up the good work!

[@aimerboy69]

amazing video glad i found yo channel soon before it blows up

[@emanfey]

Your video was amazing and im shocked at how good it is considering youve only been here 7 months

[@accountname8819]

Nice, i always like the feel of different ui designs.

[@peaceenjoyer]

these videos are SO GOOD

[@taeyeonspie5356]

the aqua era is amazing!! i love it :)

[@GabeLily]

"but, like everything, the aqua era came to an end in roughly 2007." yeah

[@khoco8888]

It would be nice to see some small hints of the aqua era in modern MacOS. They've re-added the centre stage feature? (I can't remember the name) in MacOS Ventura, so maybe they will bring other features or even design languages back from before

[@sb001_]

I have never had an Apple product, but all I can say is that the Aqua era was the most revolutionary one. I think this era is one of the staples when you think of Y2K design, and it was game changer by bringing in the iPhone, iPod, etc. both in terms of design and technology. It saddens me to think of what could've been of Apple today if Steve Jobs was still around. He had a vision and a mind that even the best of today's Apple cannot match.

[@PeteS_1994]

The aqua era seems slower evolving basically because of tech wasn’t as portable but one seems much more enthusiastic or optimistic about the future. It’s filled with wonder.

[@Lukepuke311]

my favourite era was the flat and fun era because it’s not corporate but not too detailed like skeumorphic and to a lesser extent aqua

[@sketchywav7741]

Super underrated channel. Super interesting.

[@aspitube2515]

I never really realised this changes but, when we look at the timeline, everything changed drastically. Airpods is a big thing now and it feels like it has always been here.

[@eatbutter]

currently binge watching the os videos on this channel

[@EuphoricPentagram]

i just refound ur channel and omg i love it also id probably call the current era the Apple You era featuring more customizability, a focus on personality, creation and security making you feel like the apple device at your fingertips is the brush for ur next creation

[@MaiElizabeth]

Great video. I can tell who influenced you but I appreciate your effort.

[@mukychip]

love the channel

[@randomdude1053]

Great video you deserve more subscribers

[@cmyk8964]

I used to think Apple’s design changed little since iOS7, but now that you break it down like this, I do see the change in direction of the current era.

[@rouxenophobe]

The final Apple icon should have a notch out of it instead of a bite.

[@anonymoushypersphere9093]

Great video!

[@CringePoop]

one thing i don't like is how after ios 12, ios just stopped feeling as fun as it used to be. everything is less bouncy and fun and much more uniform

[@micosstar]

cool video glossing over the eras of apple, i give you, Undefined, thanks for giving entertainment, nostalgia, and education; i state that i got your video it from youtube recommended by the stack of videos to the right after watching a video titled "Why I Bought a 2020 M1 MacBook Air for 2023!!" by JSL Review; i appreciate your voice, the research, and the media used, making this video feel polished and enjoyable to watch; i say, you got yourself a new sub; keep up the great work - by: mico!

[@Lukas_Wertelaers]

Great video, i subscribed

[@9852323]

Aqua and skeuomorphic era had the best look and feel.

[@nikkehtine]

Love them or hate them, you can't deny that Apple really puts a lot of polish and effort into designing every little thing they offer

[@arasakarider8998]

Why don't your videos have more views? They're great!

[@alexx3617]

I haven't seen such a channel that explains the history of design and it's meaning so detailed like Undefined, you really have put everything together so well and have done a really great work, I'm really impressed by the amount of detail explained! 🔥🔥👏🏻 I thought that I'm the only one who paid attention to these design eras of Apple and Android! 😅 Just subscribed to you for more impressive videos like this one, keep the great work going! ❤️👍🏻

[@LambdaMiscellaneous]

Nice channel!

[@KeaneJ123]

How does this channel not have more subscribers

[@AdamPikeDesign]

Great video

[@clubkiddxx]

I love your videos!! What will your next one be about?

[@NCC-0000]

Flat and Fun era was the best era. I remember when I got my first iPhone 4 with iOS 7 and I was amazed by the beautiful UI and design of the menus, apps, wallpapers, and how simple but powerful was against the (Back then) recent Android phones

[@slamandjam2]

Aqua and skeumorphic were my all time favorite designs. I prefer the hardware design of the aqua, and software design of skeumorphism

[@akinoz]

Very fun video to watch.

[@gabe_irl]

Great video and insights

[@Undefined.100]

Thanks!

[@PikaPikaLOL]

I think one major hallmark of the current era that is overlooked is just how much Mac has changed with M1. So much of the past has been focused on iPhone, but the current era feels like it’s a Mac era. Also a focus on looking back to the past - MagSafe returns on M1 Pro/Max and M2 Air, colorful iMacs, boxed edges for iPhone 12 onward like iPhone 4&5, etc

[@darlinmanuelcasadoperez1092]

Great videos!

[@FredandGeorge]

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the pre-OSX eras. I was an 80s kid and I feel the same warm nostalgia for the beige boxes, black-and-white graphical interfaces, and rainbow logos of that time that younger folks do about aqua or early iOS.

[@999GNG]

wow! amazing video!!!

[@M_1_K_E_Y]

Flat and fun is my favorite

[@mneri84]

Wow as someone who’s owned some apple product from all of these eras, aqua was my favorite. But with apple silicon I think this gen has a lot going on for it.

[@CodingItWrong]

"Like everything, the Aqua era came to end in roughly 2007." Ah yes, the 2007 Apocalypse.