At Wallpaper*, we champion the design-led, forward-thinking and impeccably-executed. We’re always on the lookout for compelling creations – from objects and accessories to jewellery, fashion and tech – and aim to bring you pieces that subvert, surprise and delight.

In The Design Drop, we highlight the most striking objects to land that month, ranging from the intriguing and innovative to the simply beautiful. Read on to discover March’s standout pieces from our favourite brands and studios. Think of it as a wish list for the design-discerning: browse, admire – and, if tempted, acquire.

It’s half a century since Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, a tech-minded entrepreneur and a shy-minded computer engineer, emerged from the counter-cultural fug of San Francisco to found Apple Computer in the suburb of Palo Alto. With their shared passion for electronics, Dylan bootlegs and practical jokes, the two men pooled capital raised from the sale of an HP-65 calculator and a VW Bus to start Apple, with the official partnership agreement signed on 1 April 1976 in Mountain View, California.

From the outset, it was hardware that drove the Apple machine. The Apple 1, the personal computer designed by Wozniak and aggressively marketed by Jobs, was available as a kit ($50 for the main PCB) but also as a fully assembled machine, for $500 wholesale. Customers wanted the latter, which transformed Jobs’ house and garage in Palo Alto into a basic assembly line.

The rest is history, thoroughly burnished with retelling. The Apple 1, selling for $666.66 retail, was still rather ad-hoc, less polished and complete feeling than the rivals that started to emerge. It was time to step up. The Apple II, with a housing designed by local consultant Jerry Manock, was to be the first product from the new Apple Computer Co, officially incorporated in January 1977.

The computer was a runaway success, putting the nascent company on a firm financial footing and – crucially – served to reinforce Jobs’ belief that when it came to design, detail, and presentation, it was his way or the highway.

It’s salient to recall how many of the building blocks of the modern digital world have been laid by Apple, even if the company wasn’t always responsible for baking the bricks in the first place. Apple is a company of firsts and taking first dibs, from the graphical interface created at Xerox PARC that was to form the basis of Apple’s operating system and hence every icon-driven screen in the world (either a massive dropped ball by Xerox or a canny steal by Apple – according to his biographer Walter Isaacson, Jobs described it as both) to the barely disguised homages to Dieter Rams and post-war minimalism ushered into the public realm by Jobs and Jony Ive.

Over 50 years, Apple has set physical and aesthetic standards that others have had no choice but to follow. Inspiration might be the jumping off point, but it has always been perspiration that takes Apple above and beyond.

Now, more than ever, the company’s influence is felt. When Apple has a new idea, the world still sits up and takes notice. When Apple makes a (rare) misstep, the commentariat churns out millions of words to examine exactly what went wrong.

Unsurprisingly, the half-century has been substantially focused on hits, rather than misses. Every Lisa or Vision Pro is countered by literally billions of other devices. The iPhone alone has sold three billion units over 50 variants since its introduction in 2007. The MacBook, first seen in 2006, has sold in the hundreds of millions, with the newly launched MacBook Neo looking set to expand that reach still further.

Depending on the data, the Californian giant sits comfortably in the top ten of global companies by value, nestling alongside other titans of tech like Amazon and Alphabet. But while the latter are better known for their services, Apple has managed to retain the lustre of physicality, with its products acting as the ambassadors for the brand.

Apple has consistently demonstrated an uncanny genius at shifting the cultural conversation and rewiring our consumer desires. From the democratising principle of the first 1984 Macintosh, and its irresistible alignment with culture and creativity, through to the creation of the PowerBook, iMac, MacBook, iPod, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, Siri, Apple TV and Apple Music and now the Neo.

All of this has been stewarded with impeccable precision, ruled first by the iron fist of Jobs, partnered with the eagle eyes of Ive, and latterly by Tim Cook, who became CEO in 2011.

Unlike the eco-systems developed by many of its peers, Apple’s walled garden has remained consistently appealing to consumers, an experience that perpetuates the silky smooth, friction-free experience Jobs was so determined to provide from the outset. Although failures are few, Apple has never been afraid to pivot away from a wayward bet or switch back to its core focus when distraction threatens.

The much-hyped and hugely amortised Apple car project, for example, or the technically astonishing but content-starved Vision Pro, any number of UI or hardware missteps or even the sub-par first iteration of Maps, have all been diplomatically dispatched yet also thoroughly absorbed into the lore; the company never makes the same mistakes twice. Apple’s relatively light involvement with AI, which was initially dismissed as being too little and too late, is looking smarter by the minute.

The seamless confluence of hardware and software, a rigid house style for presentation and graphics, packaging, architecture and retail environments, from the multi-billion dollar Apple Park to a recyclable iPhone box, the devil continues to inhabit the details.

On top of this is a steely determination, if not to win friends, certainly to influence people, from journalists to fanboys, rivals to challengers, suppliers to governments. It was Apple that reshaped the music industry, that initiated the tap-to-pay methods used around the world, that broke Silicon Valley hegemony by building its own award-winning chips, that gave the smartwatch industry a flagship to aspire to. It is also Apple that is providing a benchmark for sustainable manufacturing in the shape of the Apple 2030 plan.

Apple is a behemoth in every sense. In 2025, the App Store alone saw over 850 million average weekly users around the world. Since 2008, Apple says that developers have earned over $550 billion on this platform. Annual hardware unit sales in the tens of millions make stated carbon neutrality targets a tough reach, but the company’s dominance over its supply chain makes it better placed than almost any other manufacturer in history to affect meaningful change.

So what of the next 50 years? An American company with global reach and near-universal admiration, Apple is also representative of the tentacles that are tightly wrapped around the global network of material supply, manufacturing, distribution and sales.

Apple doesn’t just facilitate interpersonal connectivity but demonstrates how geopolitics are integral to our current way of life. In an era of enforced reactionary behaviour and international isolationism, could our continued desire for technology help drive a less destructive path?

Apple.com, Apple.com/store

Behold the Apple MacBook Neo, Cupertino’s concession towards affordable computing for all. Not content with building the world’s most popular laptop in the MacBook Air – Apple’s own best-seller out of the 20 million-plus laptops it shifts each year – the company has now revealed a more affordable, youthful all-rounder as a way of making its stamp on the premium end of entry-level computing.

If you’re in the market for an educational discount, then MacBook Neo starts at a very reasonable £499, complete with base level 256GB of storage. Otherwise, it’s an extremely competitive £599 ($599 in the US). Unveiled alongside a smorgasbord of new hardware (and just two days after the new iPhone 17e) in a simultaneously global release event in London, Shanghai and New York, the Neo was the undoubted star of the show.

Partly this is down to the retention of its essential Apple-ness at a price point that slips well below the Air (which starts at £1,099). Aluminium chassis? Check. Thirteen-inch Liquid Retina screen? Check. Full quota of ports and a 1080p camera? Check. Not only that, the Neo comes in a couple of jazzy new colours and still manages to achieve a quota of 60 per cent recycled material.

That price point was greeted by whoops and cheers from the assembled Applerati at the company’s London HQ in the heart of Battersea Power Station. How has this quality- and detail-obsessed manufacturer managed to get beneath the price point of a high-end Chromebook?

The Neo promises the ‘magic of the Mac at a breakthrough price’, and its arrival was made possible by new manufacturing advances, particularly around the ways that new aluminium alloys are carved up to form the chassis of the laptop.

Unsurprisingly, Apple is tight-lipped about the exact nature of what it is the company has done to achieve these efficiencies (other than to acknowledge that ‘no, the Neo is not manufactured in America’).

The impressive specs keep on coming (although naturally not all will be available on the lowest price model); side firing Dolby Atmos enabled speakers, an A18 Pro chip, 16 hours of battery life and the optional Touch ID keyboard and 1TB of onboard storage. Engagement and interconnection with your iPhone has also been ramped up – you can cut and paste between the devices and operate the iPhone and its apps remotely.

To reinforce the youthful tilt of this most affordable of all Apples, the Neo comes in blush, indigo, traditional silver, and a new citrus finish, complete with matching Magic Keyboard and feet. The Multi-Touch trackpad is large and satisfyingly smooth, and the latest macOS Tahoe brings all the cross-app integration you need. It’s a bold move into the mass market for a company that has signalled an aloof premium status for way too long.

What else is new from Apple?

The other new devices on display were decidedly more premium. In addition to a new iPad Air, now powered by the M4 chip, Apple also debuted a new MacBook Air with the M5 chip, available as both 13-inch and 15-inch formats in sky blue, midnight, starlight, and silver, and the newest variants of the top-of-the-range MacBook Pros, now with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. The Pro comes as 14-inch and 16-inch variants – the latter can be maxed out to around £7,349 if you tick all the available boxes.

Finally, there’s the new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR. These exquisitely engineered monitors really cement Apple’s status at the peak of creative computing, with a new XDR model incorporating a new type of mini-LED backlit for maximum brightness and definition. An integral 12MP Center Stage camera is probably the most sophisticated webcam around, and the six-speaker Spatial Audio system is the icing on the creative cake.

All of the new Apple products are now available for pre-order.

Apple MacBook Neo, from £599, Apple.com

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch with M5, from £1,099, Apple.com

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch with M5 Pro, from £2,199, Apple.com

Apple Studio Display XDR, from £2,999, Apple.com

Smartphone season continues to bestow its riches upon a wearying consumer base, buoyed by the industry’s annual convocation in Barcelona for Mobile World Conference. It’s as good a time as any to unleash new style, silicon and feature sets on the world – we’ve rounded up three debuts of varying degrees of innovation.

Apple iPhone 17e

First up is the new Apple iPhone 17e, the much-anticipated mid-range variant of the current flagship iPhone 17 range. While the 17e doesn’t offer anything as seductive as the slimness of the iPhone Air, the ‘e’ designation usually representations a distillation of the best materials, features and performance into a much lower price point.

Apple iPhone 17e is no different. The headline here is the doubling of base-level storage to a generous 256GB. On top of this, hardware improvements include a faster and more efficient cellular modem (complete with access to Apple’s satellite-powered emergency comms features), the new A19 chipset, and 48MP Fusion camera capable of delivering 4K Dolby Vision video.

The new device also features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, brighter and tougher than before. The new colour range includes a soft pink (the handset hue of the moment) as well as black and white, and full compatibility with MagSafe and Qi2 for wireless charging and accessory connection.

Apple iPhone 17e, from $599 (256GB model), Apple.com

Honor Robot Phone

If the 17e represents peak simplicity and restraint, Honor’s new Robot Phone is one for the early adopters. Billed as ‘a new species of smartphone’, the Robot Phone gets its name through the integration of an ultra-compact robotic arm into the body of the smartphone. Equipped with gimbal system for image stabilisation, the little mechanical appendage is equipped with a high-quality camera system.

What are the advantages? No one else will have one, for a start. But the target market here is, of course, content creators, especially those who have become used to wielding gimbal-equipped cameras like the DJI Osmo range or after-market handheld devices like those sold by Insta360.

In addition to wielding the Robot Phone to capture smooth motion video, the AI-equipped folding arm can track movement during video calls (or track any other object), with 90-degree and 180-degree rotational movements, with triple-axis movement. The camera itself has a powerful 200MP sensor. In Honor’s words, the new phone ‘aims to close the gap between smartphone video and professional-looking storytelling’.

Finally, where would a modern robot be without a suite of anthropomorphised expressions? The armature has been programmed to exhibit what the company calls ‘emotional body language,’ embedded little nods and ‘head’ shakes into the device, as well as physical response to music. A gimmick, for sure, but in the novelty obsessed world of smartphone one-upmanship, a certain winner for some.

Honor Robot Phone, more information at Honor.com

FIFA x Motorola Razr Fold Limited Edition

From the sublime and the ridiculous to the passionate, Motorola is making the most of its allegiance with the FIFA World Cup 26. Heading up a shelf-load of co-branded devices in the FIFA World Cup 26 Collection is this, a limited edition of the flagship Razr Fold.

So how does this device bring you closer to the football action? Motorola has gone all out on both access and aesthetics. The former is covered by a T&C-laden promise of ‘Free FIFA World Cup 26 access’ which – given the price of tickets to the tournament – could be a way of skipping the queues and the tours (for the record, the disclaimed reads ‘Customers that purchase a Razr Fold within the FIFA World Cup collection may select a preferred FIFA World Cup match during the ticket redemption process, available on motorola.com from 13 April 2026’).

If a trip to North America is no longer on the cards, fans will still benefit from official wallpapers and ringtones, plus preloaded access to the licensed FIFA Heroes game. Matches themselves should look pretty good on the 8.1-inch folding display, and the whole ensemble is finished off with a tactile finish that mimics what Motorola calls the ‘textures and materials of the game’ (read leather boots and balls), with the faintly tainted bonus of an official FIFA logo.

All branding aside, the Razr Fold is an undeniably fine device, with Sony-powered cameras, support for the moto pen ultra and a large battery. Still, this is one for the collectors and serious fans.

Motorola razr fold, FIFA World Cup 26 Collection, £2,119.99, Motorola.com

Up until now, those wanting a dependable, pro-standard bundle of creative digital tools all in one place have had to contend with Adobe’s Creative Cloud. The subscription-only service, which debuted in 2013, brought together a bundle of Adobe’s industry-standard tools, with various tiers of access to replace the old model of buy once software.

Thirteen years ago, piracy was more rampant and the idea of a cloud-based subscription service wasn’t greeted with massive enthusiasm by Adobe loyalists. But the company stuck with it, encouraging early take-up with academic and student discounts. Users can choose between a single app subscription and the comprehensive Creative Cloud Pro, which bundles over 20 tools together, along with an increasingly wide library of AI-powered tools and capabilities.

Now Apple wants in on the act. This is Creator Studio, a new subscription-based way of getting the latest and most sophisticated versions of Apple’s creative toolset. There are two massive advantages over Adobe’s offering; the first is that many elements of Apple’s software suite can be used across multiple devices, syncing projects between your Mac, iPad and iPhone.

This rock-solid integration between software and hardware, processors and performance, suggests that Creator Studio will be reliable and consistent, dovetailed seamlessly with your existing Apple account. The second bonus is the tools themselves, with Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro the two stand-out apps.

Capable of doing everything from editing a 4K Hollywood production or producing a Grammy-winning album, the pair are an undeniable draw. Both apps have also been updated with new video-editing tools and AI-driven features in Final Cut, as well as intelligent features in Logic Pro.

New features include ‘Transcript Search’, which allows film editors to find the right snippet of dialogue via a text search. There’s also Visual Search, which lets you find footage by searching for a particular object, place or action.

Final Cut Pro introduced Beat Detection to facilitate cutting to a soundtrack, while an AI-driven Montage Maker function will swiftly comp together an edit from all your available footage. Apple Creator Studio includes Apple’s Motion, a tool for creating cinematic 2D and 3D effects, as well as Compressor for outputting video formats.

Logic Pro has been expanded with a new AI Session Player, Synth Player, as well as Chord ID, which uses AI to decode chord progressions and notation from audio or MIDI. There’s also an expansive new sound library of samples and loops, while Apple’s MainStage audio processing software is also part of the package.

Additional tools include Apple’s Photoshop rival, Pixelmator Pro, which also debuts on iPad for the first time with Apple Pencil support, as well as the company’s suite of ideation, presentation and document creation tools, Keynote, Pages, Numbers and Freeform.

Now that software subscriptions are a grudgingly accepted fact of modern life, Apple reckons Creator Studio will tap into the growing market for pro-level social media curation. As the tech brand of choice for huge swathes of contemporary content creators, Apple Creator Studio should have a readymade audience.

Apple Creator Studio is available from 28 January 2026, for £12.99 per month or £129 per year, Apple.com

Individual Mac versions of Final Cut Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage will remain available as one-time purchases on the Mac App Store

Summer 2025 marked the tenth anniversary of Apple Music, the streaming service launched as a direct rival to Spotify and Amazon Prime Music. Although it has around half the number of paying subscribers as Spotify (c95-100m users), Apple Music is deeply integrated into the company’s devices and operating system. It also has a rich streak of curation and promotion, demonstrated by the 24-hour Apple Music Radio service, with wide-ranging playlists and unique content.

All of this creativity needed a dedicated home. In 2025, Apple Music cemented its role as a cultural generator with the opening of a dedicated space in Los Angeles. Housing two state-of-the-art broadcast studios, a large performance soundstage and facilities for editing, podcasting and more, it has become a major destination for talent.

Located in an Eric Owen Moss-designed building in LA’s Culver City, the new Los Angeles studio is part of a growing network of Apple Music creative hubs – there are also facilities in Tokyo, Paris and Berlin, among other places, with plans for London and New York well advanced.

In addition to the latest technology, the studio complex also makes space for art and music memorabilia. Glass artist Katherine Gray’s Iridescent Motion and Light graces the main lobby, with its high-tech treated surfaces generating a series of sky tones to set the overall palette for the interiors. The lobby connects with the various studios via two gallery-style spaces, the A-List Corridor and Archive Corridor, both of which provide a backdrop of imagery and artwork from Apple Music collaborators and events.

With the studio now up and running, we spoke to Rachel Newman, co-head of Apple Music (with Ole Obermann) about the opportunities the new facility provides, as well as John De Maio, global head of workplace design & places at Apple, about the architectural and interior considerations that shaped the studio.

So what does the new studio give Apple in terms of reach and access to different recording artists? ‘Since launching (LA), we have had more than 300 artists through the doors,’ Rachel Newman says, adding that ‘the space itself is a true creative facility where artists have the opportunity to take over Apple Music Radio, perform a live show, record an interview, mix their music in Spatial or even host a fan event.’

This ability to editorialise in generous, dynamic surroundings has unsurprisingly found favour with artists. ‘We’ve opened the doors to artists to use the space in whatever way their hearts desire and it has already proven to be a total game-changer,’ Newman agrees.

As one would expect from an Apple project, technology is at the heart of the experience. The ability to work with Spatial Audio – for which a ‘halo’ of 20 speakers is required – while also concealing the cameras that film interviews, for example, shows how the design prioritises creativity without distractions.

‘Like everything at Apple, the experience is our focus,’ Newman explains. ‘The technology that goes into making something special is our bread and butter, but not something that ultimately matters from a customer POV. What matters is that it feels magical.’

According to Newman, Apple will continue to expand its ability to create content through such physical spaces. ‘We are committed to supporting artists, storytelling and providing a space for fans to connect directly, in person, with their favourite artists,’ she says, going on to highlight events that wouldn’t have been possible without this dedicated space, including ‘the Doja Cat album release party; Rap Life Review Live with a surprise performance by Clipse; a fan-only album release party for Taylor Swift and many other special events’.

Design lead John De Maio was tasked with giving shape to this realm, balancing the desire for a calm, creative space with the need to integrate technology and make it instantly accessible. ‘At its best, we believe that technology should amplify human creativity, experience and connection,’ he says. ‘We always approach the design of our spaces in the same way as we approach the design of our products; we start by asking, “How do we want people to feel?” It is so important that the spaces we create empower and inspire the people who use them.’

Across three storeys and 15,000 sq ft, the Los Angeles space runs the gamut from high-tech production areas to dressing rooms, a green room and gallery-like spaces. The presence of the underlying technology is amplified or reduced depending on the nature of each area.

‘For example, in some areas we’ve reduced the footprint of the cameras or speakers – or removed the standard overhead lighting grid – to create a more natural experience for artists,’ De Maio explains. ‘In other spaces, like the Spatial Audio mixing room, direct access to the equipment is critical to the artistic process, to how engineers and artists create, so it is on full display and immediately accessible.’

LA’s role as a centre of creativity – in music as in movies – was also considered. ‘We are always keeping our eyes firmly set on the future, but we also like to draw inspiration from the past where it’s relevant,’ says De Maio. ‘LA has such a vibrant music scene and culture of creative spaces… We wanted to add to that cultural legacy but also evolve it to meet people where they are, telling authentic stories through a series of diverse spaces.’

The third-floor green room is a case in point. Not just a time-honoured space for talent to ‘unwind’, it’s also a meeting room and a place for content creation. Apple Music’s ‘Sunset Sessions’ are shot here, with the Santa Monica mountains in the background.

‘At its core, the new Apple Music studio in LA was created to connect people all over the world around the culture of Music,’ says De Maio. ‘That meant designing an environment that embraces individuality, one that can change its personality to become an extension of the individual or content being shared within.’

Apple.com, Music.Apple.com, @AppleMusic

Native Union Voyage wireless charger

Native Union’s compact Voyage is designed for iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch. The magnetic wireless charger is a mains-powered clamshell device that folds away into a pocketable pebble-shaped unit.

Unfurl it and you have two Qi2 and MagSafe compatible pads upon which to rest the relevant devices. When folded, the Voyage doubles up as a perfect stand for Apple’s StandBy mode, with a spot to charge an Apple Watch as well.

Kuxiu X40 Turbo Charging Stand

A more conventional desktop charging stand, albeit in a vibrant shade of ‘cosmic’ orange, Kuxiu’s x40 Turbo is also wireless and foldable. The Z-fold design can charge three devices simultaneously – Watch, AirPods and iPhone.

With the latter, provided you have the iPhone 16 or above, the X40 turbo uses Qi2.2 25W wireless charging – it can take an iPhone 17 Pro to 50% in less than half an hour. The X40 folds into a compact puck for travel or for when full functionality isn’t required.

Gomi Forever Phone Case

UK-based tech firm Gomi is committed to longevity and full circularity, as seen in their Collection One Bluetooth speaker. Now the company has launched an iPhone case, suitable for all models from iPhone 16 upwards. According to co-founder Tom Meades, ‘the phone case industry is estimated to be worth around £25bn globally - by selling products that don’t last, to keep you buying more. It’s the definition of waste.’

The Forever case uses Gomi’s unique moulding system that ensures no two cases are ever alike, using 100% recycled materials made in the UK. The Brighton company also offers free repairs for life or will upgrade your case to match the newest phone for a small charge.

Arc Pulse Titanium Opal Damascus

The other end of the scale is represented by the Pulse Titanium Opal Damascus from Arc. This mouthful of a product from the Dutch company is squarely aimed at the premium end of the market, even though it shares the Gomi approach to individual, unique design. This time the singularity of each case is the result of using thin layers of super-heated titanium to form a billet that is then machined into the form of a case for iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Just 100 examples of the Pulse Titanium Opal Damascus will be made, each with its own presentation box. Arc also makes cases from aerospace-grade aluminium, but titanium – as used by Apple in its revolutionary 3D-printing process for the Apple Watch Ultra – is the ultimate flex.

Bionic Labs Magic Duo S Tray

French aluminium accessory specialists Bionic Labs have upgraded their Magic Duo tray to create the Magic Duo S. This slab of polished, machined aluminium holds both Apple Magic Keyboard and Trackpad in a space-saving stacked configuration that evokes the aesthetics and feel of a MacBook Pro on your desktop. Available for both the regular and full-size Magic Keyboard, each Magic Duo S Tray is formed from a single solid piece of aluminium.

Ugreen MagFlow power bank

A portable power bank, the Ugreen MagFlow’s USP is the ability to charge up to three devices, with an integral USB-C cable in addition to an extra USB-C slot and the wireless dock. In total, the MagFlow contains a 10000mAh battery pack (enough to put nearly two full charges into a 16 Pro Max) and there’s a handy screen showing available power reserve.

Aulumu C01 Apple Watch band

Although there are plenty of Apple-designed band available for the current generation of Apple Watch, aftermarket options have opened up the field even more. This new band from Aulumu, the C01, is carved out of aerospace-grade titanium.

Light and strong, the C01’s interlaced segments are coated with DLC (diamond-like carbon) for added durability, and a magnetic clasp. The C01 is available in titanium and black.

What follows is the ultimate package of the latest work from home essentials, a selection of kit with which to create the best equipped home office or even a small but stylish start-up.

From furniture and fittings through to thumb drives and keyboards, displays, diversions and even hot and cold air, read on for solutions for sitting, speaking, typing, heating, jotting, scribbling, watching, backing up and charging. Whatever your working methods, we hope you’ll find something here that fits the bill.

The Big Kit

SecretLab Magnus Evo Sit-to-Stand Desk

The jury might be out on whether standing desks offer quite the epic health benefit they originally implied, but there’s little doubt that changing it up every now and again does wonders for your posture. That’s the thinking behind SecretLab’s new Magnus Evo, a sit-to-stand desk that offers three (adjustable) pre-set positions as well as seamless cable management.

An integrated power supply column ensures that a single cable needs to reach from desk to socket, with a concealed cable management tray at the rear. Special magnetic zones and moveable accessories allow you to place stands, charge points and other components where they’re needed most, while the slender front edge contains an LED control panel to make the adjustments.

Secretlab Magnus Evo Sit-to-Stand Desk, US$749/£599/€699, SecretLab.co.uk

‘Velo’ chair by Andreu World

Benjamin Hubert’s design studio Layer has collaborated with the Spanish furniture manufacturer Andreu World to create the ‘Velo’ chair, which it describes as a next-generation task chair. The key components here are flexibility and low environmental impact, as well as a unique weight-activated mechanism designed to enhance posture and ergonomics.

The frame is made from recycled thermopolymers – and you can also select recyclable upholstery options – making the ‘Velo’ a simple, unfussy choice for a home office. The new chair, which follows on from Layer’s earlier ‘Calma’ chair, has a lightweight frame and can be specified with either a breathable mesh or upholstered fabric surfaces.

‘Velo’ chair, price on request from Andreu World, designed by LayerDesign.com, available from Andreu World stores worldwide

Shark TurboBlade Cool + Heat

A space-saving, ultra-efficient way of moderating your work environment, the newly launched Shark TurboBlade Cool + Heat combines a fan and heater in a single package. A slender column that can be easily stashed out of sight when not needed, the TurboBlade is intended to smooth out climactic peaks and troughs, with the ability to distribute hot or cold air as required.

The blades rotate into the horizontal position to maximise air flow – handy for layering an invisible blanket or breeze across a bed or sofa, for example.

The column unit provides pivoting and oscillating functions, while a thermostatic mode will maintain temperature automatically. Control is via a compact remote control (not an app, which must be a first for a modern device), and in use, the TurboBlade is quiet and unobtrusive.

It makes an excellent alternative to cumbersome air-conditioning units, and may even stave off the need to turn on the central heating – perfect for when working in just a small part of your space.

Shark TurboBlade Cool + Heat, £349.99, SharkClean.co.uk

Computing power

Asus ProArt P16 Laptop

Aficionados of fully loaded creative laptops – the kind that spend most of their life on a desk with only the occasional foray off in a backpack – will appreciate the Asus ProArt P16. The company’s current flagship, the ProArt P16 is built around a dedicated graphic chip, the GeForce RTX 40 Series, with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor.

Hardware includes a 16-inch OLED 4K touchscreen and the DialPad, Asus’ enhanced trackpad system. A plethora of ports includes an SD card reader, handy for digital cameras, and harmon/kardon audio with Dolby Atmos onboard. There’s up to 2TB of storage and 64GB of memory.

An alternative for the defiantly desktop-focused comes in the shape of the company’s expanded ProArt PC case range, which now includes wood finishes for the first time. Featuring FSC-certified woods, the new cases include onboard fans, built-in USB ports and glass side panels that offer easy access for maintenance and upgrades.

Asus ProArt P16, from £1,999, Asus.com

Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED Monitor

If you’re going down the laptop route you can replace or supplement your on-screen real estate with an additional monitor. Dell’s new 31.6-inch QD-OLED has a 3840 x 2160 display, as well as onboard 3D spatial audio with five integral speakers providing a total output of 25W. The monitor includes a host of additional connectors, including a neat pop-out forward-facing USB charge point for mobiles and other devices.

Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED Monitor, £535, Dell.com

Kuxiu X53 Hub Multifunctional Laptop Stand

Pair this laptop stand with a separate keyboard and you’ll have the best of both worlds. Kuxiu’s X53 multifunctional hub stand attempts to be all things to everyone with a feature-packed specification that makes it so much more than a mere place to stash your device.

The angled rear arm includes no less than eight slots for a variety of devices, ranging from SD readers (micro and standard), a headphone socket and USB A and C ports, along with HDMI.

Kuxiu X53 Hub Multifunctional Laptop Stand, £66, Kuxiu.co

Apple Mac Studio

We’d be remiss if we didn’t flag the Apple Mac Studio up as a serious option. Now powered by Apple’s own M3 Ultra processor alongside the M4 Max, Mac Studio remains the de facto choice for contemporary creative work. A synthesis of all that makes Apple so user-friendly and design driven, Mac Studio is more compact and powerful than ever before.

Apple Mac Studio, from £2,099, Apple.com

All the gear

Maono PD200W wireless dynamic podcast microphone

An increasingly important part of the office worker’s arsenal, the desktop microphone has evolved into multi-functional tool that’s handy for calls but essential for podcasts and presentations. First up is the Maono PD200W, which bills itself as the world’s first wireless dynamic podcast microphone. You can connect this device via USB, wireless or a regular XLR cable, with an onboard battery that’s good for 60 hours of use.

Sound quality is excellent, and the mic allows secondary devices to be plugged in for dual-channel stereo recording; add another conventional mic and you have an instant podcasting studio. The PD200W can also be connected directly to cameras and phones to boost signal quality for all kinds of content creation.

Three-stage noise cancellation helps focus on the voice, cutting out unwanted background noise. Available with a boom arm or regular desktop stand, this is a low-cost way of getting into higher-end audio.

Maono PD200W, from $99.99, Maono.com, Amazon.co.uk

Shure MV7i Smart Microphone & Interface

Shure’s MV7i is a step up in terms of quality. The well-established American manufacturer, which celebrates its centenary in 2025, is venturing into the all-in-one era with this new combination microphone and audio interface. The inclusion of a Combo XLR and ¼-inch input enables an instrument to be plugged in, sending two signal paths to a computer over the USB-C connection.

Shure provides their own (hefty) MOTIV app to manage recordings, although the app (both mobile and desktop) favours those with a simple set-up as the presence of other audio gear will soon get you into a tangle of cables and drivers. Nevertheless, this is a quality item, with sturdy all-metal construction and the undeniable support of decades of microphone expertise.

Shure MV7i, £359, Shure.com

Boox Note Air5 C

Boox continues its relentless assault on the e-ink market with yet another device. The new Note Air5 C brings colour ePaper to a 10.3-inch Android tablet, running version 15 of the OS in 6GB of RAM and with 64GB of storage. The optional keyboard cover (available as a bundle with the main tablet) transforms the slender tablet into a Chromebook with all the added benefits of the Google app eco-system.

Also new is an upgraded Pen3 stylus, which cleverly integrates storage of the consumable tips within the barrel and has a clip to keep it on hand. Pen3 further refines the handwriting experience, bringing e-ink and e-paper ever closer to the feel of writing on a traditional surface. It’s not there yet, but Boox’s big screen provides a fine place for scribbling, note-taking and reading.

Boox Note Air5 C, €529.99, Euroshop.Boox.com

Avolt Square 1 extension plug

Don’t neglect the wiring. While items like the Magnus Evo desk promise to contain the explosion of digital spaghetti, Murphy’s Law dictates there will always be a paucity of power sockets when you need to come to plug something in. Enter the Square 1 from Avolt.

An ultra-minimal extension socket, it packs three standard plug sockets and two USB-C sockets into a magnetised square cube. Available in a variety of colours, this is a simple solution to a perennial problem.

Square 1, £55, Avolt.com, @Avoltofficial

Cords power cables

The new Swedish design brand Cords wants to make technical accessories that are a cut above the usual disposable, cost-engineered rubbish. The company’s first collection, launched in November 2025, includes three power strips in five matching colours. Along with extension and USB cords and a cylindrical power bank.

The Circular C2, Cubical C1, and Squared S1 power strips all come with four sockets, as well as braided cables that can be adjusted in length. All use recycled plastic and the five core colours – Sand, Jet Black, Pale Pink, Electric Orange and Mist White – were inspired by Le Corbusier’s Architectural Polychromy, a palette of 63 unifying colours.

The power strips are joined by the E1 extension cord, the high-power capability of the A-1 USB-C power cable and the UX1, a cylindrical power bank that accommodates fast charging of 100W per port.

More information at Cords.com, @Cords

Sandisk Extreme Fit USB-C Flash Drive

When you absolutely need to take your data with you and nothing else, you need a brand and a product you can trust. Enter Sandisk, which has been in the business of data storage for decades.

The new Extreme Fit USB-C flash drive is a marvel of miniaturisation, even to those jaded by the relentless compression of data capacity into smaller and smaller devices. A tiny flash drive designed to be left in a lap, the Extreme Fit combines ultra-fast transfer speeds with up to 1TB of storage.

Sandisk Extreme Fit USB-C Flash Drive, from £12.99 for 64GB to £99.99 for 1TB, Shop.Sandisk.com and Amazon.co.uk

Diversions and distractions

InkPoster frame

We’re now digressing to explore diversions and distractions – call them inspiration if you like. InkPoster’s mission statement is to transform the delivery of artworks into your home, with a high-definition colour e-ink display screen that’ll shuffle your favourite artworks whilst acting like a standard picture frame. It’s taken years for the tech to mature to meet the company’s vision, and the low-power screen system will last for up to 12 months before it needs to be recharged.

While the company offers a curation service, you can also upload any image you like, sourcing collections from galleries, auction houses and image libraries would be half the fun. Available in three screen sizes – 13.3-inch, 28.5-inch and 31.5-inch – the InkPoster is controlled and updated via an app and can be hung either portrait or landscape.

InkPoster, from $499/£527, InkPoster.com, @InkPoster_official

POP Phone by Native Union

Colourful, curious and unashamedly old-fashioned, POP is Native Union’s playful attempt to bring back the old-fashioned art of talking to each other on the phone, rather than rely on voice messages or WhatsApp. The idea is simplicity itself – a traditional rotary phone handset that plugs into your mobile, laptop or tablet via USB-C and provides a high-quality microphone and speaker for a conventional call (or video call, if you must).

Live out your Mad Men/Dr Strangelove fantasies with the red unit, or choose from a kaleidoscope of candy colours.

POP Phone, £34.99, Native Union, NativeUnion.com, @NativeUnion

Ambitious targets call for ambitious technology. Behind the scenes, Apple is making huge strides along the road to its stated intention of becoming carbon neutral across its entire footprint, from production to material use and packaging to distribution. For consumers, the most obvious manifestation of this Apple 2030 goal is the shift in packaging design to incorporate as much recyclable – and recycled – materials as possible.

That hasn’t harmed the tactile experience of the ‘unboxing moment’ in any way, shape or form, nor has the gradual increase in recycled materials in the products themselves. For example, the MacBook Air enclosure is 100 per cent recycled aluminium, as is the Mac Studio, with the Air also using 100 per cent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets and 100 per cent recycled copper in the main logic board.

However, much of this important work is necessarily out of sight and out of mind for the consumer – recycled aluminium looks no different to the virgin material, while rare earth elements are buried deep within the devices. But there are other areas where material innovation, savings and efficiencies can play a major part, as well as help shape design.

Enter the Apple Watch Ultra 3, the newest flagship Apple wearable with material innovation that’s proudly laid bare. For the first time, the case of the Ultra 3, and that of the titanium Apple Watch Series 11, are made entirely via 3D-printing, using 100 per cent aerospace-grade recycled titanium powder.

The end result is a spectacular demonstration of how multiple strands of design and research came together to create change. First up, the 3D-printing process – devised and productionised by Apple’s own metallurgy team – uses half the titanium of previous generations of Watch Ultra, where the case was milled from a solid billet of the metal.

Instead, the Ultra 3 uses high-grade powdered recycled titanium, meaning there’s barely any wastage and what remains goes back into the production cycle. On top of this, the energy efficiency of the process has been dramatically reduced.

Focusing on a small element of a very premium product might appear to be a lot of effort for relatively minimal overall benefits. However, according to Sarah Chandler, vice president of Environment and Supply Chain Innovation at Apple, ‘we are now at the point where we are solving the hardest problems – we need to take some really big swings’. What starts with Apple Watch could soon be rolled out into other devices, with correspondingly larger savings.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. ‘We have a long history at Apple of designing with the environment in mind – it's one of our core values,’ says Chandler. Chandler and her team have devoted huge amounts of research and development into realising the new cases, describing the project as a ‘tremendously innovative 3D-printing process’.

‘Our hope is that [this] can really change the system, change the approach, change how products are made, and help lead the way for others,’ Chandler says.

Her colleague Kate Bergeron, vice president of Hardware Engineering, describes it as a ‘multi-year journey’. ‘In fact, if we want to go back to the nascent 3D-printing industry, I would say it’s been decades,’ she adds. In essence, the titanium powder is placed on an outline in layers of 60 microns.

A laser solidifies each layer before more powder is added, and the process repeated. ‘We have 900 layers in the UltraWatch, which is just insane,’ says Bergeron, pointing out that ‘we had to invent how we were going to make the parts and invent the material at the same time’.

The other challenge is scale. 3D-printed metal is not uncommon, but applications tend to be very high-end and specialised – think aerospace, military, Formula 1 – so to make the process work on ‘Apple scale’ is a big deal. Naturally, this new additive process has resulted in the same levels of surface quality that Apple Watch owners expect, but what they won’t be able to see are the innovations made possible by the new process.

‘In the Ultra, one thing that we were able to incorporate this time around was additional water sealing,’ says Bergeron. ‘We were also able to make the antenna windows interlock more effectively with the titanium, which we couldn't do using machining. I would say our industrial designers are already thinking about crazy and exciting things they can design that we would never have been able to make before.’

This same process is also being deployed under the skin in the iPhone Air, where a new titanium USB-C port enclosure was 3D-printed using the same method, helping achieve its impossible silhouette.

Apple is keen to stress this is systemic change, not just technology for the sake of it. ‘We are trying to find something that can really be an unlock,’ says Chandler. ‘We don't want to just do something once, we want to do it because it becomes the way the whole system works.’

‘We wouldn't develop anything like this as a one-off solution,’ Bergeron clarifies. ‘We look at 3D-printing as a roadmap to the future and so we are absolutely excited to take this technology and apply it in other places where it will make sense. Now that we have this in our toolkit… we can turn it into the next level of innovation.’

Apple Watch Ultra 3, from £749, Apple.com

Apple iPhone Air, from £999, Apple.com

The legacies of late Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will forever be linked, thanks to a certain black turtleneck. But the relationship between their respective companies was less about a work uniform and more about a mutual passion for design, innovation and freedom for the end-user.

That shared ethos is being celebrated today with the reveal of the iPhone Pocket, a clever wearable accessory from Apple and Issey Miyake. Made from a single 3D-knit sleeve, the stretchy pleated pouch is a playful way to carry your iPhone, AirPods, keys, chewing gum and other everyday essentials without the need for a bulky bag.

The limited-edition release, available in select markets online and in stores on Friday (14 November 2025), is a stylish new companion to Apple products. Depending on what length you choose, the iPhone Pocket can be worn over the shoulder, looped over a tote or simply hand-carried.

‘The way that people wear their products has been changing,’ Apple’s industrial design leader Molly Anderson tells Wallpaper*. ‘Your choice of phone and choice of accessories is a reflection of your style more and more.’

Anderson and her team had long been admirers of the Issey Miyake brand and had spent time in its Tokyo studio to better understand its philosophy and ways of making. The Issey Miyake team, too, paid visits to Apple Park in Cupertino, California. ‘There wasn't really an intention to make anything at all. We were just interested to speak to each other and see what was inspiring,’ Anderson says.

Invariably, though, a formal collaboration felt right. The iPhone Pocket grew out of a very simple question, according to Yoshiyuki Miyamae, designer of A-POC Able Issey Miyake: How can you wear an iPhone? ‘The iPhone is now present in almost every moment of our everyday life…We thought about how to make its presence more joyful and creative,’ Miyamae wrote in an email.

For its design, Miyamae and his team implemented a continuation of a pioneering concept that Issey Miyake introduced in 1998 – APOC (‘a piece of cloth’), in which garments are produced from a unified piece of 3D-knit fabric. Similarly, the iPhone Pocket relies on the APOC philosophy and resembles a long tube sock, with a slit in its middle. The simple design, though, belies the amount of R&D and experimentation required to get it just right. Everything, from the vibrant colour palette (the iPhone pocket will be available in eight hues) to the elegant translucent paper packaging, was considered.

Still, fun is part and parcel (pun intended) to the new product. As its user fills their iPhone Pocket, it will bulge, like a boa constrictor after lunch. ‘We were really charmed by this idea that it’s not only creating a shape which reveals its content, but it also allows people to peek in and see their phone screen,’ Anderson says.

Miyamae thinks the iPhone Pocket anticipates our relationship with technology in the future. ‘As we move forward, the tools and devices surrounding us will more than likely evolve towards a style that is more personal and sensory, into devices that can be easily worn,’ he said.

It’s also a way to connect both companies’ pasts with the present. ‘If Miyake had known about this project, I think he would have been delighted and said, "here begins a new possibility,”’ Miyamae added.

apple.com

Picking the right accessory to tally with Apple’s extraordinarily focused industrial design isn’t always easy. For every perfectly machined piece of aluminium, precisely bevelled edge and meticulously calculated radius, there are countless aftermarket add-ons that serve only to detract from, not enhance, the Cupertino touch.

Avoiding this clash of cultures was the impetus behind Bionic Labs, a Paris-based design studio founded by George Gibbens with the ambition of matching – even exceeding – the highest quality hardware with accessories and enhancements for the desktop. As Gibbens states, ‘good design should disappear into daily life’, and the output from Bionic Labs has tracked this ethos from the outset.

The first product from the Labs was a stand for the Apple Vision Pro, a carefully shaped object that started off as a 3D-printed titanium form, then was endlessly refined and revised until it resulted in the functional stand you see here. Capable of storing the headset, battery pack and neatly coiled cable, the base is made from matte-finished milled aluminium with the stand available in polished stainless steel. A black finish is also available.

Gibbens has expanded his portfolio to include vertical stands for the MacBook – useful when working with an external monitor and keyboard – and a dock designed for the highly-rated Apple AirPods Max over-ear headphones.

With the maxim ‘Make Something Wonderful’ in mind at all times, Gibbens has also shaped another pair of handy Mac accessories, the Magic Duo Tray and Magic Duo S Tray. These allow one to combine an Apple Magic Keyboard and Trackpad together in one unit, either stacked or horizontally, further decluttering the desktop.

Also coming soon is an all-aluminium Vision Pro Travel Case to go with the new Vision Pro Tray, an extravagant take on the desk tidy for Apple’s AR headset. Other items in the Bionic Labs catalogue include chargers and monitor stands, all sharing a unified, elegant aesthetic that shows Apple’s hardware at its best.

AirPods Max Charger, €185, Vertical Laptop Stand, €180, Apple Vision Pro Stand, €295, bioniclabs.org, @gobionic

At this year's Design Miami Paris, the design fair and Apple join forces to present the inaugural Designers of Tomorrow initiative, honouring four emerging practices whose work is 'powered by iPad', launched on the occasion of the new experiential iPad Pro with M5.

The exhibition showcases a range of media and craft techniques, demonstrating the ability of technology in assisting contemporary creativity and the process of making.

'At Design Miami, we’ve always championed the power of design to shape the way we live,' says Design Miami CEO, Jennifer Roberts. 'Apple shares this mission: its commitment to innovation and beauty has redefined everyday life, offering tools to create, inspire and impact. Designers of Tomorrow marks a highly significant collaboration, underscoring our mutual commitment to supporting and platforming the future of design.'

Designers of Tomorrow by Apple and Design Miami.Paris

The initiative is curated by former Design Miami Executive Director and AGO Projects founder Rodman Primack, who led a jury comprising of Aric Chen, Faye Toogood, Mathieu Lehanneur, Sabine Marcelis, Samuel Ross, as well as Design Miami CEO Jen Roberts and Apple Design Studio leads Alan Dye and Molly Anderson, among others.

The winners' works, created for the occasion, are shown at the Paris exhibition through a display curated by Primack, demonstrating how iPads integrate into their creative process. It is an opportunity to demonstrate how technology can enrich a designer's creativity and innovation and support their practice in the development of their work, from research to finalising a prototype.

'Designers of Tomorrow marks a unique collaboration between Apple and Design Miami that provides a remarkable platform for our four emerging talents, and there's no better stage to exhibit this debut initiative than Design Miami.Paris,' says Primack. 'The fair has a special relevance due to the history of design and craft that radiates from every corner of the city, and the same can be said of Apple’s design ethos. I hope visitors leave the exhibition inspired and committed to following the featured designers as they continue to build their careers and shape our lives through design.'

Atelier Duyi Han

Based in Shanghai, Duyi Han drew inspiration from anatomical diagrams, occult manuscripts and contemporary wellness interfaces for his Noetrigram v0.9 mirror. On one side, Han created an illustration featuring 'psychologically suggestive phrases, inspired by cognitive therapy, somatic mapping, and occult diagrams.' The work is embroidered into satin and based on anatomical and neuroaesthetic patterns. 'The cool white satin base emits a subtle glow, creating a quiet, gentle luminosity that enhances the interplay between figure and language, encouraging a moment of reflection,' reads a note introducing the work.

Jolie Ngo

Vietnamese-American designer Jolie Ngo's expressive ceramic works merge traditional techniques with new technologies to weave a novel visual language. For Design Miami, Ngo created two works, including Lantern Vessel in Between Worlds, inspired by Vietnamese silk lanterns recreated in 3D printed extrusions, and the dreamlike Table Lamp in Cherry Blossoms and Himalayan Salt.

Marie & Alexandre

Paris-based designers Marie Cornil and Alexandre Willaume of design studio Marie & Alexandre work on experimental interiors, most recently a refit of Apartment 50 at Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation. For this project, the pair worked extensively in glass, exploring new techniques, including thermoforming, to create modular objects and furniture, overlaying different colours to create new chromatic hues in the material.

Marco Campardo

London-based Italian designer Marco Campardo built on his series of playful furniture with a new round shape for his Jello collection. Designed to resemble 'an enormous block of butter', the whole collection was in fact inspired by Campardo eating toast and unwrapping a new block of butter, observing the patterns left by the paper.

Design Miami and Apple Designers of Tomorrow is on view at Design Miami.Paris, 22-26 October 2025

51, rue de l’Université, 75007 Paris, France

Over-ear headphones may still offer the richest, most immersive listening experience, but there are moments when scale and circumstance demand something smaller. Enter the new generation of wireless in-ear headphones: compact, precisely engineered, and increasingly sophisticated in both form and function.

It’s been nearly a decade since Apple’s first AirPods ushered in the era of untethered listening – an innovation that transformed how we move through the world with sound. Early iterations were imperfect, often prone to sound leakage and inconsistent audio quality, but the category has since evolved dramatically.

Today’s leading models pair airtight comfort with advanced noise cancellation, refined acoustics and smart design, though their diminutive proportions still impose practical limits – namely battery life, with most offering under eight hours of continuous playback before a recharge is required. Silicone and foam tips now deliver a more tailored fit and impressive sound isolation, though some listeners may still find prolonged wear less than effortless.

What we’ve tested

In this article, we’ve tested a selection of the best in-ear headphones, looking at elements such as comfort, sound quality, design, charge case, performance, software, and compatibility; every product has undergone extensive testing, and meets a quality benchmark that means we’re happy to recommend them to you.

Running Spotify Premium on the latest Android and iOS devices, we’ve tried out the following in-ear headphones:

• Apple AirPods Pro 2
• Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Eleven
• Bose QuietComfort (2nd Gen)
• JBL Tour Pro 3
• Nothing Ear
• Sony WF-1000XM5

Whether you’re looking for the highest degree of comfort, a secure fit, ultimate sound quality, or the most effective active noise cancelling (ANC), these in-ear headphones provide an excellent choice, whatever your needs.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)

Apple AirPods Pro 2

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Eleven

Sony WF-1000XM5

JBL Tour Pro 3

Nothing Ear

Apple Watch Ultra 3 or Apple Watch Series 11? We've tried out both new iterations of Apple's iconic smartwatch, starting with the premium features and forward-thinking tech of the Ultra 3. The watch’s black or ‘natural’ titanium case remains a hefty 49mm, now produced using a 3D-printing process from recycled material, but screen real estate has been increased. Its borders have been slimmed by almost a quarter, giving more usable display area without increasing the case size.

The new LTPO3 wide-angle OLED face also pushes brightness up to 3,000 nits and improves legibility when viewed at an angle, a plus for trail runners and the like who want to take in what they need with a passing glance and avoid running into a tree. A more quotidian advance is the drop of the always-on refresh rate to one second. This means that for the first time, an Apple Watch can show a proper, ever-present ticking seconds hand, a small but oddly transformative shift.

The big news for those planning to get truly remote is that Ultra 3 is the first Apple Watch with built-in satellite communications, letting you send emergency SOS messages, share your location through Find My, or even, in the US at least, exchange short texts when you’re beyond cellular range.

Apple first tested this capability on iPhone, then miniaturised the antenna and radio to fit into a 49mm case. It’s an innovation that, along with its now-100m water-resistance, MIL-STD toughness testing and the Action button’s quick-access emergency siren, boosts the watch’s adventure sports bona fides. Ultra 3 also offers athletes finer GPS accuracy, new cycling metrics, and the ongoing partnership with Oceanic+ for dive tracking.

Battery life has always been the Ultra’s biggest advantage over the standard Apple Watch, for civilians and all but the most ultra of ultra runners, and the third generation stretches that advantage further. Apple claims up to 42 hours of daily use, or 72 hours in Low Power Mode. That puts it comfortably ahead of the Series 11, which does now reach a full 24 hours for the first time.

Charging is also faster. The Ultra 3 delivers 12 hours of runtime from just 15 minutes on the charging puck, and a full charge in about an hour. That speed makes features like sleep tracking easier to commit to. A quick top-up before bed is now enough to carry you through the night.

Apple’s S10 chip also brings smoother graphics and better integration with watchOS 26’s new, love it or loathe it, Liquid Glass OS. Ultra 3 also comes with a couple of new Ultra-only watch faces, including the natty and useful Waypoint which allows you to place custom location markers around a rotating compass.

Apple has long pitched the Watch as both fitness coach and health monitor, and the Ultra 3 and the new Apple Watch 11 lean further into both roles. The headline addition is hypertension notifications, a background algorithm that analyses heart sensor data over 30 days to flag signs of chronic high blood pressure. Apple expects it to alert over a million users in its first year. Alongside this comes Sleep Score, a new 0–100 rating that promises to distil complex data into a simple rating of overnight rejuvenation.

For training, there’s also now Workout Buddy, Apple’s first step into AI coaching. It delivers personalised prompts and encouragement mid-session, tuned to your heart rate, pace and past performance. It’s less drill-sergeant than chirpy running mate and keeps coaching conversational and human rather than prescriptive. Possibly even more useful in OS26 is the ability to create custom Watch workouts on your iPhone’s Activity app, rather than fiddle about with inputting on the watch face.

Apple Watch Series 11: the pragmatic choice?

Apple Watch Series 11’s design carries over the slim, lighter form of last year’s Series 10. Aluminium models use a new Ion-X glass that is twice as scratch-resistant, while titanium options maintain sapphire toughness. Like the Ultra, it now offers hypertension notifications, Sleep Score, and Workout Buddy, all powered by the S10 chip.

With 5G built in and a brighter LTPO3 display, the Series 11 is less about transformation than about polishing the Apple Watch’s obvious credentials, discreet of design, adaptable, slip-under-the-cuff slim and, positioned between Ultra 3 and the SE3, still the ‘Goldilocks’ option for most.

Apple Watch Ultra 3, from £749, Apple.com

Apple Watch Series 11, from £369, Apple.com

Alongside Apple’s recent autumn product launches – the iPhone Air, the iPhone 17 lineup, the AirPod Pro 3, and a trio of Apple Watches, as well the new 'Liquid Glass' feel of iOS26 – arrived one more thing: an ensemble of prismatic polyester resin, frosted coloured glass, and clear acrylic installations designed for Apple Park’s Observatory by colour and light impresario, Sabine Marcelis.

Sharing an obsession with flawless surfaces, the Rotterdam-based artist and designer has conjured a dynamic kaleidoscope of interactive influencer-friendly tableaus for The Observatory (opened in 2024 as a new space to showcase the brand's latest innovations), bending light and reflecting colour into corners of the subterranean sanctum. The contemplative inner space now glows as an improved stage for selfies.

Beyond offering a palette of colours redolent of Apple’s new products – Cosmic Orange, Mist Blue and Lavender – Marcelis says Apple’s Industrial Design team granted her full autonomy ‘to explore and experiment’. Informed by these newest hues, Marcelis created glass colours digitally in Photoshop, with resin components mixed manually with pigments.

‘It's a constant back and forth for me between physical prototyping and digital prototyping,’ explained Marcelis. The artist and designer credits a seamless pipeline between iOS- and macOS-powered devices for collaborative efficiency among her eight-person team. ‘We work in Rhino, KeyShot, Adobe suite and iMessage to communicate ideas throughout development with each other,’ she says.

Leveraging Apple’s advances in digital imaging with the iPhone, each final colour was reviewed for accuracy through the iPhone’s imaging sensor. ‘We took photos with flash to see how the resin would photograph, as the human eye sees resin as whiter,’ says Marcelis, describing the process of manifesting intent into material. ‘But the iPhone captures its purple undertone, which is the true observation and colour spectrum.’

The glow-up extends outside the doors of The Observatory, with a sculpture by Marcelis positioned among a field of native Californian grasses planted across a gentle slope along the Apple campus, operating as both a prismatic sundial and a waypoint marker at the crossroads between The Observatory, the Steve Jobs Theater, and Apple Park itself.

Echoing her 2018 Solo Sundial for watchmaker A Lange & Söhne, Marcelis’ Sundial sculpture for Apple Park is composed of mirror, coloured glass, and powder-coated steel. An ancient instrument reimagined as a nod to Apple’s latest light-bending iOS 26, it transforms the golden Cupertino light into shifting chromatic shadows.

Marcelis’ practice, which fuses material experimentation with a precise finesse, mirroring Apple’s micrometre-measured efforts to realise a single, seamless ‘slab of glass’, has infused a light-hearted, yet precise presence into the minimalist subterranean space of The Observatory. With these installations, Apple and Marcelis together propose architecture, technology and art as a luminous addition to the Apple campus experience.

Sabine Marcelis at Apple Park

A domestic set anchored by a languorous length of seating – a ‘Lisse’ sofa for La Cividina paired with an oak ‘Dew’ table for Arco, both by Marcelis – presents the familiar form of a living room. But the room quickly unmoors: the designer's ‘Soap Columns’ in polyester resin catch daylight, ‘Mini Lenses’ scatter colour, and a large glass slab piece shifts as guests move past.

A procession of chromatic gradient glass sculptures is flanked by resin-lens forms composed of three layers of chromatic gradients – representing, naturally, the silhouettes of iPhones.

Apple.com, SabineMarcelis.com, @Sabine_Marcelis

Equipped with three advanced 48MP Fusion cameras, Apple’s just-debuted iPhone 17 Pro Max is a marked improvement when it comes to photography. The freshly integrated 4x and 8x-zoom Telephoto rivals the capability of most midrange DLSRs available today. Showing what these features can do are new photo series by renowned artists Inez & Vinoodh, Mickalene Thomas, and Trunk Xu; the first images captured with the new phone.

Opening in New York this week – just in time for the release of the next-gen device – the 'Joy in 3 Parts' exhibition puts these works on full display and in dialogue with each other. Curator Kathy Ryan – the former director of photography at The New York Times Magazine – worked closely with the talents to treat the theme of joy. The results are as varied in subject matter as they are technique.

Inez & Vinoodh

Dutch-American duo Inez & Vinoodh took an unexpected direction. Noted photographers, such as Sally Mann, take pictures of their children but few continue to do so as they get older. Choosing to depict a love story – that of their 20s something son and his girlfriend – the artists broke with the convention. For them, there’s been joy in seeing their offspring experience romantic love for the first time, much like they once did.

The Think LOVE. pentatych (five image) installation unfolds with black and white portraits of each protagonist on either side, flanking three distinct scenes of them visiting Marfa, Texas. Another key element is the red fabric that the pair uses in different ways. In one instance, the 'veil' covers them as they embrace. The composition nods to Gustav Klimt's 1907 The Kiss painting but what’s most striking is the crispness of the textile, captured true-to-form thanks to the iPhone’s advanced HDR setting.

In one scene, the lovers are pulling the fabric behind them. Just as the photo was shot, the sun appeared from behind clouds. The image takes on a transcendent quality, highlighting the power but also fragility of nature, another underlying focus of the series.

'Our work, however well planned, depends on improvisation,’ says Inez van Lamsweerde. ‘The delicate exchange with our subjects at the moment is key to our process. The iPhone's immediacy and intimacy while preserving the highest photographic quality, has been a game-changer for us.’

Mickalene Thomas

Best known for her rhinestone-adorned portraits of Black women, multidisciplinary artist Mickalene Thomas chose to express joy by capturing the ‘life’ that activates Fort Greene Park. The Brooklyn, New York greenspace is close to her home and where her daughter participates in a Double Dutch jump rope group.

By the very impromptu nature of using the iPhone – rather than a traditional camera that’s heavy and often supplemented with a lot of external equipment – she was able to take off-the-cuff portraits of Black residents at leisure. Included are black and white photos of dancers practicing choreography and a couple cuddling in a hammock.

'Too often, African Americans are seen through the lens of labor and endurance,' says Thomas. 'This work counters that narrative, exploring rest as a form of resistance, power, and self-reclamation. It asks: what happens when we are allowed to simply be? I envision a world where rest is not a reward, but a right; where softness is not weakness, but a radical form of power.'

The expectation of having to pose was removed from the equation; the interaction between photographer and subject was more immediate and so, the resulting depictions are far more honest and authentic.

'The iPhone allowed me to document fleeting, personal moments of quiet and connection, its accessibility making space for spontaneity,' she adds. ‘In this way, the process itself became part of the message.'

Trunk Xu

In contrast to Thomas’ approach, Chinese artist Trunk Xu chose to stage his five images. It made sense given his aim of celebrating social media culture; our need to capture and share almost every moment of our lives.

'The iPhone and its accessibility has transformed the culture of photography,' he says. 'For me, the iPhone has unlocked a profound joy: the ability to document the world as it is now, an active participant ready for its moment.'

Focusing on Los Angeles as an ever-unfolding yet emblematic backdrop, Xu shot his compositions at iconic locales: a notable skatepark, the Santa Monica Pier, and a ubiquitous motel room. Some of the photos feature multiple individuals, each involved in a different facet of their daily life: a couple kissing while others walk by; a mother suntanning and taking a selfie while her daughter, standing up in an inflatable swimming pool, looks straight up at the camera. The photo is shot from above.

There’s a degree of self awareness in each image; amplifying the idea that we’ve all become accustomed to being photographed often, thanks in part, to the proliferation of the iPhone – first launched in 2007 – and the convenience of its professional-grade camera.

It’s early September, which means all eyes are trained on Cupertino to see what tech delights Apple has in store for us this year. With the much-vaunted Liquid Glass theme in iOS 26 already in play, there was much speculation that hardware would get a similar level of attention come Keynote time.

Apple iPhone Air

The speculation is over: welcome to the iPhone Air. Clearly the thinnest iPhone ever made, it’s also being touted as one of the most durable and powerful, thanks to enhanced materials front and back, a full suite of Apple-designed silicon and a massive 6.5” screen.

Just 5.6mm thick, Apple has crammed a lot into the titanium-framed device, including a new Centre Stage front camera, a single lens system that combines AI processing and a 48MP Fusion camera system to deliver the equivalent of four different lens systems in just one unit.

Power management is handled in part by an adaptive mode that intelligently conserves power based on your typical daily usage patterns – Apple reckons the Air’s battery is good for all-day usage. More space has been saved by adopting an eSIM-only design, and there are two custom cases – a MagSafe one and the slim Bumper case – to keep this jewel-like device safe.

One accessory that could prove invaluable is the slender MagSafe battery, which clips to the back of the device, providing enough power to run up to 40 hours of video playback.

Apple iPhone Air, available in space black, cloud white, light gold, and sky blue, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB options are available, from £999, Apple.com

Apple iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max

Also making their debut were the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, alongside the ‘regular’ iPhone 17. Both phones are powered by Apple’s own A19 Pro chip and include three 48MP Fusion cameras (Main, Ultra Wide, and a new Telephoto). The unibody enclosure is designed for strength and thermal efficiency and with space for the largest ever iPhone battery ever installed. The device will surely need it, as it’s also the most powerful iPhone ever made.

The 6.3” Pro and 6.9” Pro Max also incorporate the Centre Stage front camera system, capable of recording video at up to 4K and with a sensor large enough to take a landscape selfie without rotating the device. The new chipset makes the most of AI-enabled features and the dynamic graphics of iOS26.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro, available in cosmic orange, deep blue, and silver, in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB editions, from £1,099, Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max also includes a 2TB option, from £1,199, Apple.com

Apple iPhone 17

The standard iPhone model tends to be the most popular, without the price premium of the Pro models or the (few) compromises of the new Air. Technology’s relentless march forwards means the iPhone 17 now starts with double the storage of the old base model, 256GB, and there’s also a 512GB option.

The five colours - black, lavender, mist blue, sage, and white – are very fashion forward and durability has also been improved. The base model gets the same enhanced Centre Stage front camera as its siblings, and the Super Retina XDR display measures 6.3”.

Apple Intelligence also takes on more features and functions that ever before – a fact that’s common across the new range.

Apple iPhone 17, from £799, Apple.com

Apple Watch SE 3

The entry level Apple Watch moves on to the SE 3 edition. Improvements include an always-on display, 18 hours of battery life and onboard 5G cellular capabilities. Sleep score is a new metric in the SE 3’s arsenal of health tracking stats, along with enhancements to the Workout app and on-device access to Siri.

Apple Watch SE 3, from £219, Apple.com

Apple Watch Series 11

Power users will appreciate the updates that underpin Apple Watch Series 11. Now boasting 24-hour battery life (up from 18 hours on the Apple Watch Series 10), along with greater durability and 5G cellular, the Series 11 comes in 42mm and 46mm sizes, with finishes including jet black, rose gold, silver, and space grey aluminium, in addition to polished titanium in natural, gold, and slate.

The Hermès edition comes in both sizes with a silver titanium finish. In addition to a Nike fitness band, Apple has also brought out a new colour palette. Health remains the innovation space for Apple Watch, and Series 11 gets updates that include Hypertension Notifications for heart monitoring, a more interactive Sleep Score system and the new Workout Buddy.

Apple Watch Series 11, from £399, Apple.com

Apple Watch Ultra 3

The ultimate smartwatch remains the Ultra model, which now becomes the Apple Watch Ultra 3. Key additions include satellite connectivity (with two years subscription to the Globalstar satellite service included), along with GPS, 5G, diving-grade water resistance up to 40 metres and 42 hours of regular use between charges.

Apple Watch Ultra 3, from $799, Apple.com

Apple AirPods Pro 3

Finally, Apple revealed the new AirPods Pro 3. Combining Active Noise Cancellation with three-dimensional audio, the Pro 3 incorporates new microphones and better awareness of conversation and background noise to provide an extremely high-quality calling and listening experience.

AirPods can now track your heart rate and other fitness metrics, as well as provide a ‘scientifically validated’ hearing test and an enhancing Hearing Aid facility. Apple Intelligence also powers the Live Translation feature that allows two AirPods Pro 3 users to have a simultaneously translated conversation.

Apple AirPods Pro 3, from £219, Apple.com

The short but intense history of tech has spawned a new era of collectibles, with items and objects associated with pioneers and trailblazers becoming increasingly sought after. A new sale at RR Auction has assembled around 200 lots drawn from Silicon Valley’s formative years, with a special focus on the early days of Apple.

Lots from the sale, Steve Jobs and the Apple Revolution, can be seen on RR Auctions’ website and include brand new, sealed examples of classic Apple tech as well as a fully functioning ‘museum quality’ Apple-1, plus countless items of computing ephemera like cheques signed by the early Apple team. We’ve put together a selection of our favourite items.

Lot 6010, Apple-1 Computer, 1977

One of just 200 units ever made, this example of the original Apple-1 has been fully restored and is completely operational. The casing has been signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and early employee Daniel Kottke, with the circuitry and keyboard mounted on a walnut slab. Originally sold in Rochester, NY, and then exported to Germany, it’s considered the first Apple product ever used outside of the USA.

Lot 6026, Apple Lisa with Twiggy drives and accessories, 1983

This rare early example of the Lisa includes dual 'Twiggy' floppy drives, ProFile hard drive, mouse, keyboard, and the original software. Originally sold at $9,995 – plus the cost of the peripherals – the Lisa was a slow seller but a forerunner of the Macintosh.

Lot 6064, First Generation 4 GB iPhone, 2007

A factory-sealed original iPhone, one of the first of what is now a 3-billion-strong cohort of iconic devices. The first-generation model sold for $499 for the cheapest 4GB model when it launched on 29 June 2007. The 4GB model was discontinued after a few months, making it one of the rarest of all iPhones. The phone had a 3.5” screen with a resolution of 320 x 480 and 128MB of memory.

Lot 6075, Prototype iPod Classic

Another early example of a once ubiquitous device, this iPod Classic Prototype is dated 2001, ahead of the original model launch in November of that year. It wasn’t until the sixth generation iPod in 2007 that the scroll-wheel model was dubbed the ‘Classic’. This was the last iteration of this legendary form factor which ceased production in 2014.

Lot 6159, Altair 8800 Computers

Also included in the sale are these two Altair 8800 units, complete with original disc drives and a collection of documentation, magazines and promotional materials. Designed in 1974 and usually sold as a kit, it was one of the most influential early home computers.

Steve Jobs and the Apple Revolution, RRauction.com

The dopamine hit we get from music fires up the same neurotransmitters that get excited by food, art, and sex. Some people want bass with weight and impact, whilst others prefer the ability to pick out every instrument and audio detail with absolute clarity. This makes choosing the right audio equipment a deeply personal experience, and that’s before you even factor in elements such as price, design, build quality, fit, technical specifications, and your preferred sound signature.

With this in mind, we’ve tested a selection of the very best over-ear headphones available today. Each offers something distinct – be it the precision of their noise cancellation, the breadth of their soundstage, or seamless integration with your mobile device of choice. All meet the highest quality benchmarks, but we’ve focused on what each model does best – while also noting where they might fall short, depending on your specific needs.

How we tested

All of the headphones in this article have been subjected to hands-on testing, using the latest PD10 player from Astell&Kern as our benchmarking audio source. 'Garbage in, garbage out' is never truer than when it comes to testing headphones, and the PD10, with its ability to physically separate digital and analog signal processing, ensures that the quality of our source is as good as it could possibly be.

The PD10 supports native playback of high-resolution files up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and DSD512, which means it’s more than capable of streaming HiRes FLAC files (at a maximum 24-bit/192 kHz resolution). And, whilst headphones that connect via Bluetooth will always compress audio, most of the headphones featured in this guide also support fully-lossless listening.

What we’ve tested

Running the Tidal app on the Astell&Kern PD10 player (bringing in other devices where relevant), we’ve tested the following over-ear headphones:

• Sony WH-1000XM6
• Bose QuietComfort Ultra
• Apple AirPods Max
• Bathys MG
• Sennheiser HD 800 S

And whether you’re looking for the most effective active noise cancelling (ANC), the most comfortable headphones for long journeys, the best open-backed headphones for home audio, or those that excel beyond music listening, we’ve got you covered.

Sony WH-1000XM6

Bose QuietComfort Ultra

Apple AirPods Max

Focal Bathys MG

Sennheiser HD 800 S

An ode to affordable furniture

Nick Vinson, Contributing Editor

This week was pretty special. After lunch with artist Dame Rachel Whiteread to celebrate the launch of her collection for Puiforcat Silver Set 2025 (more about that in a future issue of Wallpaper*), I headed to Antwerp for dinner with Inditex chair Marta Ortega Pérez and Vincent Van Duysen at the architect’s home to mark the launch of his fourth collection for Zara Home. Van Duysen filled his home with pieces from the collection, including rugs, sofas, tables, a desk, lamps and some fabulous cream-coloured carpets, and the garden with the outdoor collection. It’s good to see the brand hiring original talent and creating quality products with enduring appeal, and Van Duysen should be proud of this line of more ‘democratic’ and ‘accessible' furniture than that in his Italian collections. I have to admit I was slightly sceptical as I am not at all familiar with Zara Home, but instead was suitably impressed; there is a need for quality at a better price and design that will stand the test of time.

A Brooklyn food tour

Anna Solomon, Digital Staff Writer

A trip to manic Manhattan, which entailed as much sight-seeing as could be fitted into five days, ended with a much-needed escape to Brooklyn to visit a couple of friends with a knack for sniffing out great restaurants that have not yet been ravaged by a New Yorker review. Kellogg’s Diner in Williamsburg was their answer to my unimaginative demand for this quintessential American experience – a 24-hour spot originally opened in 1928 but taken over by chefs Jackie Carnesi and Amanda Perdomo at the end of last year. Now, obligatory pancakes sit comfortably alongside Tex-Mex at a bafflingly reasonable price point, among decor that tastefully reinterprets retro Americana. Beloved bistro Bar Tabac is an antique-filled slice of France in Cobble Hill, with live jazz and a chocolate fondant that will change your life, while Liar Liar, a natural wine bar in Gowanus (The New Yorker did get to that one), will serve you a fantastic steak frites and bottle of red at a price point that is, again, double take-inducing if you’ve come from Manhattan.

A moon-inspired omakase

Ellie Stathaki, Architecture and Environment Director

An evening at Luna Omakase in the City of London had me fall in love with this traditional Japanese feast all over again – ‘omakase’ loosely translates to ‘I leave it up to you’, and it's often a multi-course set menu prepared in front of you by an expert chef. The younger sibling of Juno Omakase, Luna is tucked away within Los Mochis in Liverpool Street and, just like its peer, offers a delicious, theatrical and immersive dining experience. Luna's concept is centred around the moon cycles; the number 12, symbolising the moon's journey throughout the year, informs the number of guests at any one sitting, the dishes served, the artworks in the room, and more. Executive chef Leonard Tanyag and his team have created a dining journey that nods to more traditional Japanese omakase (compared with Juno's Mexican-Japanese fusion) – there is mouthwatering nigiri (seafood, fish and melt-in-the-mouth wagyu), creative uses of wasabi, and contemporary interpretations of Japanese snacks and sandwiches. The flavours were strong, as my sitting aligned with June's 'strawberry' full moon, and the chef’s informative explanations for each dish made for a convivial atmosphere. Coming with bespoke sake pairings, it was a meal I truly savoured.

A techy trip

Jonathan Bell, Transport and Technology Editor

A busy week that involved not one but two trips to the US, starting with a visit to Big Sky, Montana, to sample Bentley's revised and updated model range, before heading to California (via London) to Apple's WWDC25. It was my first time at Apple Park and the experience didn't disappoint, with Foster + Partners’ stunning architecture – including the new Observatory – standing up to very close scrutiny. The attention to design detail was mind-blowing, appropriately enough for a company devoted to pixel-perfect perfection.

A music-infused anniversary

Charlotte Gunn, Director of Digital Content

I spent a fabulous evening celebrating 150 years of Audemars Piguet in London on Wednesday. Along with a dinner from Michelin-starred chefs Jeremy Chan and Sven Wassmer, the haute horologie brand had a surprise in store. As an extension of their AP x Music programme, they paired Mark Ronson and Raye together to record an original song. The result is ‘Suzanne’, a joy-filled summer anthem, and much to guests' delight, the pair appeared to perform the song.

A garden-inspired tea

Sofia de la Cruz, Travel Editor

I recently enjoyed a soothing and delicious afternoon tea at Jumeirah Carlton Tower, celebrating the launch of a new partnership with Cadogan Gardens in Knightsbridge – a private, verdant enclave in front of the property, home to over 5,000 diverse plants. The flavours and aromas of traditional English gardens were beautifully reflected in delicate pâtisseries, including an indulgent lavender chocolate barquette and a comforting strawberry honeycomb tart. Classical music played softly in the background set the mood perfectly.

A very east London summer party

Anne Soward, Production Editor

This week, I attended the Museum of the Home’s summer party, which celebrates the incredible work that the east London museum does over the year. It was a beautiful warm evening to be out in its stunning walled garden (actually a series of ‘garden rooms’ that chart the evolution of the English urban garden through the centuries), where we were treated to performances from Yuko Tsubame – who accompanies her Japanese folk songs infused with punk with the sounds of a sanshin, a traditional three-stringed instrument – and taiko drummer Akinori Fujimoto. Inside, we were able to get a private view of images from the World Food Photography Awards that explore the connections between home and food, which tied in nicely with the delectable morsels being plated around the party, including vegan spring rolls from local Vietnamese Sen Viet and mini bagels from Daniel’s. A DJ set from Minuscule of Sound rounded off the evening.

Jewels in Japan

Hannah Silver, Art, Culture, Watches and Jewellery Editor

This week I celebrated the launch of Chanel's beautiful new high jewellery collection, Reach for the Stars, in Kyoto. It was a joy to discover the collection, see some very special sights and enjoy lots of good food. The trip culminated with a spectacular dinner at Shogunzuka Seiryuden, complete with a drone light show, drawing Gabrielle Chanel’s favourite motifs in the sky.

Apple WWDC25

Apple didn’t invent the touchscreen interface, but it arguably perfected it. The combination of the original 2007 iPhone’s multi-touch 3.5” screen (with its 320‑by‑480 pixel resolution) with the original OS 1 marked a paradigm shift in mobile devices, one that still resonates today. From that moment It changed the way people interacted with screens, big and small, ushering in an era of scrolling, pinching, zooming and swiping.

Regardless of whether there’s a genuine smartphone killer lurking in the wings, the device as we know it is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Estimates suggest there are over 6 billion smartphones in use in the world; at least one billion of those were made by Apple.

So any change to the status quo is going to draw attention. June 9th saw the reveal of iOS 26, a generation skipping OS update (iPhones currently run iOS 18.5) that will roll out to users this Autumn. Countless iterations after the original debuted, iOS has been renewed and reborn once again, revealed first to the faithful at Apple’s annual World Wide Developers Conference at Apple Park in Cupertino.

The audience consists of the folk who build the apps and services that rely on Apple’s ecosystem. Invited – via a lottery system – to descend on Cupertino to download all the latest intel direct from the source, 2025’s WWDC (or ‘Dub Dub’ in developer parlance) didn’t disappoint those who made the physical and spiritual return to the mothership.

Tim Cook’s arrival is greeting with fervour, as he introduces a week of ‘announcements, insights and meaningful connections’ for the lucky teams selected to spend the next few days deep in hands-on workshops with the new OS. We were then treated to a droll skit playing on Apple’s upcoming big budget Brad Pitt extravaganza, F1, which cast SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi as a bouffant racing driver powering around a CGI track atop the vast Foster & Partners building before the big announcements started.

Apple’s fans live very willingly in Apple’s world, and the big takeaway from WWDC 2025 was the unification of the company’s various operating systems all united by a new aesthetic approach, Liquid Glass. Not only is there visual parity between iPad, Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch, etc., but there’s to be new levels of connectivity and continuity between your devices, with Apple Intelligence serving as a layer of glue binding information gathering and display.

The last ‘major’ iOS revamp was iOS 7, revealed at WWDC in June 2013. Since then, the OS has been incrementally, often radically, updated year on year, even though the core functionality remained as before. iOS 7 marked the point that Jony Ive began overseeing software in addition to hardware. It combined a new ‘flat’ design language with sharper, more vivid colours and forms, as well as new animations.

With Ive long gone, iOS26 is a rebuff of sorts, a clear move away from flat design towards a richer, deeper visual language that uses clever coding to enhance the perception of depth. This is where Liquid Glass comes into its element, bringing what Apple's vice president of Human Interface Design Alan Dye describes as ‘moments of beauty, craft and joy that bring our products to life.’

The feel of pinching, sliding, gliding and zooming through the new interface is heightened by the new tabard, a virtual lens of glass (or a droplet of water) that appears to magnify what’s beneath it. The origins of the Liquid Glass design language emerged out of Apple Vision Pro and the first iteration of Vision OS, a system that required the layering and overlaying imagery and information to be the primary design consideration.

In the new OS, Taskbars, scrollbars, widgets and icons are all rendered translucent, with curved surfaces refracting and subtly distorting the contents of the screen below. It’s as if what’s on the device itself is overlaid by refined slabs of glass, dynamically changing shape and position depending on context. This is by no means a return to traditional skeuomorphism, but instead a subtle flex of the immense power of Apple Silicon, as well as enhancing the act of engaging with a phone.

Why might we want to engage more, you might ask? iOS 26 isn’t just about the look and feel. Together with the new design, there are numerous functional updates, many of which use Apple Intelligence as a behind-the-scenes interpreter and go-between, making seamless and useful connections between apps, services and devices.

That continuity was demonstrated across the board. Joining iOS 26 is iPadOS 26, macOS 26 – known as Tahoe, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26, as well as a revitalised interface for Apple CarPlay. Apple rolled out an Aston Martin DBX to demonstrate CarPlay Ultra, and also to hint at just how widespread this new design language could become once it finds its way into our cars as well.

Also on show were a more sophisticated Dark mode, a new all-clear look that gives the entire icon pack a translucent feel (beautiful if functionally limited), new animated wallpapers, as well as a new lock screen application of the clock using Apple’s San Francisco typeface. Designed to dynamically scale the clock digits into the available space in a personal photograph or wallpaper, the lock screen serves as a showcase for iOS 26, along with new AI-driven 3D effects for 2D photographs.

Throughout the presentation, Apple Park’s many attractions served as backdrops to the filmed presentations, from the oval window in the new Observatory to the ribbons of glass that make up Zeller & Moye and artist Katie Paterson’s Mirage installation. At times, Apple’s playfulness can feel a little forced, especially when you consider the very real geopolitical significance the company has in a world shaped by tech, and how it’s made, sold and used.

Nevertheless, iOS 26 can be seen as a company doubling down on the importance of the smartphone, both to its customers and to its bottom line, rather than making grand pronouncements or predictions about a future screen-less era.

If you could put the iPhone of today in the hands of an original user who has never bothered to upgrade (unlikely – Apple claims that 88% of users run the latest OS version), and chances are that they’d have no trouble finding their way around. They might be a little bemused by the creeping feature set and stunned by the quality of the display (the iPhone 16 Pro’s 6.3” Super Retina XDR display has a resolution of 2622‑by‑1206 pixels). But the basics of the icon-driven interface have remained familiar and look set to stay that way for at least another 12 years.

Head: Under the hood of iOS 26 and its siblings

Read on to find out more about the many new innovations in Apple’s portfolio of revitalised operating systems.

Apple iOS 26

From left to right, Apple iOS26 includes a new dedicated Games app for iPhone, as well as dynamic backgrounds in Messages. Apple Wallet's functionality has been expanded, with options for virtual passports and drivers license (in some States in the US, but not all), as well as elements like boarding passes adding more layers of information.

Apple iOS 26's new Live Translation function works in calls - even to non iPhone users - as well as in video chats and Messaging. Hold Assist is another new function designed to take the effort out of waiting for a human adviser to come to the line - it automatically detects hold music and alerts you when it's finally finished.

From left, Apple iOS 26 Maps now has a new Visited Places section, as well as a dynamically updated Preferred Routes option, which will show regular commutes or journeys alongside alternatives. Indoor Mapping abilities have also been updated.

From left to right, small but disinct enhancements add to i0S 26's functionality, from the integration of Apple Cash into Group Chats, alongside a new Polls function. Meanwhile, AI is used to automatically screen unknown callers in order to filter out telemarketers, spam and robocalls.

Apple watchOS 26

Apple watch OS 26 brings all the aesthetic and functional updates of iOS 26 to your wrist, with new AI-powered Workout Buddy that'll gather fitness data and provided tailored workouts and words of encouragement.

Liquid Glass's dynamic approach to typography and imagery is also showcased in watchOS 26. Amongst other additions, the Apple Watch now gets an all-new Notes app. Live Translation is also available on Apple Watch, along with context-sensitive alerts that automatically tailor their volume based on the noisiness (or otherwise) of your surroundings.

Amongst the improvements in Apple watchOS 26 are better context awareness, especially in the Stack (seen at right) of apps and information. Potentially useful features are highlighted depending on where you are or the message you've received.

Apple iPadOS 26

All the OS updates found in iPhone also come over to iPad thanks to Apple iPadOS 26. Elements like the new animated album art feature in Apple Music are particularly effective on the iPad's large screen.

Apple iPadOS 26 allows your iPad to become much better at multitasking, in addition to allowing background processes like rendering to run without interrupting your workflow.

A major new innovation in Apple iPadOS 26 is the introduction of improved multitasking and app tiling, as well as better search and file management, a new Journal app and enhanced controls over audio input, including the ability to block out ambient sounds.

Apple tvOS 26

Apple tvOS 26 sees an overhaul of the interface, with larger icons for the library, different user profiles and the Liquid Glass aesthetic, which works especially well when overlaid on ongoing content. Another fun function is the ability to run a karaoke session through Apple Music, with every participant using their own iPhone as a mic.

Apple macOS Tahoe 26

Apple macOS Tahoe 26 demonstrates how Liquid Glass works on a large display, with high levels of customisation that include different folder colours and the ability to append icons to folders. Shown here is the Dark Mode.

In addition to Music's new animated album art feature, Apple macOS Tahoe 26 introduces easier ways to manage your music and pin favourites to the top of the app.

The power of Apple's new generation silicon is what enables Liquid Glass to be such a seamless experience. In macOS Tahoe 26, the graphical boost is joined by all the other enhancements from across the range, including the new Games app, translation functions and AI-facilitated continuity, like being able to screen and take calls, track orders and search your files and images.

For power users, Apple Intelligent Actions enables different functions to be stitched together to do thinks like tap directly into Apple Intelligence models - create a bespoke headline, removing an image background etc - all triggered by a custom text prompt.

Apple visionOS 26

The device that kickstarted the idea of Liquid Glass design, the Apple Vision Pro's new visionOS 26 is an expansive update that adds both consumer and enterprise functions. The latter include the ability to manage a common pool of Vision Pros using iPhone-based user information. Once you're sharing a project, there's new support for dedicated accessories like the Logitech Muse 3D and existing ones like the PlayStation VR2 Sense controller. Vision Pro users can also now also explore 360 content created using GoPro, Insta360 and Canon cameras.

Apple has used AI to massively upgrade the realism of your Persona, the virtual avatar used when you're making calls between Vision Pros. I was particularly impressed by the introduction of spatial widgets into the Vision Pro - here they work like artworks or accessories that can be placed on walls, desks, shelves or ceilings and are persistent, meaning they'll be in the same space next time you use the device. Finally, the ability to browse objects on a website and 'pull' them out into your own space is something Apple describes as 'the beginnings of the spatial web.'

Developer.Apple.com

The new Apple iPad Air, announced today, brings the M3 chip to Apple’s ultra-light version of its most portable tablet. Twice as fast as the previous iteration with the M1 chip, the new iPad Air comes in two sizes, 11-inch and 12-inch, with a new Magic Keyboard and support for the existing Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C). One key reason for the upgrade has been to better accommodate Apple Intelligence, the company’s proprietary AI-driven suite of assistance and system enhancement.

The iPad Air runs iPadOS 18 and the M3 chip enables Apple’s advanced graphics architecture on the device for the first time, bringing the speed and rendering power of the M3 chip to the most portable platform. Apple Intelligence works across a number of creative and generative apps, including a Clean Up photo editing mode, a sketch creation mode (Image Wand in Notes), as well as emoji generation and more. Apple has also incorporated ChatGPT’s writing toolkit into Siri and its own Writing Tools.

Audio Recording and Transcription functions also make the most of AI’s ability to capture speech with a synchronised transcription, while Smart Script improves the handwriting recognition and editing capabilities of input via the Apple Pencil. This extends to writing out mathematical expressions and have them instantly solved.

In addition to Apple Pencil support, there’s also the new magnetically coupling Magic Keyboard. With a larger trackpad and new 14-key function row it makes the iPad even more laptop-like than ever before, with the added benefit of the floating screen design, courtesy of the machined aluminium hinge. While the Magic Keyboard comes in white, the new iPad Air M3 is available in blue, purple, starlight and space grey finishes.

Another key feature of the new device is an increase in recycled content, including 100 per cent recycled aluminium in the enclosure and 100 per cent fibre-based packaging. Batteries also include recycled cobalt and lithium – the latter is 95 per cent recycled, a first for iPad. This is bolstered by the news that Apple now runs all its data centres on 100 per cent renewable energy, part of a complete transition to renewables for all company activity, including manufacturing, by the end of the decade, part of the Apple 2030 strategy.

Apple iPad Air 11-inch, £599, 13-inch, £799, Apple Magic Keyboard from £269, Apple.com

Leaked details suggest that Apple will aim to release its first foldable phone by the end of next year. But the likes of Samsung, Google and Motorola have already released foldable models, and it's unlike the tech behemoth to follow the crowd – a number of years late, no less (although it has reportedly been working on foldable devices since 2018).

All of which leads us to believe that Apple might be planning something bigger and better. Are we set for a revolution in the foldable market? Here’s everything we know about the forecast Apple model so far, as well as the existing foldable phones that it will have to beat.

The basic premise of the foldable iPhone would emulate such models from competitors such as Samsung, Motorola, Google, Huawei and Oppo. Some reports suggest that Apple’s version will be sleeker, appearing as thin as current iPhones even when closed. Apple has also said that it is working on a solution to the perennial problem of the ‘crease’ – the point at which the phone folds, marring the display. We also know that the company is working on a novel hinge mechanism.

It has also been suggested by Apple that this model will place focus on durability – another issue faced by foldable phones (you can imagine how much more fragile they would feel than a regular phone). It will also have a powerful camera configuration. If these strides are taken, then this iPhone has the potential to put foldable phones back on the agenda, and even transform the smartphone market.

Below, we’ve listed some of the most credible foldable phones on the market right now – models that Apple would need to eclipse in various ways if it was to reignite the foldable revolution.

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Motorola Razr 50

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6

Today, Apple welcomes its first customers to Apple Miami Worldcenter, the company’s first mass-timber store.

Located in the downtown district of Miami, the store is interesting for its take on biophilic design. It’s made with regionally-sourced timber and other low-carbon materials; surfaces are soft and undulating, and light and shadow play off the curved perimeter roof. Interiors feel sculptural and dynamic, simultaneously nodding to the Art Deco architecture of the city.

Occupying a standalone pavilion, the structure covers a large central space accessed from glazed entrances. This is filled with Apple's signature tables on a floor made of biomass-based terrazzo, flanked by an oak wall system which incorporates service areas such as a pick-up area, a Genius Bar and a demonstration space for VR headsets.

Apple retail design lead BJ Siegel has said that, considering its size and the fact that it is free-standing, it was decided that locally-sourced materials should be used in the construction of the Apple Miami World Center. The store also runs on 100 percent renewable energy.

Various pains have been taken to connect the interior with surrounding green spaces. Upon entry, customers are greeted with flora inspired by Miami’s Latin American influence. Rather than putting plants in planters, the Apple Miami Worldcenter is set within a densely-planted public space. The roof, which it calls a ‘raised garden’, is also covered in greenery, which is visible from the surrounding towers. Although the building echoes the precise, geometric architecture of other Apple Stores, it is softened by organic shapes, warm tones and an abundance of plant life.

Siegel explained that biophilic design has been part of Apple's design principles for some time now – the company’s recently-launched store in Abu Dhabi, for example, is surrounded by a stepped waterfall and home to rows of full-height trees. That said, this has usually been the extent of it: large glass storefronts and interior planting. ‘The climate in Miami offered a different opportunity, allowing us to embrace the lush landscape and gardens of South Florida to create a densely vegetated urban public space,’ said Siegel.

In the month that saw Apple Intelligence open its doors and Google DeepMind release the 2.0 version of Gemini, celebrating tech with no AI component whatsoever seems rather churlish. But 2024 wasn’t all about the all-conquering imposition of LLMs and generative creativity. We’ve assembled our ten tech stories that had the most impact in 2024.

01. Orchid by Telepathic Instruments

One of the players behind newcomer Telepathic Instruments is Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker. That’s piqued the interest for the company’s first product, the Orchid synthesizer and chord generator. Expect to hear more from them in 2025.

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02. Fender x Hello Kitty Stratocaster

The ultimate musical mash-up returned in time to celebrate Sanrio’s famous feline’s 50th. Fender Japan cannily cranked up the kawaii with bespoke guitars, including the revival of its Squier Hello Kitty Stratocaster, and a plethora of accessories.

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03. Epson EF-22 Projector

Epson EF-22 is a compact laser projector that performs perfectly and unobtrusively, sized so you can store it away when not in use and featuring Google TV for ease of everyday operation.

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04. Openhagen LightBoks projector

On the other hand, you might want to keep your projector on display, in which case the warm wooden stylings of the LightBoks, from Danish maker Openhagen, is the one for you.

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05. Apple Watch Series 10

Incremental increases may be possible, but the Apple Watch has come a long way since it debuted in 2015. The Apple Watch Series 10 is the most sophisticated (and sensor-stuffed) device you can wear.

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06. Ten years of Monument Valley

Now that the long-awaited Monument Valley 3 has arrived on Netflix, revisit the story of the original game.

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07. Analogue3D console

More gaming nostalgia in the form of the Analogue3D console, which brings back the catalogue of Nintendo’s famous N64 console.

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08. Bring Your Own Keyboard

Writers love to find new ways of practising their craft. In addition to the reMarkable Paper Pro, our paltry attention span was piqued by the distraction-free design of the BYOK screen.

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09. Teenage Engineering EP-1320

TE had a busy year, culminating in the all-new OP-XY sequencer. We couldn’t resist the stylings of the EP 1320 Medieval, a quirky ‘portal into a world of imagined medieval grooves.’

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10. On Google Gemini and the rise of AI

AI is such a fast-moving sector that our July musings on the ins and outs of the tech have been superseded many times over. As Google readies Astra, its next-gen multi-modal AI assistant, check back and see the origins of the tech before it blends seamlessly into our lives.

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Apple can’t ship its new Mac mini fast enough. Launched in October 2024, this new ultra-compact version of its popular desktop model is now equipped with the M4 and M4 Pro chipset for the first time. Apple silicon, first introduced in November 2020 is now on its fourth iteration. What benefits does it bring to the new mini form factor?

The new mini is a remarkable machine. At just 5 inches by 5 inches, it’s substantially smaller than the outgoing model, and the new processors double and even triple the processing power of its predecessor. The M4 Pro model can have up to 64GB of memory and an 8TB SSD drive, making it a highly effective machine for video, image and sound editing. The packaging is also impressively compact, thanks to the computer’s small scale, although there’s still no way of shipping a Studio Display around the world without a great deal of protection.

Apple is now well advanced on its roadmap to 2030, by which point it hopes to have a fully carbon-neutral product line-up. The mini represents a big step towards this goal, requiring in-depth work and research across the entire supply chain to create the first ever carbon neutral Mac. Other targets are coming sooner, such as the removal of all plastic from packaging by 2025.

Apple insiders on shrinking the new Mac mini

To find out how the company came to integrate its very own silicon into this mainstay of modern computing, we spoke to Apple’s Kate Bergeron, Vice President, Hardware Engineering, and Thomas Boger, Vice President of Mac and iPad Product Marketing, to get the low-down on the mini.

Wallpaper*: Tell us about the importance of the new Mac mini

Thomas Boger: It’s got quite the reception from our customers. Mac mini is our most versatile Mac, because of its size. It’s used at home, on desks but also all over the house – as a server, connected to a television, or part of a photography, music or video set-up. It has great connectivity as well. Outside the home, the mini is popular with small businesses, for everything from admin to creative work.

It’s also a product that’s popular with large institutions – it fits in well and is very energy efficient, especially in mission-critical use like healthcare, which benefits from Mac OS’s incredible reliability. With this launch, we’ve got a new product that hadn’t yet been redesigned around Apple silicon.

W*: How has the Mac mini evolved over time?

Kate Bergeron: We’re almost at the 20th anniversary of the Mac mini – it was first introduced in January 2005. We hadn’t had a chance to sink our teeth into the possibilities of Apple silicon for the mini. It’s always been our most compact Mac, but with this iteration we’ve taken quite a journey with our CNC technology. With our first extruded aluminium cases we had to cut off quite a bit of waste [material] to achieve the finish we wanted. We’ve got more and more efficient.

The Mac mini pioneered our efficient extrusion process – ‘impact extrusion’ – where we used as much of the material as possible. We did this by switching to a special nylon wire with diamond plating to cut the aluminium, as opposed to a conventional saw. This saved 3mm of wastage for each unit. We also changed the profile of the extrusion itself from round to square to save even more material – it shows how we obsess about things.

W*: Did the physical size of the new mini constrain the design team?

KB: There’s always this great tension between the design team and the engineering team. We did a lot of thermal simulation work, so we could model how to construct the system and whether it needed to be wider or taller. Pretty early on we locked down the system size, scaled so it could accommodate the M4 Pro chip. We want to find a nice balance – it seems we only do the Mac mini every ten years.

TB: We also set out the goal of making this our first carbon neutral Mac. We have 100 per cent recycled aluminium, recycled copper, zinc and even steel, including in our logo.

KB: A single ingredient won’t necessarily get you to that destination. We also have to calculate the manufacturing electricity, which is the largest source of emissions for the mini. Then there’s the energy footprint of the user, as well as spending time to develop systems that prioritize sea shipment.

W*: How does this impact on your supply chain?

KB: It's dependant on the material. We’re working with all our suppliers. We also have a very capable set of engineers, including a materials team, that’s very focused on working towards these goals.

W*: Does that mean you’re sourcing manufacturing power from renewable sources?

KB: Yes. It’s about working with vendors and local governments, trying to find ways to make that feasible.

TB: You can see it’s quite the comprehensive effort, all the way from the source materials we use to all the way through the whole design and manufacturing process, all the way to getting the product to the customer, and then off-setting their energy use.

KB: We felt good about using the Mac mini as the first carbon neutral Mac – it does represent a good look at the Mac line in its entirety to make sure all this work translates well into future products.

TB: I think the combination of the redesign itself around Apple silicon, and the achievement of carbon neutrality, is a testament to how Apple approaches all of its products. We’re always trying to make the best product we can possibly make in every dimension, and I think this new Mac mini really embodies that philosophy.

W*: What are the benefits of Apple silicon?

KB: Working so closely with our engineers gives us a new freedom, it’s truly the essence of Apple.

TB: What's so important to understand is that unlike the rest of the industry, where you have merchant chip vendors creating a bunch of chips and other vendors taking those chips and trying to design products around them, we do the exact opposite. We know what our product road map looks like. Our chips are designed specifically for our products. This is radically different to the rest of the industry, so we have a tremendous advantage.

Apple silicon was born with iPhone. What’s great about it is that it’s a very scalable architecture – we scaled it up for iPad, then for Mac, and we’re now on our fourth generation. Every M-series chip and Mac that we’ve made since 2020 runs Apple Intelligence, which is also a key aspect of the Mac mini. It’s a great system for AI.

W*: Is aluminium still the best material for your purposes?

KB: At this point in time, I would say yes. There’s thermal performance and structure – in a device like a laptop, it’s very important.

TB: Then there’s the intangible part, how our products feel in your hand. How beautiful aluminium feels – this is very important to our customers. Their Macs are such a vital part of their lives, they rely on Mac.

W*: Do you think AI will alter the form factor of computers and start making them more discrete and invisible?

KB: We don’t speculate on where we’re going. But Apple silicon gives us a toolkit of capabilities at Apple which makes it a very exciting time.

TB: The Silicon Team is excited to remove constraints on the design team to make products like the Mac mini possible, with a relentless focus on performance per watt. That’s the fundamental name of the game. We never talk about performance without talking about how much power it requires. It’s a relentless focus.

One of the reasons Apple silicon is so special is that it started on the iPhone, a device so small that you have to have a maniacal focus on performance per watt. This discipline is what makes these amazing new products.

Apple Mac mini, from £599, Apple.com

With its tenth iteration, Apple Watch might have reached a kind of endpoint. Or a particular landmark anyway. With a display that stretches across and round the device’s 46mm case (there is also a 42mm version), it’s hard to see, given the restrictions of ergonomics and formal elegance, how much more screen real estate the watch’s designers and engineers can possibly deliver.

Apple Watch Series 10 has a display that is 30 per cent bigger than series 6 and a remarkable 75 per cent larger than Series 3. It’s actually bigger than the screen on the far chunkier (and far pricier) Apple Watch Ultra 2. The new OLED display, with a wider aspect ratio than previous models, is also 40 per cent brighter when viewed at an angle.

Apple’s ambition has always been for its watch to match the super functionality of the world’s most advanced wearable with the always-on readability of an analogue timepiece. And the new version of Apple Watch pretty much gets there.

New watch faces such as Flux and Reflections, part of the watchOS 11 upgrade, feature a non-fade seconds hand. A small detail maybe, but a marker of how far the watch’s digital-but-analogue display has come. At launch, the Apple Watch’s face was deathly black until you bought it to life with an exaggerated flick of the wrist.

The Series 10’s bigger screen experience actually comes with less heft. The new watch is also almost ten per cent thinner than its predecessor, just 9.7mm, making it more comfortable and discreet while maintaining an 18-hour battery life. It also offers the fastest charging time, ramping up to an 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes.

The aluminium version of Series 10 (including a Jet Black option, the first-ever glossy aluminium finish on Apple Watch) also weighs 10 per cent less than its predecessor, while the polished titanium case option weighs 20 per cent less than the now discontinued stainless steel version.

Apple Watch has always been the company’s most complex and interesting design and engineering challenge, where the knotty problems of OS and interface design and industrial design are most intertwined. At launch, there were explicit problems left unresolved.

A decade of new iterations has closed gaps while tackling the conflicting demands of increasing battery life at the same time as screen size and readability, evolved inputting and interface, constantly rethought the relationship (and functional hand-offs) between Watch and iPhone apps, and advanced form and finishes.

As Alan Dye, Apple’s head of Human Interface Design, says, Apple Watch was launched just as Apple first sat its human interface and industrial design team together in one combined studio. ‘The watch represents so many firsts for us and it's near and dear to our hearts because it was one of the first products born out of this really tight collaboration.

‘We want to create really singular experiences where we deeply integrate hardware and software and where, ideally, you don’t know where one begins and the other one ends. So having one studio is really core to who we are and how we think about design.’

And unlike any other of its products, Apple Watch entered a market where there was a long-established formal and material language, as well as a history of craft, metal working and advanced manufacturing to reference, play with and at times subvert.

‘We have a real reverence for watches as beautiful objects,’ says Molly Anderson, Apple’s head of Industrial Design. ‘And historically, watchmaking has led the development of new material usage or miniaturisation of particular processes and real refinement in manufacturing.

‘We're constantly exploring and finding inspiration from things that have been made already, and then usually getting very deep into that process and seeing how we can refine it. Obviously traditional watchmaking is very artisanal and we're making something at incredible scale. And the mastery of that is what fascinates us.’

As Anderson says, the development of Apple Watch has been as much about advanced materials sciences and machining capabilities as it has ever more sophisticated sensors, fitness tracking and smart stacking widgets. The fascination of Apple Watch design has always been its precision engineering of form, finish and function.

‘We really designed Series 10 from the ground up,’ Anderson says, ‘but one of the big goals was to express the culmination of ten years of refinement and development in the design. There are a lot of things that we didn't have and it's taken us time to get there.’

Apple Watch Series 10, from £399, Apple.com

Apple Watch Ultra 2 in black titanium, from £799, Apple.com

Nothing’s phone line-up has expanded rapidly. We’ve been keeping close tabs on the London-based tech company, now too old to be dubbed a start-up, and noted how the relative scale of the operation – compared to behemoths like Apple and Samsung – allow it to be nimble and responsive. The original Nothing Phone (2a) is a case in point, distilling all the greatest hits of the stripped down Nothing aesthetic while taking advantage of faster processors and more advanced camera modules to deliver a premium experience at a mid-range price.

Under the skin of the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus

The arrival of the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus was an inevitability, as the company can now parlay innovation into new product at a surprising rate. So what are the differences? The most important is under the skin, and the introduction of a new brain, the MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro 5G processor. There’s also a dedicated graphics processor, and the two units bring 10 per cent and 30 per cent improvements in their respective computing tasks. Phone (2a) Plus also comes with up to 20GB RAM.

Powering all this is Nothing’s largest battery, supporting 50W fast charging systems that’ll give you a day’s worth of power in around 20 minutes. Nothing even claims the (2a) Plus can last for an eight-hour gaming session, although that’s beyond most adult’s level of endurance to test. The phone’s dedicated Game Mode will reduce incoming calls to a pop-up window – if you desire.

Externally, first impressions are shaped by the two new colour ways, Grey and Black. The now much-imitated ‘X-Ray’ style aesthetic is further heightened by the metallic finishes of the two new colourways, the result of carefully layered printing process combining with nano-coating and special inks.

It’s a bit of high-tech theatre, and always has been, but we especially admire the focus it gives to the Phone (2a) Plus’s different components, from camera to battery and charging coil, with the company’s trademark ‘Glyph Interface’ (another component with plenty of counterfeits in the field) wrapping itself around all these elements.

The camera is another point of enhancement, chiefly down to the inclusion of an upgraded 50 MP selfie camera. Yes, it’s all about you, and Nothing has given its photographic portrait algorithms a make-over as well in order to make you look your best. The main sensor is also 50 MP and is paired with an ultra-wide 50 MP sensor with a 114-degree field of view, giving the phone its distinctive robotic face.

Smartphone photography is very much a digital dance between lens module and computational algorithms that can tweak, enhance and accentuate elements through software. Nothing has its TrueLens Engine, which adds an ‘AI Vivid Mode’, Ultra XDR and smooth, electronically stabilised 4K video at up to 120 frames per second.

All this comes through a 6.7in AMOLED display, with Nothing OS 2.6 laid on top of the latest Android build, Android 14. We've always admired the way that Nothing's OS improvements are distinctly different from Google's aesthetic, with a distinct look and feel to its own widget library that feels tightly integrated into the hardware.

As with other Nothing phones, the (2a) Plus has baked in ChatGPT to drive its search functions. Speaking of AI, there’s also the new News Reporter widget, an AI-powered aggregator that digests the day’s top stories and produces up to eight audible one-minute summaries. It’s an idea that appears ripe for amusing, or not so amusing, AI-enabled missteps. Overall, however, Nothing has managed to walk the line between entertainment and innovation with style.

Nothing Phone (2a) Plus, £399, from Nothing.Tech, @Nothing

It is June 1983. At that year’s International Design Conference in Aspen (IDCA), Apple Computer Inc’s Steve Jobs was invited to give a keynote talk on the future of computing. Unseen until now, thanks to The Steve Jobs Archive, the remarkable film shows a 28-year-old Jobs on the cusp of launching the Macintosh, already talking of the ways in which Apple would be bringing graphical excellence and simplicity to the PC market.

One of the key themes of the talk, revealed in a new online exhibit, The Objects of Our Life, is just how much change was coming around the bend. ‘Computers and society [are] out on a first date in the 80s,’ Jobs says, and many of the attendees saw a preview of Apple’s Lisa computer the previous day, the forerunner of the original Macintosh.

The cult of Jobs exists for a reason, and the film gives a rare insight into the confidence, charisma and vision that he brought to bear on the many Apple products that followed. In 1983, however, the computer had barely infiltrated the American home, even though sales figures showed the industry ramping production up significantly. As Jobs puts it to the assembled audience of design grandees, he can guarantee that millions of computers will be sold in the years ahead, 'whether they look like a piece of shit or they look great.'

As we all know, Apple was to go the extra mile to ensure they did indeed look great, ultimately setting a template for the industrial design of all computing devices both big and small right up to the present day. None of this came out of a vacuum, however.

Right from the outset, Apple had vowed to create products with a ‘creative, professional manner,’ and Jobs’ own obsession with modern desigsn old and new took in everything from the clothes of Issey Miyake to the Tiffany lamp, the Sony Walkman and the cutting edge Italian industrial design of Bellini, Sottsass, Aulenti, and Sapper.

Designer Jony Ive, who worked alongside Jobs from 1992 until the latter’s death in 2011, contributes an introduction, noting that much of what Jobs was saying in terms of coming technologies were just ‘absurd claims’ that nevertheless came true.

This, in part, was down to his admiration and understanding of the role of design. ‘Part of Steve’s brilliance was how he learned to support the creative process, encouraging and developing ideas even in large groups of people. He treated the process of creating with a rare and wonderful reverence,’ Ive writes.

A mix of 1980s style, bold claims and prescient predictions, the keynote is a must-watch for any Apple fan, as well as those who believe that technology’s transformational promise can only come good when it's in the hands of those who are truly motivated by change.

The Objects of Our Life, Steve Jobs at the 1983 International Design Conference in Aspen, SteveJobsArchive.com

Oliver Schusser, now 20 years into his Apple career, has travelled over from his base in Cupertino, California to London to discuss the relaunch of the company’s iconic portable speaker, the Beats Pill. It now comes with an elevated 'Ingress Protection' rating of IP67 for water- and dust-resistance, and a battery life that’s doubled from 12 to 24 hours. 'But most important was the sound performance,' says Jeff Bruksch (Head of Product Marketing, Beats), sitting alongside the German exec in Apple’s sprawling, super-luxe new UK offices within Battersea Power Station.

'With [preceding model] Pill+ we had dual woofers and dual tweeters, both circular shaped,' continues Bruksch, here to talk spec and tech while the boss gives more of a C-suite overview. 'We completely redesigned and reimagined that, with a single racetrack woofer [and] single tweeter that are much more competent and capable of louder sound, bigger sound, lower distortion. The single woofer itself displaces 1.9 times more air than the two woofers combined in the Pill+. They have stronger neodymium magnets. They give 20 per cent stronger motor force. Together that just gives us a lot more potential on the low end for better bass reproduction, cleaner bass reproduction.'

All of which comes ballyhooed by a flashy, larky new commercial, The Predicament, in which basketball legend LeBron James’ house party wakes up the neighbours by blasting Lil Wayne’s Grammy-winning 2008 banger ‘A Milli’ through one of Beats' lozenge-shaped speakers. The kicker: said neighbour is Lil Wayne. A champagne problem to promote a rebooted speaker that’s cheaper, lighter, louder and liveried in three ‘event’ colours: Matte Black, Statement Red and, oh yes, Champagne Gold.

But as befits Schusser’s wide-ranging role at Apple, where his beat is more than just Beats (his full job title is Apple VP of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Sports and Beats), this ardent Bayern Munich fan first wants to talk football.

'I just spent quite a bit of time in the city centre of Munich,' he says, a trip to the homeland that coincided with Germany inflicting a brutal defeat on Scotland in the opening match of the Euros. 'And that day, your fans were just really nice, wonderful fun,' he adds, offering this Scotsman a consolation goal I’ll gladly accept in lieu of any actual goals scored by our own players in the tournament.

'Then I was in Stuttgart when Germany played Spain. I know we’re not here to talk about football but I've never been sadder,' Schusser says ruefully of his country’s defeat in the quarter-finals. '[But] you can’t argue with the Spanish team.'

Well, quite.

Oliver Schusser on the Beats Pill and Apple's music strategy

Wallpaper*: On a happier note, this is the return of the Pill, ‘back and better than ever’ in your words. How and why was the Pill retired in 2021?

Oliver Schusser: We needed to do a lot of work. We look at Beats as a premium product company. We're in the headphone space. Our aspirations are to make the best headphones with the best technology. We needed to completely redesign and reimagine our entire headphone portfolio.

We decided to focus on that first before we were going to get to the Pill. Because we wanted to do something special with the Pill and completely re-architect and reimagine it. It wasn't a case [of] let's swap out one or two things. We really wanted a complete refresh… This is a completely new product inside, and outside as well.

W*: It's ten per cent lighter, and more portable. How did you get it so small without sacrificing sound quality?

OS: It really was about efficiency – efficiency of the acoustic components, efficiency of the structure. And [there’s] a lot more diligence around the design, manufacturing and implementation of all the components.

One of the things I want to make sure is understood is: we see ourselves as a premium brand. Obviously we're part of Apple and we have really incredible engineers working on these products. So we are obsessed about weight; making it as light as possible; making it as small as possible; making the battery life [longer] – 24-hour battery is incredible.

These are things that we pushed really hard for. Because we see ourselves on the premium side of the spectrum in the market. Even though our target audience tends to be a little younger, and people take the Pill on the beach and on the basketball court, these are high-quality products.

W*: You cast two megastars of sport and music in the new advertising spot for the Pill. What made LeBron James and Lil Wayne a good fit for this promotional campaign?

OS: First of all, we love both of them. They're both iconic. And they represent what Beats is all about, which is that synergy between sports and music. We have always worked in both of these worlds.

W*: We're now exactly ten years on from Apple buying Beats from Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine in a landmark deal reportedly worth $3 billion. What did Dre and Jimmy do that was so game-changing in the world of headphones?

OS: They built high-quality products and made them look really cool…. through music, artists and sports. I give them a lot of credit. And by the way, they built really iconic designs… Even though we're completely reimagining the products, and redesigning them inside, we're still relatively true to the original iconic designs, if you look at the Studio over-ear headphone. I go back to [that]: they created a really iconic brand and design form factor that, ten years later, is still as relevant and as cool as it used to be.

W*: Equally they, separately and together, brought with them unimpeachable kudos and credibility in the music world.

OS: Absolutely. Both of them, their roots are in high-quality music and sound. Both of them are obsessed like studio engineers [for whom] it's all about the sound. They created a team and a culture that really focused on making sure that they sound better than anything else.

That's really important. I go back to what I said about the premium segment... the focus is on making sure the new Solo 4 [headphone] sounds incredible. We have a dedicated studio set-up in Culver City, where we're based in LA. [For] the team [that] sits there, it's all about the sound. [With regards to that] there's no one better in the world than Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, who spent most of their lives in recording studios and [focused on] actually setting the bar as high as possible.

W*: In that ten-year period, what for you have been the key moments for Beats, in terms of developments, launches and partnerships?

OS: The last few years, we have been launching more products than in Beats history within the shortest amount of time. Beats obviously was born within the over-ear segment [of the headphone market]. But with the Beats Studio Buds, we went aggressively into the in-ear market. That's been a huge success out of the gate. And we've now upgraded the product, with a better version. Beats Fit Pro is an incredible product for athletes because they have the wingtip so they stay in your ear.

So just the pace of innovation in the last few years has been incredible. It's a combination of upgrading some of our iconic products, whether it's Studio or Solo [headphones], or now the Pill, or launching new products [such as] Beats Solo Buds, which is really an engineering wonder – incredible technology packed into the smallest headphone we've ever made for just £79.

W*: As the man who, when you were based in the UK, gave London the iTunes Festival, then the Apple Music Festival, could there be similar Beats live activity? For example: Beats by Beats – the Electronic Music Festival. You can have that idea for free.

OS: Ha ha! There could! And I would never rule anything out. We had a good run with the festival, 2007 to 2016. We then said we'd pause it. Ever since we've actually done a number of things. On Apple Music now we have a live series called Apple Music Live where, almost on a monthly basis, we have some of the big superstars in the world. These are not in one place. They're all over the world where we record them. They're mostly bespoke shows, all exclusive as a benefit to our subscribers. And we're always looking at new ideas and new ways.

I don't know whether we do our own festival. But we want to be where music is and culture is. That's definitely our place.

W*: You were able to get Elton John to perform in North London’s 1,500-capacity The Roundhouse in 2016. Apple’s ability to bring huge artists into smaller spaces is unparalleled. I think you should flex that muscle, because curation of live activity is invaluable to fans.

OS: Well, if you remember why we did the festival [it was] as the world was becoming more digital. As a company, we have music in our DNA. We're music fans. We wanted to make iTunes – and the same is [subsequently] true for Apple Music – a place made by fans, for fans. We wanted to be more than a spreadsheet of songs where you click, [pay] 79p, and it's in your library.

We wanted it to be alive. We wanted to show our curation. We wanted to have a discussion about taste, new music and everything. That was one of the reasons why we created the festival: to be a place that people can touch and feel [and have] this discussion and dialogue about – ‘Oh, they picked this artist over that artist...' That worked incredibly well.

And we're still trying to do that. We've got radio stations with 24/7 radio with Zane Lowe, Dotty and other [DJs]. We're still trying to do all sorts of versions of that. We think it's incredibly important [to remember that] music is about taste. It's about curation. It's about dialogue. We had a campaign a couple of months ago about the best 100 Albums of All Time. It had the same purpose: people aren't talking about albums anymore. People aren't really talking about music anymore the way they used to.

Which is really sad. If I went to a dinner party at Jeff's, I would look at his CD collection or vinyl collection and be like: 'Oh, wow, this guy likes Pink Floyd!' Then we would talk about that and be like: 'Oh my God, you have really old music tastes!' Stuff like that. So that was the origin of the festival idea.

W*: In a previous interview, in summer 2019, I asked you: ‘Where do you want to see, or want Apple Music to be, in five years?’ You replied: ‘We want to be the best in what we do. And that means, obviously, we'll continue to invest in the product and make sure we're innovative and provide our customers with the best experience. We want to invest in our editorial and content, in our relationships with the industry – and, again, whether that's the songwriters, or music publishers, or the labels, or artists or anyone in the creative process. But that's really what we're trying to do. We just want to be the best at what we do.’

Handily, here we are again, exactly five years on. How satisfied are you with your progress in that time in those areas?

OS: Very. We are very clearly positioned as the quality service. We don't have a free offer [unlike Spotify’s advertising-supported tier]. We don't give anything away. Everything is made by music fans and curated by experts. We are focused on music while other people are running away from music into podcasts and audiobooks. Our service is clearly dedicated to music.

With spatial audio, we've completely revolutionised the listening experience. [Historically] we went from mono to stereo and then, for decades, there was nothing else. Then we completely invented a new standard [where] now 90 per cent of our subscribers are listening to music in spatial audio. Which is great.

And little things, like the lyrics, for example, [which] you find on Apple Music, which are incredibly popular. We have a team of people that are actually transcribing the lyrics because we don't want them to be crowd-sourced from the internet. We want to make sure they're as pristine as possible. We've got motion artwork and song credits. We really try to make Apple Music a high quality place for music fans.

And while most others in the marketplace have sort of stopped innovating, we've been really pushing hard, whether it's Apple Music Sing, which is a great singalong feature, like karaoke. Or Classical, which is an audience that had completely been neglected. We're trying to make Apple Music the best place for people to listen to music. I'm super happy with that.

And by the way, we're very committed to continuing to do that. We want to use our relationship with artists, and we want to use technology to continue to push the envelope, and make Apple Music the premium place it is.

W*: You can be an advocate for artists, even more effectively then labels can…

OS: That's right. Ever since […] the company [started], we've always been about the creators, whether it's an artist, songwriter, sound engineers, anyone involved... And you can see that. If you speak to an artist today [about] how they make their music, they use mostly our tools, whether it's Voice Memos, whether it's Logic [Pro], or GarageBand, or the iPad. That's a joy.

W*: Finally, Oliver, Beats has also just launched a Solo 4 headphone in collaboration with Minecraft, a special edition that unlocks gameplay within the hugely popular computer game. What's next for the brand?

OS: We will continue to make the best products in the market, and innovate. We have a number of surprises coming. So I can't wait to actually sit with you again over the next few months, quarters and years.

Beats Pill is available to order for £149.99 from Apple.com

We’ve brought together the latest selection of radio alarms, compact but great-sounding devices designed to wake you up. Whether you want a smart speaker to sound out what’s happening in the day ahead, a classic alarm tone or the morning news, one of these should fit the bill, with a wildcard thrown in for fans of DIY tech.

Radio alarm clocks to wake up to

Amazon Echo Spot 2024

Amazon’s new Echo Spot is the latest piece of hardware from the world’s warehouse. If you’re already deeply embedded in the Amazon experience, the Echo Spot will keep you even more firmly in place, with Alexa on call and direct access to Amazon Music, as well as Apple Music, Spotify and others.

Unlike other smart speakers, Echo Spot has been designed from the outset to sit on a nightstand, with custom clock faces and a dimmable display. Info on display includes time, weather and song titles or show names, and the compact 1.73in speaker can wake you up with one of four dedicated alarm sounds. Alternatively, Alexa can be instructed to come up with a themed wake-up playlist.

Amazon Echo Spot, in Black, Glacier White, or Ocean Blue, £79.99, Amazon

Model Three BT by Tivoli Audio

Tivoli’s Model Three is a compact classic, a simple bedside companion that’s aimed at those not willing to eschew the analogue signal just yet. This AM/FM radio alarm clock is housed in Tivoli’s trademark wood cabinet (available in walnut, cherry or black ash), with traditional dials knobs and only Bluetooth as a concession to modern wireless tech.

Model Three BT by Tivoli, £259, TivoliAudio.co.uk, @TivoliAudio

Moment by Pure Aud

Pure Audio’s new Moment describes itself as an ‘ambient sleep companion’. In addition to DAB and FM radio tuners, and the latest Bluetooth 5.3, the Moment’s party trick is an onboard selection of over 20 themed ambient noises, from classic white noise to the sounds of nature. Intended as a soothing soundscape generator to help frazzled urbanites fall asleep in a consistently calm audio environment. The Moment also has a dimmable display and ten different alarms to snap you out of your sonic reverie.

Moment by Pure Audio, £109.99, Pure-Audio.com, @PureAudioWorld

Monda Alto by Grace Digital

Grace Digital’s Mondo Alto is a walnut-wrapped bedside companion with a huge range of alarm options, as well as the ability to hook up with many of the key streaming services in Europe and the US (including iHeartRadio, Audacy, Pandora, Spotify Connect, SiriusXM and Live365). For added flexibility you can put your favourite tune (or morning mantra) on a USB drive, and alarms can be faded in, out and snoozed. We especially like the multi-functional display, which has a number of back-light settings with a clock function that can be set to blue or red light.

Mondo Alto, Grace Digital, $229.99, GraceDigital.com, @GraceDigital

Lego 10334 Retro Radio

Finally, a bit of brick-based fun from Lego, ever adept at spotting a niche. Retro electronics are the flavour of the day and the latest set from the Danish block gives you the chance to transform over 900 pieces into a replica of a 1970s-era transistor radio. Admittedly you’ll be providing your own radio programmes or music, courtesy of the inbuilt smartphone stand, but the kit also comes with what Lego calls a ‘sound brick’, containing an unspecified but intriguing playlist.

Lego 10334 Retro Radio, £89.99, Lego.com, @Lego

Tech brand Nothing continues to power ahead, discarding the start-up moniker and establishing itself as a serious player in the realm of smartphones and earbuds. Nothing ensured it is covering all bases by launching a sub-brand, CMF, in autumn 2023, bringing together the design acumen of the parent company with a more affordable, playful approach.

CMF’s debut product line included the CMF Buds Pro, CMFWatch Pro, and a dedicated charger, followed by the CMF Buds and Neckband Pro earlier in 2024. Now the company has launched its first mobile phone, the CMF Phone 1, along with the second-generation CMF Buds Pro 2 and CMF Watch Pro 2.

Meet the CMF Phone 1 and Watch Pro 2

We’ve taken the updated watch for a spin, as well as delved into what makes CMF Phone 1 so different and appealing. Carl Pei, Nothing’s CEO, describes the CMF range as a ‘mark [of] our commitment to inject fun into a boring industry’.

First up, CMF Phone 1. Based around a new MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G processor, co-engineered with Nothing, and housing a 5000 mAh battery, the phone purports to offer a two-day battery life, almost unheard of in a modern smartphone. There’s up to 8 GB RAM on board as standard as well as a Sony 50 MP rear camera. The 6.67in Super AMOLED screen refreshes at up to 120 Hz, so the quality of components and specification can’t be knocked.

The design of this phone feels special too. Nothing has already shown us what it can when it deviates from the established smartphone template, but the far more affordable CMF offers up elements like exposed screws, bright colours, a prominent camera module, and an OS that feels perfectly dovetailed with the industrial design.

There’s also a diversely styled collection of accessories, including battery packs, swappable back plates and cases. The phone runs Nothing OS 2.6, which we’ve experienced to be fast and reliable, blending the best bits of Android with a pared-back front screen and simple customisation.

The CMF Watch Pro 2 is something of a revelation when it comes to endurance, with a battery capable of delivering up to 11 days of use. The watch itself hasn’t been on our wrists for that long, so we can’t attest to this, but after five days of constant wear, the fully charged battery had only gone down to 72 per cent. Apple Watch users can only look on enviously.

Admittedly, the Watch Pro 2 isn’t nearly as feature filled as its Apple, Google or Samsung equivalents, but it still does everything a modern smartwatch should be able to do, with 120 different sports modes, as well as the ability to monitor heart rate, stress level, sleep quantity and blood oxygen saturation.

Although it’s very slightly on the chunky side, there are interchangeable bezels (you can swap between a soft- or hard-edged look) and straps. There’s a Newson-esque fluoro tint to the palette, as well as the adoption of other familiar smartwatch elements like the digital crown and AMOLED display. Out of the box, CMF will be offering over 100 different watch faces to choose between.

Other functionality includes the ability to make calls over Bluetooth and control your phone’s music player or camera, with apps and widgets available to track footsteps, weather and much, much more. Not only is the CMF Phone 1 far more affordable than the excellent Nothing (2a), Watch Pro 2 demonstrates that effective and enduring technology doesn’t have to be premium priced.

CMF Phone 1, from £209, CMF Watch Pro 2, £69, CMF Buds Pro 2, £59, intl.cmf.tech, @CMF.tech

Contemporary takes on enduring American icons of design only remind us of the USA’s extraordinary and enduring creative heft. From Pharrell Williams’ fresh interpretation of the humble cowboy boot to the latest iteration of Apple's MacBook Air, and even Andy Warhol's globally recognised soup cans reserved in puzzle form, here are the American classics that keep us coming back for more.

Icons of American design

Cowboy boots by Pharrell Williams

For his sophomore collection as menswear artistic director of Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams took a trip from Paris to Virginia, uniting French savoir-faire with the pioneering spirit of the American West. Case in point: his monogrammed, golden-toed riff on the cowboy boot. Williams spoke of a desire to provide a more expansive vision of the pioneer archetype, noting that Black and Native American cowboys were some of the first to strike westwards. It was to provide a prelude of sorts to Beyoncé’s own Western epic, Cowboy Carter, which the singer gave a pre-launch tease at the 2024 Grammy Awards by turning up in a studded leather Louis Vuitton look by Williams, alongside the requisite white Stetson cowboy hat.

Boots, £6,550, by Pharrell Williams, for Louis Vuitton, louisvuitton.com

M3 MacBook Air by Apple

If there’s one device that epitomises the spirit of modern mobile creativity, it’s Apple’s classic MacBook Air. First introduced in 2008, the Air squeezed the form factor of the modern laptop into hitherto unprecedented dimensions; it was the thinnest notebook computer in the world at the time of launch and Apple’s first computer with asolid-state hard drive, although it was compromised by screen quality and power. It wasn’t until Apple started fitting its own custom silicon into its laptop line-up in 2020 that the Air really came into its own. The latest edition, the M3 MacBook Air, is the de facto choice for music, video and visual design on the move, and will handle the upcoming Apple Intelligence AI integration with ease.

M3 MacBook Air, from £1,099, by Apple, apple.com

‘Black Rainbow’ bag by Telfar

Liberian-American designer Telfar Clemens has long eschewed the confines of the fashion industry with a steadfast refusal to play by the establishment’s rules. Non-gendered and defiantly democratic, it is the Telfar shopping bag that has become symbolic of his eponymous brand’s unconventional approach. Based on the shape of the Bloomingdale’s shopping bag, the vegan-leather tote features the Telfar logo, which Clemens says he first drew while at school. Originally sold in ‘blind’ pre-order drops, with prices starting at $150 – a fraction of the price of bags from the luxury fashion houses it playfully mimics – it fast became an anti-status symbol. ‘[I want to] make an ‘it’ bag where the ‘it’ has nothing to do with domination,’ says Clemens.

‘Black Rainbow’ bag, $191, by Telfar, telfar.net

‘Akari’ lamp by Isamu Noguchi

Japanese-American artist and designer Isamu Noguchi designed the first lamp in his ‘Akari’ series in 1951 after a visit to the Japanese town of Gifu, known for its traditional paper lanterns. Handcrafting the lamp from washi paper and bamboo, Noguchi was mesmerised by the way ‘the harshness of electricity is transformed through the magic of paper back to the light of our origin – the sun – so that its warmth may continue to fill our rooms at night.’ He would go on to create many more in a variety of forms and silhouettes. Over the years, the lamps have kept their timeless charm and desirability, becoming one of the most recognisable pieces of lighting design ever created (a very loose interpretation of the concept by Ikea is among the Swedish company’s best-sellers).

‘Akari 9A’ lamp, £720, by Isamu Noguchi, for Vitra, from Aram, aram.co.uk

Air Jordan 39 sneakers by Nike

It was said that Michael Jordan could defy gravity, a feat of sportsmanship immortalised by the basketballer’s leaping silhouette, which first appeared on the third iteration of Nike’s Air Jordan high-top sneaker. Originally released in 1984, 1.5m pairs were sold in the first six weeks, far exceeding Nike’s estimates, and Jordan received a portion of the profits from every pair sold, making him one of theworld’s most bankable stars. The new Air Jordan 39, released in July, saw Nike designers Joël Greenspan and Bennett Shaw work directly with Jordan on the sleek, ergonomic sneaker, which features long panels of bouncy Nike ZoomX foam in the sole, helping professionals and amateurs alike attempt to reach its namesake’s heady heights.

Air Jordan 39 sneakers, price on request, by Nike, nike.com

‘Americana’ cars by Candylab

With the icons of automotive America mostly distant memories, it falls to the New York-based Candylab to sate our love of Detroit’s golden era. Combining hand-finished custom runs made in New York and Pennsylvania with a manufacturing facility in Ningbo, China, Candylab is a bespoke wooden modelmaker whose ethos is that toys needn’t cost the earth. Each stylised model is made fromsolid lumber sourced from managed forests in North America, brightly coloured using non-toxic paints and packaged up in sturdy paper and cardboard. And Candylab’s ‘Americana’ fleet isn’t just about the muscle car; there are also police cruisers, camper vans, beech-clad surf wagons, yellow cabs, off-roaders and many more.

‘Americana’ taxi, £25; camper, £21; pickup, £25, all by Candylab, candylabtoys.com

‘Lock’ jewellery collection by Tiffany & Co

Padlocks began as purely functional items for Tiffany & Co, which sold them as part of its homeware collections. Then, in the 1950s, padlocks began to be rethought in aesthetic terms, appearing on necklaces, brooches and key rings ,a history referenced in the release of the ‘Tiffany Lock’ collection in 2022. In these pieces, unnecessary details are set aside in favour of streamlined silhouettes. The bracelets, an elongated oval available in yellow, rose or white gold, come peppered with diamonds, or are left pure and unadorned. Taking centre stage is the padlock mechanism itself, with an opening and closing function that echoes the item’s pleasing pivot. Fresh, clean and cool, the ‘Tiffany Lock’ has become a byword for classic American jewellery design.

‘Tiffany Lock’ yellow gold bangle, £7,000, by Tiffany & Co, tiffany.com

‘1006 Navy’ chair by Emeco

Emeco’s story begins in 1944 when it was hired to make a chair using salvaged aluminium for the US Navy during World War II and, over the years, the furniture brand has evolved to become a legend in its field, continuing its focus on superior design and sustainability. Virtually indestructible, the ‘1006 Navy’ chair has remained unchanged since its inception: it is still made by hand from scrap aluminium at the Emeco factory in Hanover, Pennsylvania, with a 77-step process that includes grinding, heat-treating, anodising and brushing. The ‘1006 Navy’ chair’s origins have also inspired Emeco to further pursue sustainable furniture design practices, with a catalogue of seats made using recycled PET bottles, discarded wood and eco-concrete.

‘1006 Navy’ chair, £808, by Emeco, from Viaduct, viaduct.co.uk

Uniform by Thom Browne

Thom Browne is well known for his tailoring, which is often shrunken in proportion, and largely a shade of mid-gray. Other perennial motifs are his signature four stripes, which run around the sleeve of a shirt or across a tie, recalling American varsity wear. It makes for a simple uniform for Thom Browne devotees, who simply follow his style diktats: he favours an unironed shirt (with an undone top button), tucked in and worn with a grey suit, narrow tie and white pocket square. Such a sharply defined aesthetic – which can verge into the surreal in his runway shows – has seen him become one of American fashion’s best-known figures, taking over from Tom Ford as chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2023.

Briefcase, £8,260; shirt, £440; tie, £190, all by Thom Browne, thombrowne.com

CK One fragrance by Calvin Klein

If the 1990s were to be encapsulated in a fragrance, it would be the shimmering citrussy tones of Calvin Klein’s CK One, first released in 1994 and a bestsellerever since. Marking an olfactory shift from the heady French perfumes that dominated the previous decade, it would capture the stripped-back minimalism and raw sensuality of the era, designed for both men’s and women’s skin, then a marketing first (‘one for all’, ran its slogan). Its accompanying Steven Meisel-shot campaign, featuring Kate Moss and a bevy of underwear- and denim-clad models, remains an enduring and oft-reproduced piece of fashion imagery, while the bottle itself – frosted white glass with a metal screw top and stamped CK One logo – remains an emblem of 1990s product design.

CK One fragrance, £77, by Calvin Klein, calvinklein.com

Soup can paintings by Andy Warhol

Love them or loathe them, Andy Warhol’s soup cans cracked the conversation around modern art wide open on their exhibition at LA’s Ferus Gallery in 1962. Warhol, who wished to celebrate the international distribution of homogenous products as a sign of democracy, replicated the red and white Campbell’s soup cans that he had for his lunch every day using the precise screenprinting technique that quickly became synonymous with the Pop Art movement. The soup cans became a motif for Western capitalism and rampant consumer culture, forever cementing the links between advertising and art – but the Campbell’s Soup Company, at least, was pleased. In 1964, it commissioned a classic tomato soup for its retiring board chairman.

Andy Warhol soup cans puzzle set, £24 for three, from Amazon, Amazon.com

Baseball cap by Polo Ralph Lauren

There are few things more synonymous with American style than Polo Ralph Lauren. Adorned with the ‘pony and rider’ motif, the collections have come to encapsulate a vision of American ease, reflected in breezy, aspirational campaigns where models frolic amid Edenic landscapes, often with the shimmering Atlantic Ocean beyond. The Polo symbol would also later be adopted by America’s suburban subcultures, from skaters to hip-hop artists and, across the pond, the Britpop stars of the 1990s. Recent seasons have seen the Polo Ralph Lauren pony motif become ubiquitous once again, part of a growing preppy revival – not least the classic, all-American baseball cap, which is proof of the old maxim that a classic never goes out of style.

Baseball cap, £55, by Polo Ralph Lauren, ralphlauren.com

This article appears in the August 2024 issue of Wallpaper*, available to download free when you sign up to our daily newsletter, in print on newsstands from 4 July, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

It’s probably not escaped your notice that Artificial Intelligence is undergoing something of a PR push. With the key computing and smartphone players all ramping up their adoption and integration of AI-powered tools on their devices, it’s hard to navigate exactly what the benefits will be in amongst the high levels hype, praise, and peril that have accompanied the tech’s arrival.

Take Microsoft. Google has Gemini, Apple has its upcoming Apple Intelligence, and Microsoft has Copilot, a form of AI baked into the newest generation of Windows, providing you have the latest hardware on which to run it. Naturally, this includes Microsoft’s own flagship brand of laptops, Surface.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 review

Microsoft has now launched what it calls the ‘ultimate Copilot+ PCs’, the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. We’ve been trialling the latter to find out what all the fuss is about, and whether AI is really the game-changer that search giants and chip and device makers want it to be.

First up, the hardware. The Surface series has evolved gradually over the years to form two distinctive product lines. The Surface Laptop is a conventional, handsome machine with a metal casing, thin-edged bezels, and a Snapdragon X Elite processor at its hard. There’s a haptic touchpad for more depth and variety of interaction with the screen, a full HD webcam, and a dedicated Copilot key to the right of the space bar.

Available in two screen sizes, 13.8in and 15in, the Surface Laptop is now on its seventh edition. Memory options start at 16GB and go up to 64GB, while storage runs from 256GB up to 1TB. So far, so conventional. What sets the new Surface Laptop apart from its early iterations is its battery life, which Microsoft claims can be up 22 hours of use for the larger 15in model, putting it in MacBook territory for the first time.

In practice, that Copilot key simply brings up the dialogue box to access the AI, which you can simply treat as a glorified search bar. The company walked back some of the original functionality when it was pointed out that the proposed ‘Recall’ tool, which tracks user activity as a way of building up a profile of likes, dislikes and work patterns, could be a complete gift for hackers.

It all comes down to use case. The company demonstrated Copilot’s abilities by showing how it can combine a prompt and a rough sketch to generate pro-looking imagery (although the three-eared rabbit it showed us wouldn’t pass any authenticity tests). The results tend to err on the now familiar ‘AI airbrush’ style of visual graphics, which is to say fun but rather hollow. The inclusion of a ‘creativity’ slider in the Paint app’s Cocreator function won’t stave off artists’ fear of AI obsolescence, something Microsoft is belatedly noting. ‘Remember, while AI can enhance productivity, it won’t replace human creativity and connection!’, the system appends to the end of a generated summary explaining how people are using Copilot today. For good measure, it adds emojis of a smiley face and a rocket ship.

While a lot of this computation happens in the cloud (with corresponding energy use), Microsoft says the Snapdragon chip’s inbuilt NPU (Neural Processing Unit) can do some of the AI heavy lifting on the laptop itself. The need for connectivity to drive AI-led creativity is not necessarily a dealbreaker, but it’s an inconvenience – just ask any designer or musician how they feel about cloud-based applications suites and libraries.

Microsoft Surface Pro 11: a fantastically well resolved piece of industrial design

Notably, Microsoft has managed to make its new devices far more repairable than ever before, concealing upgrade paths and access points in the sleek industrial design to help third party companies hugely prolong the Surface’s life. Surface Pro, on the other hand, is a fantastically well resolved piece of industrial design. This is the 11th version of the 2-in-1 device that pioneered having a detachable keyboard to turn it into a tablet. The introduction of the new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard adds another layer of possibility. The Flex can be completely detached from the screen and still used as a keyboard and trackpad, offering up numerous use cases, with onboard stowage and charging for the Surface Slim Pen 2.

Surface Pro is also available with an OLED screen for the first time and storage options mirror that of the Surface Laptop, although the Pro tops out at 32GB RAM. A slimmer, lighter device, it offers enough battery for up to 14 hours of video playback.

How will Copilot AI improve your life? Right now, Copilot feels like a tool developed for Microsoft’s own work culture, and other likeminded corporate behemoths, where the idea of automated, quasi-intelligent agents to schedule meetings and summarise endless proposals and presentations feels like a solution to endless digital grind.

All this points to a dystopian future office scenario where AIs are set to aggressively schedule meetings with each other and compete at ruthlessly paring documents down to a handful of bullet points. It’s not a universal panacea, let alone a herald of a golden age of creativity. As a form of smarter search, AI in its current form has some validity, although whether that will ever outweigh the environmental cost of training and maintaining the vast datasets remains to be seen.

These are great devices, no question, although it’s the new silicon that’s the star, not the AI software. You can certainly celebrate speed, endurance and durability of Microsoft’s new Surface hardware but Copilot isn’t the category killer that will change personal computing for good.

Microsoft Surface Pro, from £1,049, available from Microsoft.com

Microsoft Surface Laptop, from £1,049, available from Microsoft.com

Apple’s first retail location in Malaysia stands out amid the skyline of the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The tech company is known for its revolutionary, ergonomically efficient and refined designs, and stays true to the same ethos in its architectural expression (an approach we also witnessed at Apple’s Cupertino HQ and sculpture park). A fresh case in point is the new Malaysian flagship, which offers crisp white lines, minimalist architecture and interiors, and a semi-sunken shop floor in a futuristic build that feels distinctly 'Apple', courtesy of the brand's architects-of-choice, Foster + Partners.

Apple’s first retail location in Malaysia opens to the public

Located in the new Tun Razak Exchange (TRX), the store is designed as a glazed dome. From a distance, the roof is seemingly floating above ground, as it perches above delicate polished stainless-steel columns and is finished with a glass balcony that wraps around the exterior. The globally renowned architecture studio made sure the building feels flowing and dynamic and its curved shapes reflect that; yet from above it takes on a smooth square-like appearance.

The store connects to the mall’s central atrium and is laid out across three levels. Crafted from organic materials including natural stone walls, light terrazzo floors and a timber ceiling, the overall approach in the building works towards a crisp visual freshness that responds to the country's warm climate. The rooftop park integrates surrounding vegetation with a tropical garden and a communal lawn that wraps around the store’s upper level.

The geometries of the domed roof were crafted to respond to its context. Its angled fins are designed to control solar radiation, shading the store's glass façade and extending to create a sheltered walkway around its edge.

Leading down into the store, a sculptural quartz and glass staircase and elevator support circulation between levels. On the lowest floor, which is connected to the interior of the mall, display tables offer all the latest products. A boardroom and video wall are also integrated into the design, alongside a dedicated pick-up station.

‘We are delighted to see Apple The Exchange TRX opening its doors to the public. The project captures the vitality of the city, with a layered roof of stacked solar shading blades that appears to float above the landscape,’ said Stefan Behling, head of studio at Foster + Partners. ‘Galleries and walkways provide spectacular views of the natural surroundings and offer unexpected lines of sight through the store at different levels. The store’s grand interior showcases Apple’s innovative product line-ups and aims to elevate people’s spirits with the celebration of light and shadow.’

apple.comfosterandpartners.com

With Google and Microsoft recently using their big annual keynotes to double down on their commitment to AI in all its forms, it wasn’t hugely surprising to find that Apple has just done the same at their 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Enter, Apple Intelligence

Called, naturally, Apple Intelligence, the company claims its approach will set ‘new standard[s] for privacy in AI,’ as it rolls out a ‘personal intelligence system’ for the iPhone, iPad and Mac. Microsoft recently got a lot of flack for announcing powerful AI features without fully considering their privacy implications, so it’s not surprising to find Cupertino treading more carefully with features like ‘Private Cloud Compute’.

Put simply, Apple Intelligence wants to keep AI processing locked down in a secure circuit between your Apple device and the company’s own servers, banishing any worries of third parties swooping in to learn from your data. The first fruits of the tech will be language-centric models to help with writing and proofing, a systemwide set of ‘Writing Tools’ that is not app-dependent.

Apple Intelligence forms the backbone of an overhauled Siri, which becomes a far more intuitive voice companion. Keen to regain the crown of most personal AI assistant, part of Siri’s glow up includes ChatGPT integration across all the new operating systems, without the need for a ChatGPT account. The newest build of Apple’s desktop OS, macOS Sequoia, will incorporate all these advances, as will the latest version of iOS, 18, the new iPadOS 18 and watchOS 11.

Mail will be scanned to foreground the most important messages (i.e. date or time dependent), and the same will happen for Notifications. Apple Intelligence has all this and more, such as the new audio transcription function in Notes. An AI-powered creativity app, Image Playground, taps into the thirst for image creation, as well as generative emojis, and an ‘Image Wand’ tool that can transform your circled scribbles into something more presentable.

The Photos app now has a similar background object removal tool as Google’s Pixel series, and the Memories function will whip up ‘the best photos and videos based on a user’s description, craft a storyline, and arrange it all into a movie with its own narrative arc.’

These features are all baked into to iOS 18, which also offers unprecedented levels of user control over the look and feel of their device and icon placement. On top of this, there’s the new ‘Messages via satellite function,’ which uses encrypted satellite connectivity to communicate when there’s no WiFi or cell service. The old school Keychain app has been replaced by a new password manager, called simply Passwords, and new privacy measures include the ability to lock and hide apps. Much of this functionality was also present in iPadOS 18, including the customisation options.

There were also new updates to the evergreen AirPods, further integrating Siri into the device (nod or shake your head silently to respond to Siri when using the AirPods Pro), along with the addition of Voice Isolation, designed to strip out intrusive background noise.

Apple doubled down on their commitment to the Vision Pro headset, with the announcement of an upgraded visionOS 2 and the launch of the spatial computing device in the Far East, Australia and parts of Europe. Elsewhere, Apple Watch received health-centric updates including the new Vitals app to oversee and track your sleep health, and the new watchOS 11 has better customisation features, including the ability to stack different layers of information.

We’re entering a new era of auto responses, smart summaries and transcriptions as the big tech companies throw AI functionality at every aspect of our digital lives. Where technology was once something to master and learn to manipulate, the new breed of Smart OS won’t just hold your hand, it’ll check your pulse, remember the milk, screen your calls and improve your penmanship, all without asking. Are we ready to cede our hard-won expertise to a machine that’s always one-step ahead, powered by the supposed wisdom of the crowds?

Apple WDC2024, more information at Apple.com

Jewellery designer Dina Kamal is driven by a desire for architectural forms in her creations, which see her draw curves in 18ct gold, punctuate broken loops with diamonds, and sink pearls into puffed quilts of beige gold. 

Kamal prefers to work in 18ct beige gold, otherwise known as raw white gold. ‘It’s 18ct gold without copper, the true white gold,’ she says, remarking that its understated sheen makes it an elegant foil for the diamonds. For Kamal, jewellery is armour, and she draws on a wealth of historical and cultural references to create her offbeat pieces. 

Here, a grid of brushed beige gold dotted with diamonds conforms to her cornerstones of proportion, structure and beauty, while imbuing the traditional ring with a precious power all its own. 

dinakamal.com

A version of this article appears in the June 2024 Travel Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

High jewellery craftsmanship meets horological expertise in the Richard Mille RM 037. Crafted in a deep red gold, the diamonds here take centre stage in a dazzling display of the brand’s mastery of gem-setting. Diamonds are snow-set, meaning they appear to have come to rest on the dial almost haphazardly in a seemingly random pattern of diameters, from 0.5-1.6mm. 

Catching the light just like snowflakes, they are brilliantly brought to life when set against the deep onyx dial. It’s an alluring foil for the sharp technicality at the heart of the watch, which marries an accomplished movement and familiar design motifs, with the distinctive elongated curve and exposed screws nodding to the watch’s more traditionally masculine beginnings. 

richardmille.com

A version of this article appears in the June 2024 Travel Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

If you’re wedded to a desk and have no need for mobile computing, your best option is to go for one of the latest mini PCs. In the past decade, these ultra-compact desktop boxes have largely replaced the tradition tower PC configuration, being sold as standalone devices to plug into your existing keyboard and screen set-up. 

Unless your computing requirements are especially heavyweight, the new generation of mini PCs will do all you need without dominating desk or floor. It’s also a world where new brands come at you thick and fast, often supplanting the biggest names in computing, and specifications and upgrades occur weekly. 

Which mini PC is best for you?

Apple Mac Mini

For many of us, the answer to this question is simple: the Mac Mini. The latest generation of this iconic compact computer incorporates Apple’s M2 and M2 Pro chips for the first time. It’s nearly two decades since the first Mini appeared, helping set the stage for a host of imitators who followed the pared-back package and shipped without a keyboard, display or mouse. The square form factor – initially interrupted only by a front-loading slot for the CD-Rom – was another Apple innovation. Round the back you’ll find plenty of ports, and the build quality is second to none. 

Apple Mac Mini, from £649, Apple.com

Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Gen 5

Lenovo’s range of tiny desktop machines has recently been expanded with the introduction of the ThinkCentre M75q Gen 5. Pitched more at general admin and business use rather than full-on creative exploration, the AMD Ryzen-powered model can still contain up to 64GB of RAM and has no fewer than seven USB ports and up to two solid state hard drives; the case is designed for easy access to upgrade and swap out key components. It’ll even power three displays. 

Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q Gen 5, from £469.99, Lenovo.com

HP Z2 G9 Mini Workstation

HP’s Z2 G9 Mini Workstation sports an NVIDIA T1000 graphics card, giving it the horsepower to run even the most graphic-intensive jobs. Small enough to be mounted behind a monitor, and therefore remain completely out of site, the tiny case (which can be opened up without any tools) also incorporates recycled plastic.  

HP Z2 G9 Mini Workstation, from £1,679.99, HP.com

Dell Optiplex Micro

Dell’s entry into this dizzying category is the Optiplex Micro, a slim and rugged mini tower with the capacity to run at least three separate displays. This is a must-have machine for multi-monitor set-ups like home trading, with the support of Dell’s decades of experience in building business machines. While the simple, unfussy box (made with over 50 per cent recycled plastic) won’t win any beauty prizes, there’s also an optional stand mount so you can stash it behind your screens. 

Dell Optiplex Micro, from £501.59, Dell.com

Khadas Mind

Now we’re into the woods, with the first of several models from newly minted suppliers that don’t have the pedigree of the big hardware manufacturers. Khadas’ Mind is a truly tiny PC, weighing in at well under half a kilogram and with a tiny desktop footprint. Intel i7-powered, the Mind has a built-in standby battery to counter any accidental power outages, and the premium model features a 1TB hard drive and 32GB of RAM.

Khadas Mind, from $799, Khadas.com

Geekom Mini IT13

Taiwan-based electronics firm Geekom pivoted to mini PCs in 2021 and now has a vast line-up of models catering to every conceivable use case. We’ve selected the Mini IT13, which combines the Intel Core i9 processor, up to 2TB of storage and Windows 11 Pro. As well as packing the latest WiFi and USB specifications into its tiny machines, the company tests extensively for cooling efficiency and noise ratings to make a device that’s swift, small and silent. 

Geekom Mini IT13 13th Gen Intel® Core™ i9/i7/i5, from £499, Geekom.com

Beelink GTR7 PRO 7940HS

With almost every brand new Windows-based PC and laptop, most experts recommend a fresh install as a way of sieving any bloatware or unwanted applications. It also offers peace of mind when buying from companies without big name recognition. Beelink is a case in point – often recommended by those in the know with the occasional caveat about the bundled software. Its AMD-powered hardware is strictly minimal in form but enhanced by a rare selection of bold case colours.

Beelink GTR7 PRO 7940HS, from £939, Bee-link.com

Minisforum NAD9

The NAD9 is a micro machine with an included vertical stand for additional space saving. The NAD9 goes big on connectivity, with three types of USB port, HDMI, Ethernet and even a microphone input. Quiet and competent, it’s is an affordable desktop machine that should function well across the board. 

Minisforum NAD9, from £409, Store.Minisforum.uk

If you’re game with gaming your data and opening up great swathes of everyday activity to chronicling, analysis and exploration, then you’ll be all in with the new breed of smart wearables and fitness trackers. 

We’ve rounded up ten wearable tech devices that purport to dig a little deeper into the world of personal statistics and help you shape your best self, from smart glasses to biowearables.

Wearable tech to shape your best self

1. Fitness on your wrist: Honor Band 9

First up, a conventional piece of everyday tech. Honor has been furnishing runners and walkers with fitness bands for years, and its latest offering, the Band 9, demonstrates impressive evolution. The 1.57in AMOLED display is always on, but up to two-weeks of battery life is promised, and there are interchangeable straps in a choice of three colours. The Chinese company claims up to 96 different workout modes and can apparently run a body-age assessment based on users’ ‘maximal oxygen uptake’. Distance, sleep, stress, heart rate and menstrual cycles can all be tracked in detail. 

Honor Band 9, £49.99, HiHonor.com, @UKHonor

2. Looking sharp: Brilliant Labs Frame

Brilliant Labs describes the Frame as ‘Multimodal AI glasses’. Still unreleased, the $349 round-rimmed glasses pack a pair of transparent OLED displays, a battery, microphone and speakers and connect to your mobile device and an app called Noa to provide an AI-powered visual overlay of the world around you.

The start-up behind Frame says the underlying software will be completely open-source, and there’s also the possibility of putting in prescription lenses. It’s not quite Apple Vision Pro, let alone Mission Impossible, nor is it the only pair of augmented reality specs on the market, but interested parties should take a look. 

Frame by Brilliant Labs, $349, Brilliant.xyz, @BrilliantLabsAR

3. Discreet charm: the Oura Ring

If a smartwatch or fitness band is too bulky, then consider diving into the most recent wave of wearable devices, a smart ring. Ourais now up to Generation 3 of its pioneering models, cramming enough sensors to track sleep, heart health, stress, activities and even early illness detection, based on sudden shifts in skin temperature and heart rate.

The downside is you’ll need a monthly subscription to get access to Oura’s datasets, analysis and recommendations, but there’s also the ability to sync with everything from Apple Health, Google Fit, Peloton, Strava and more. Samsung is also nearing completion of its first Galaxy Ring, an ultra-light device that should have silver and gold colour options and be capable of syncing with your phone to deliver health data 24/7. 

Oura Heritage Ring, £299, Horizon Ring, £349, OuraRing.com, @OuraRing

4. Cut through: Vasco E1 Translator

Sometimes, tech companies seem to make products because they can, not because they should, and deal with the consequences later. In the case of Vasco’s E1 translating earbuds, we can’t see any immediate downsides to the imminent end of confusion, crossed wires and general misunderstandings. This is the kind of tech that’ll probably be embedded everywhere within the decade, but you can get a march on the rest of us by signing up to try out the E1.

The pack of twin earpieces come in a charging case and you’ll need to hand one over to your conversation mate to get started (alternatively, they can talk into the app on their phone). Vasco reckons the device can do realtime conversational translation of up to 49 languages. 

Vasco Translator E1, available soon, Vasco-Translator.com

5. Deep dives: Form Smart Swim Goggles

Form’s Smart Swim Goggles are a new way of tracking performance and stats whilst in the pool. The company, founded by Dan Eisenhardt in 2019, pitches its wares at professional swimmers and triathletes, with an integrated augmented reality display on the inside of the goggle lenses. This displays real-time performance information that might otherwise be hard to track in the middle of a training session. The goggles are capable of automatic stroke detection, enabling a detailed post-swim analysis in the app. Subscription services include training and coaching plans, and you can pair the goggles with other workout apps, as well as Apple and Garmin watches. 

Form Smart Swim Goggles, $199, FormSwim.com, @FormSwim

6. Health Forecasts: Ultrahuman

Investors and consumers alike are a little wary of product suites that offer complete monitoring solutions – the ghost of Theranos lingers in the memory. Mindful of this wayward, path, new start-up Ultrahuman is putting its trust in a product suite, rather than a single device, for tracking all sorts of health metrics. The aim is to ‘create a grand unified view of the human body’. Products include the Ring AIR smart ring and the M1 Live glucose monitor, which adheres to the body and provides real-time monitoring to the Ultrahuman app. There’s also an upcoming Home device, an environmental monitoring system that combines a smoke detection system with stats on air quality, sound levels, temperature, light and humidity.  

Ultrahuman Ring AIR, from $349, Ultrahuman.com, @UltrahumanHQ

7. Breathe out: FoodMarble

Your breath is one of the final frontiers of non-intrusive health-data-gathering. FoodMarble offers a pocketable sensor system, the AIRE, that can analyse the methane and hydrogen levels on your breath to track the efficiency of your digestive system (by indicating the levels of fermentation in your gut – see our guide to gut health).

Enter details of the food you’ve eaten into the FoodMarble app, and you’ll get a tailored set of stats that shows how you react to different foods. Think of it as a personalised electronic dietician, capable of detecting various intolerances (including lactose but not gluten), and therefore making everyday life more comfortable. 

FoodMarble AIRE, £149, AIRE 2, £189, FoodMarble, @FoodMarble

8. Framing the conversation: Xeon 5 by Solos

You’re either all-in on this stuff or you treat it with trepidation. Advocates and enthusiasts of all things AI will love the new Xeon 5 smart glasses from Solos. Working in harmony with the AirGo mobile app, the frames not only track and monitor posture and fitness goals, but also incorporate push-button access to ChatGPT for AI-powered translation and summaries. Although there’s no display element, the Xeon 5s can even whisper sweet nothings (ie, your calendar appointments) directly into your ears.  

Xeon 5 Smart Glasses by Solos, £160, Sologlasses.com

9. Travels in hyperreality: XREAL Air 2 Ultra

XREAL’s upcoming Air 2 Ultra smart glasses represent the middle ground between Apple Vision Pro and lightweight, screen-free devices like the Xeon 5s. Weighing in at 80g (versus  around 600g for the Vision Pro), the Air 2 Ultras are billed as the lightest augmented reality solution out there. The downside is that the glasses have to work hand in hand with your phone (or laptop) in order to ‘project’ a massive display into your environment. Sensors track depth, surfaces, images and even your hands to immerse you into the experience, and XREAL is currently encouraging developers to come on board and work for the platform. 

XREAL Air 2 Ultra, £699.00, UK.shop.XREAL.com, @XREAL_global

10. Biowear for beginners: Lingo

Finally, Lingo has launched its first consumer biowearable system, a circular puck-like glucose tracking system that you stick on to sift through a solid fortnight of data about how you process this essential sugar. The upsides will be better sleep and healthier habits, as Lingo’s app identifies spikes in glucose levels and suggests challenges to get your readings down to a steady state. A single sensor lasts for 14 days. 

Lingo Discovery Pack, £89, HelloLingo.com, @HelloLingo

What would have happened if Apple had achieved its goal of building its very own automobile? Would the world of transportation be substantially different, in the same way that the world of work, particularly creative work, was transformed by the introduction of the original Apple Macintosh in 1984? 

Arguably what killed this decade-long project was this absence of overarching change; an Apple car, however smart and beautiful, had no chance of enacting the kind of societal change brought on by, say, the iPhone. However, Project Titan, the purported name given to this overarching attempt at reshaping the sector, can’t really be called a failure. Apple’s learnings will be extensive, giving it a vast and invaluable insight into the future wants and needs of an industry that might just be on the slide.

We’re not left with many clues about how those ten years were spent but it would have been intense. Imagine all the engineering and prototyping and code and cross-pollination with the Apple eco-system, as well as purported tie-ins with Hyundai, a hiring spree that lured specialists from across the industry to Cupertino, the high-profile but ultimately unconfirmed involvement of Marc Newson, and the acquisition of the autonomous specialist Drive.ai in 2019. 

It's worth pointing out that Apple never even publicly acknowledged the existence of Project Titan; all we know about it comes from the currents of industry speculation and personnel movement, as well as a smattering of patent filings. Ironclad NDAs have kept all the details away from the media.

Apple keeps its failures close to its chest, rarely commenting on forthcoming product and certainly not stooping to anything as vulgar as a conceptual tender. As a result, many such projects must come and go within the magnificent halls of Apple Park without anyone outside those hallowed curved glass walls being any the wiser. In contrast, rivals seem to spray out ideas with messy abandon, simply unceremoniously yanking them from the market when they fail to make the expected splash (visit KilledbyGoogle.com to see what we mean).

Why the odds were stacked against an Apple Car

Elsewhere, Tesla regularly demonstrates the dangers of a personality cult overtaking and overshadowing the credibility of the actual product, while closer to home, Apple’s Vision Pro illustrates just how expensive and complex it is to define and dominate a niche category in your own image. 

So would an Apple Car have had a premium focus like a BMW or Mercedes, an aspirational product available only to the select strata of society determined to pay a little bit more for quality and innovation (arguably the sweet spot occupied by iPhone and Mac)? Or was it intended to be a democratising technology with a world-changing remit, a Ford Model T for the 21st century? That’s not really Apple’s style. The Mac may have freed the world from the beige shackles of the corporate PC, but it was never about bringing computing to the masses. 

Most likely, the numbers were crunched over and over again throughout the project’s decade-long gestation, revealing each time that to achieve the level of fit, finish, innovation and quality that is synonymous with the brand would simply be impossible. An Apple Car equivalent in price to a Rolls-Royce? Easy, probably. Any more affordable, and there would have been problems. Others have found it harder to rein in their ambition. 

The early years of electrification were rife with automotive vapourware, as start-ups and existing brands promised the Earth and found it was harder to deliver than first envisaged. It’s not just all-new models that slipped and slipped (and often vanished altogether); technologies like autonomy have been left hanging in the wind as the technological benefits and political will found themselves continuously and irredeemably at odds. Given that autonomy was considered to be the core technology at the heart of Apple’s project, the ever-shifting goalposts made the likelihood of Apple succeeding less and less likely.

These days, we know that ‘self-driving’ cars have little more capacity than a glorified cruise control system, and that’s absolutely fine. Most people switch such systems off the minute they get in their car. The ultra-rapid rise of AI will probably make consumers even more hesitant to embrace the mind of the machine. In any case, it seems that autonomy will work best for buses, minivans and taxis, everyday pieces of infrastructure that’ll never be considered sexy, or garner the rabid fandom and loyalty that Apple has accrued for its hardware. 

Apple is in the business of technology, not mobility, and while the more optimistic technocrats seem to think the two sectors are on the brink of convergence, the end of Project Titan implies that this moment is still in the far future, beyond the scope of even the most far-reaching financial projections and analysis.

So were the technological challenges unsurpassable? A highway is a complicated environment; even the smartest technology has shown itself to be fallible, fatally so, when presented with the computational chaos of the world going about its business. There’s reputational damage to be had in promising to seamlessly navigate this world and then failing to deliver, as Tesla, Waymo and others have discovered to their cost. Every age has its bold, bright technological marvels of transportation that ultimately go on to reveal their fragility, be they express trains, Ocean liners, or airliners. 

Making cars has always been hard. Making cars on a scale that'll change our whole perception of private transportation is, we suggest, nigh on impossible. The list of car marques that never made it out of the workshop is extensive, and it's not just outlandish supercars or hyper-luxury specials that failed to fulfil their promise; plenty of modest, affordable, practical and desirable models never made the grade either, stymied by the sheer impossibility of the task.

How much money did Tesla burn through before turning a profit? How much did Rivian lose in 2023? How many brands have been hyped and feted but ultimately failed to deliver? Common wisdom contends that electrification lowered the bar for entry. But unless you're content with building a handful of cars for a very select and patient customer base, there's still a world of materials logistics, supply chains, endless legislation, and social, environmental and geopolitical manoeuvring around manufacturing issues that means big numbers remain out of reach for all but the deepest, deepest pockets.

Apple might have kicked its much-vaunted car project to the curb, but what does this mean for the rest of the industry? The precedents would seem to justify the company’s decision. Sir James Dyson spent a purported $500m on getting his own pet project, the Dyson BEV, to the stage of polished prototype; Apple’s outlay over the course of a decade could be many, many times more.

Several tech companies, including Samsung, Sony and Huawei have all dipped a toe in the car market, with the latter two working on credible models that may well come to commercial fruition. Sony is buddying up with Honda to help tackle the manufacturing, while Huawei is proposing the Luxeed S7 as a credible Tesla rival. Samsung, on the other hand, had a rather uninspiring partnership with Renault, re-badging the French company’s Fluence EV as the Renault Samsung Fluence SM3 ZE way back in 2011.

None of these examples pushed the boundaries of design, let alone shook up the ways in which cars are built, used, parked, and charged. Google (later Waymo) sparked intense interest and even desire with its early research vehicles, deliberately cutesy and counter to the prevailing macho orthodoxy of car design. But they were never intended for commercialisation. 

In a similar vein, there is Heatherwick Studio’s Airo EV concept, which has also fallen by the wayside. Those with longer memories might recall others, like the 2008 Mindset EV, the 2011 Mia Electric, even the legendary General Motors EV1 from the 1990s, and countless more that didn’t make the cut. We’re fervently hoping that the Telo electric pick-up truck doesn’t go the same way. 

One explanation as to why Apple bit the bullet and canned its car project is that the business case for its involvement in the auto industry has been fulfilled. The company's CarPlay technology, first introduced in 2014, is now one of the de facto industry standards, bringing not just licensing fees but ensuring new cars are increasingly deeply immersed into the wider Apple ecosystem. Late in 2023, the next generation of CarPlay integration was announced, previewed by early adopters like Porsche and Aston Martin. 

Here's another reason why Apple's U-turn might turn out to prescient. In ten years, will the car really matter as much as it does today? The car is changing, as are the ways we use it, both through necessity and new laws. There's every chance that the qualities that make certain contemporary cars more desirable than others will be all but irrelevant in the very near future. 

Ultimately, perhaps the car guys and girls that Apple hired from around the world never managed to divine the company's place within these ever-shifting sands. To preserve the essence of the brand, Apple Car would have to be at or near the top of the tree. The problem was, the tree itself became ever trickier to define as the development process wore on.

That's not to say that others didn't succumb to rampant speculation. 'Apple Car' is a popular AI prompt and even before that tech took off, working out what such a machine might look became a favourite designer parlour game. Real references were scant. 

Jony Ive and Marc Newson were both closely associated with the project back in the day (now neither designer has any direct affiliation to the company; Ive founded Love From in 2021). Both are genuine car enthusiasts – Newson once created a standout concept for Ford, the 021C, and both are noted aficionados of Aston Martin (Steve Jobs, allegedly, would swap his Mercedes SL every six months in order to circumvent the need to despoil the vehicle with a physical licence plate – new cars in California didn't need them provided you had a paper licence).

What next? Are there any mobility moves left for Apple to make? Cars might never fly in the way envisioned by futurists and sci-fi films, but the flying taxi, or multi-rotor electric helicopter, depending on your viewpoint, is still very much a going concern amongst mobility pioneers. Innovative? For sure. Revolutionary? Probably not, with use cases limited to the emergency services and the ability to shave a few minutes off the boardroom-to-penthouse-to-yacht-to-private-jet commuting times of the 0.1 per cent. 

It's hard to imagine Apple willing to put its name on a such an untried and potentially risky technology. There is no commercial or political appetite for jetpacks and other flying machines. Likewise, there are not and never have been any Apple-affiliated stunts along the lines of Musk's ‘Hyperloop’.

Word has it that Apple’s primary pivot will be towards generative AI, hardly reassuring for those who view the 'revolution' in AI as singularly lacking in a coherent and benign (let alone non-catastrophic) vision. Most likely, all that freshly squeezed machine intelligence will be smoothly and seamlessly deployed in Apple's next generation of digital assistants, executed with such elegance and competence that they will appear nothing short of magical. 

That, after all, is the company's greatest strength; an ability to streamline, hone and direct the inexorable flow of innovation into products and services that we can't ever imagine living without. For increasing millions, now and in the future, the car will never occupy that spot.

Apple.com

Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s groundbreaking launch in spatial computing, ushers new realities into the world as it becomes available for purchase in the US today (2 February 2024). Imagine turning your living room into a movie theatre that happens to be set within the mountains of Yosemite. What feels like a 100ft screen looms before you, while gentle gusts of wind and the rustling of trees sound in your ears. Imagine being able to relive memories of birthday parties and old holidays, as if you were right there, with true-to-life photos and videos that fool the senses. Choose to shut the world out for a meditation session, set to vibrant 3D visualisations that fill your space and surround you, whether you are at home or on a plane.

Below we explore the Apple Vision Pro and speak exclusively to members of the Apple Design Team about its development and capabilities.

Apple Vision Pro: how it works

Originally revealed in June 2023, Vision Pro signifies a huge leap, even by Apple’s own standards. A first of its kind, this wearable spatial computer blends the digital with the physical in a way that is frankly unbelievable. Working within the existing framework of its familiar apps and established user interface, Apple turns your surroundings into a three-dimensional navigational display, while making it intuitive to respond to and natural to control. The new visionOS makes digital content look present in the physical world. Every detail of the UX design has been specially created to close the gap between the two realms; app icons mimic Apple’s glass material in the virtual realm, while the display screen subtly casts shadows over furniture or other aspects of the space when the natural light changes. Simply put, it heralds a whole new platform for experiencing technology.

Where others have failed before, Apple Vision Pro succeeds. It takes its control cues from your eyes, hands and voice, and thanks to 12 cameras, five sensors and six processors embedded into the wearable, users can browse through apps by simply looking at them, tapping their fingers to select, flicking their wrist to scroll, or dictating by voice. Its micro-OLED technology packs 23 million pixels into two displays, each the size of a postage stamp. Custom catadioptric lenses enable sharpness and clarity. A singular piece of curved glass – three-dimensionally formed and laminated – creates an optical surface for viewing that also acts as a lens for the camera and sensor technology needed. All this fits neatly into an aluminium alloy frame that gently curves around the user’s face, and is held comfortably together by a flexible head band, three-dimensionally knitted as a single piece, to provide cushioning, breathability, and stretch.

Apple Design Team on developing Apple Vision Pro

With no set deadline or pressure to be brought to the market, Apple Vision Pro has been in the works for years. On a recent visit to Apple Park, Alan Dye, Apple’s Vice President of Human Interface Design, and Richard Howarth, Vice President of Industrial Design, sat down together to explain how hardware and software came together in an unprecedented way to make an idea a reality.  

‘For Vision Pro, we understood the idea that this technology of wearing something that could transport you to another place was a very powerful one. And that there were really profound experiences that could come out of it and from changing the users’ context. But we also recognised a lot of the problems that existed with these sorts of technologies, especially around isolation,’ says Dye, while stating that Vision Pro is neither AR nor VR. ‘Once we understood that the product could be used for connection, for bringing people together and helping to enrich their lives, as we do with so many other Apple products, that’s when we got fully immersed in the program and wanted to bring it to life. We got excited about what this could mean as a whole new platform. That’s why we call it spatial computing.’ 

‘We put a lot of thought into how to make this entirely new platform feel approachable and seamless. To reduce the barriers to putting Vision Pro on, and not feel too techy,’ Howarth adds. ‘Which is why we deliberately designed the soft forms, cushioned knitted fabric bands, a lot of flexible materials and soft textures. So people would not only feel physically comfortable wearing it, but also enjoy wearing it around others too.’

Dye says, ‘We wanted people around you to also feel comfortable with you wearing it, and for you to feel comfortable wearing it around other people. That’s why we spent years designing a set of very natural, comfortable gestures that you can use without waving your hands in the air. That’s also why we developed EyeSight, because we knew more than anything, if we were going to cover your eyes, that takes away much of what is possible when you connect with people. Getting that right was at the core of the concept of the product because we wanted people to retain those connections in their actual world.’

EyeSight is an innovative feature that turns Vision Pro’s lens transparent when someone approaches its user and eye contact can be made on both sides. When in full immersion mode, Vision Pro’s lens appears opaque. When the user looks at someone in the real world, a small porthole forms in the navigational display so that they can look out without having to take the device off. This one capability of the device alone took years to develop. 

User Experience

Everything in Apple Vision Pro has been purpose-built and it is apparent that only Apple could have achieved such a feat. Over the course of the product’s development, the design team grew and expanded into new disciplines in order to generate the gestures, materials, sounds, visual effects and cinematic environments of the finished product.  

‘We had the feeling that this could be great, but we had no idea how to achieve it,’ Howarth says. ‘Many of the problems we were trying to solve were huge, seemingly unsolvable and required entirely new technical innovations. We knew what we wanted, and had to trust we would get there, by constant prototyping and iteration with multiple different teams.'

Dye adds, ‘Getting to some of those ideas is very hard. And then protecting those ideas, all through the process of making them real and obsessing over those details, and working hard to arrive at a point where there’s no other way we could have done it, and it just feels natural, intuitive, easy to use and comfortable to wear, that’s the real hard work.’

At the heart of Apple Vision Pro is an unrelenting consideration of personal use. Each device is modularly assembled in order to ensure a tailored and personalised fit for a wide range of faces and people. It also features a Light Seal, which is made of a soft textile that flexes to conform to the face, also available in a heavily researched range of shapes and sizes.

Users complete diagnostic scans of their faces and ears so that the fit, visuals and audio are custom-programmed. Sound is an especially impressive aspect of Vision Pro as there are no earbuds. Instead, an advanced Spatial Audio system enables users to experience high-fidelity sound, while still hearing the world around them. Two individually amplified drivers inside each audio pod deliver sound based on the user’s anatomy, while flexible straps ensure that audio is as close to your ear as possible. 

Dye says, ‘No product more than Apple Vision Pro exemplifies the nature of how we’ve designed the studio and worked as a studio for over a decade. This product required, more than ever, that we bring hardware and software, all the disciplines across the studio together, to create one singular product experience.’

‘We also start a project at the same time,’ says Howarth. ‘The hardware isn’t developed and then we put software on it, and the experience isn’t designed and then the hardware is created to enable it. It happens symbiotically. We create it together. We all understand the principles and high-level goals and then we move along together, one step at a time as a single team, so there’s no distance between us.’

When you wear Vision Pro, you are slowly eased into this new world, with varying levels of translucency between what’s real and what’s digital. Lights dim slowly when you view photos, videos or content. Everything moves with you so you never feel like you’re strapped in. The knitted band, which feels more like apparel than a tech product, brings a casualness that’s fitting for a device that can be used sitting, leaning back or even lying down. Even the absence of controllers was intentional to facilitate being able to do other things, like drinking coffee or taking notes, at the same time.

Howarth sums up, ‘There’s a hardness and precision to the front of the product that is completely technical and feels like it’s been sent from the future, but then everything else that connects the product to you is soft and really approachable, so you feel cushioned and there’s not a barrier to putting it on or taking it off. And in fact, it should be a pleasure.’

Dye closes, ‘When the product, as a piece of hardware and software, is a complete experience and feels inevitable, that’s when we know we’re done. That’s where we are at with Apple Vision Pro. It just works, it feels familiar and it feels like something only Apple could have done.’

Equipped with all the capabilities that we are already used to, like email, messages, Facetime, AppleTV, and new applications to come in the fields of wellness, gaming, productivity and creativity, Apple Vision Pro signals a dawn of a new era and an experience entirely of one’s own. 

Apple Vision Pro is now available in the US, from $3,499
apple.com

There is no denying smartwatches’ health benefits, and even life-saving abilities. But unless you’re a fitness fanatic, you don’t want a 45mm GPS-tracking monster ruining your office or party outfit. Finally, the design choices are becoming slimmer and more understated. And with the option to disconnect trending, there are great options that don’t conspire with your mobile to bombard you with another email or push notification.  

Wearable smartwatches: form meets function

Fitbit Inspire HR

With a price well under £100 and a minimal-sleek appearance, the latest Fitbit is a basic fitness tracker that might surprise you. It is a swim-proof watch with a five-day battery, on the down-low in a monochrome black combo, or go for a sorbet-popping lilac strap for a touch of summer. Despite its budget price, it comes packed with functionality, including all-day activity tracking, calorie count, and heart rate features.

amazon.co.uk

Garmin Lily

The Lily is Garmin’s svelte smartwatch far removed from their larger tool-tastic fitness trackers. But there is no compromise on the functionality, with everything from Garmin’s well-known Body Battery features to stress-, respiration-, and hydration-tracking. It will sync with Garmin’s accomplished Connect app, and excels in the wearability stakes. With a choice of Italian leather straps and a 34mm case with a bracelet-like vibe, it embodies inconspicuous elegance with a tech twist.

amazon.co.uk

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 

With a slim 40mm case, the sixth-generation of the Samsung Galaxy Watch has come down from an unwieldy 42 or pan-sized 47mm down to a slim 40 with a thinner case design. It comes with many personalised options, three case finishes, and a big bunch of fresh straps for easy-click matching your fit of the day. We’d go for a soft fabric strap for sleepy comfort, as the useful Sleep Coaching feature is accessible directly on the watch to track those important deep sleep phases.

samsung.com

Apple Watch SE  

Why not buy the latest Gen 7 Apple Watch? Because the 38mm or 40mm Apple Watch SE is pretty unbeatable in the sleek-with-every-fit stakes. The only caveat is it still wants to partner up with your iPhone, so if you’re an Android fan, look away now. Tone down the ever-buzzing notifications, and it’s a minimalist-cool, comfortable watch while retaining its health-tracking prowess and emergency call feature should you have an accident. The fit, choice, and quality of its straps are also on another level, so don’t knock this OG pebble.

johnlewis.com

Consider these hybrid smartwatches

What about hybrid smartwatches? Ensuring the feel of mechanical watchmaking on your wrist without instantly accessible sports tracking features, the oft-berated hybrid smartwatches are coming of age. Now, you can keep your health tracked while saving yourself from the embarrassing option of speaking into your Apple Watch when your partner calls mid-Waitrose shopping to remind you of onions.  

Pininfarina Senso hybrid watch

Covered by us before, the Pininfarina Designed Senso series of smartwatches have a sartorial, Italian take on wrist-computing. With a suave tool watch case and Italian swagger, it’s one for the naysayers who will be swayed by functionality. It may have a small screen, but it packs a techy punch featuring an optical heart rate sensor, sleep and activity tracker, and more. It’s not small at 44mm but outpaces most with up to 30 days of battery life.

amazon.co.uk

Withings Scanwatch 38mm

Surprisingly for such a small-sized watch, the Scanwatch actually boasts a clinically validated electrocardiogram and SpO2 sensor. It has a small integrated screen at 12 o’clock and is otherwise a delightfully retro-modern watch design with the best choice of finishes and bands around. At last count, Withings offered about six cases and 20 bands in a tempting but bewildering array of colours.

withings.com

American artist Ida Applebroog has died aged 93 in New York. Applebroog, who is survived by her four children and their families, was an integral figure in American feminist art, frequently translating classic motifs of male aggression into darkly humorous work. 

Born to an orthodox Jewish family in the Bronx in 1929, Applebroog embraced an eclectic selection of mediums over six decades, creating sculptures, films, installations, paintings and drawings. She especially enjoyed working on skinlike Rhoplex- coated vellum, creating figures that were cartoonish in their simplicity. 

She continued to embrace this alternative medium in the 1970s with artist books in the style of comic strips, in a nod to the prevailing popularity of the medium loved by the advertising industry at the time, before creating her first film with puppets, ‘It’s No Use Alberto’, which was shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1978. 

In 2009, Applebroog joined Hauser & Wirth, holding her first solo exhibition with them the following year in New York. Her most recent exhibition, ‘Ida Applebroog. Right Up To Now 1969 – 2021’ at Hauser & Wirth Somerset in 2022, presented new mixed media work alongside a comprehensive retrospective. 

sSays Manuela Wirth, president Hauser & Wirth: ‘Ida has been a powerful force within the feminist movement since the 1970s, forging her own unique identity as an artist and woman, mother and wife. Relentless in her capacity for expansive visual experimentation, she interrogated themes of violence and power, human relations, her own body and domestic space. Her emotionally disruptive and fearless approach to making art has been an inspiration to many generations, intensely personal, honest and raw. We are eternally grateful for her humour, wit and radical introspection, presenting the absurdities of life as it is. Our thoughts are with Ida’s children and her extended family and friends at this time. She will be deeply missed by so many.’ 

Have we reached peak smartphone? The premium brands have had their annual launches – such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 and the Apple iPhone 15 – and offer only incremental improvements on what was available the previous year. Now it’s Google’s turn, with the debut of the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. 

What’s most notable about the eighth iteration of the company’s flagship Android device is how AI has become much more embedded and present. Google’s AI systems have sneaked their way into search as well as generative systems like text and image generation, not to mention photographic ‘support’. 

Google Pixel 8 Pro and its AI revolution

It’s the last where the Pixel has traditionally excelled, but while the latest version takes fantastic photographs, it feels that the emphasis is shaping the world one sees, rather than displaying it as it is. Apple’s equally impressive photographic capabilities are pitched more at the traditional photographer, someone who will process after the shoot, rather than use the rather cruder tools in the phone itself. iPhones have been able to shoot RAW files for a while, whereas it’s a new option on the Pixel 8 Pro.

A smartphone isn’t a camera, of course, but a very sophisticated image processor. ‘Pro Controls’ aside, both of the Pixel 8 phones have a suite of AI-driven tools that are designed to buff out the rough edges of life. The Pro has four cameras, including a 50 MP main camera, an ultrawide, telephoto and 10.5 MP front camera. Photographic results can be shaped using ‘Best Take’, which blends a burst of similar images to ensure that everyone is smiling, or not blinking. 

There’s also the forthcoming Magic Editor (unavailable at time of review), something Google describe as an ‘experimental editing experience’. This builds on the Magic Eraser tool introduced in the Pixel 7 phones but doesn’t just allow for stray photobombers to be seamlessly and automatically banished. Instead, you can apparently reposition objects within the frame, change an overcast sky to a dramatic sunset and inflict all manner of trickery on even the most casual snapshot. 

It begs the question, what next? This will be an experimental feature, with the computations presumably taking place in the cloud (hence recent warnings about the burgeoning energy consumption of relatively trivial AI applications). Google is prefacing the feature with a warning, acknowledging that ‘… we know there are going to be times when the result isn’t exactly what you imagined’. This conjures up a potential hellscape of twisted AI fingers and unwanted excursions into the uncanny valley, all taking their place in your precious photo folder. 

Also available is a slightly gimmicky AI-generated wallpaper app, which conjures up backdrops based on a set of pre-loaded cues. Promised this week are even more AI-driven features, including Zoom Enhance, which lets you zoom into a photograph and use generative AI to sharpen up the details; a more flexible and powerful Magic Eraser tool, and the introduction of Audio Magic Eraser, which is designed to ‘clean up’ buzzy and blowy video soundtracks. More alarming still is the imminent arrival of Google’s conversational AI model, Bard, which can be used to generate descriptions, social media posts and other potential nuisances. 

The AI feature creep notwithstanding, this is properly premium device, especially the Pro model. A polished aluminium frame and matte back glass support a 6.7in screen, making it a fraction larger than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. If you can face covering this beautifully finished device with a case, then your Pixel 8 will undoubtedly last a while; another quiet advance is the fact that the Pixel 8 comes with seven years of software support, guaranteeing you software and security updates until October 2030. Pixel 7 Pro owners can say goodbye to new software from October 2025. 

This projected longevity brings us back to the first question; have we reached the point where always opting for an annual (or even biannual) update is simply too resource-hungry. It’s true that used phones cascade down through the second-hand marketplace for years, but the Pixel is very far from being a simple device to repair (although Google has promised to keep a stock of spare parts for seven years as well). It’ll be interesting to see how many buyers can hold on to their Pixel into the 2030s. 

The devices ship with the new Android 14 operating system, a stealthy upgrade that makes sure to flatter the required muscle memory and physical interactivity of previous versions so as not to put anyone off. Also new to market is the Google Pixel Watch 2, which majors in bolstered fitness and health tracking, along with better speed and battery life. 

Surprisingly, the Pixel range has a relatively small share of the overall phone market (about 5 per cent), especially given Google’s huge sway and overall control of the Android OS. It is undoubtedly a fantastic device, fast and powerful, and rich with features. However, it also offers the very first interaction with generative AI for huge numbers of people, potentially adding yet another layer of confusion and distraction to an already over-saturated world.  

Google Pixel 8 Pro, from £999, Store.Google.com

Mirage is a new public sculpture by the artist Katie Paterson and the architects Zeller & Moye. Set amidst the landscaping that surrounds Apple Park in Cupertino, it consists of over four hundred glass columns snaking through the olive grove that surrounds the HQ’s visitor centre. 

Christoph Zeller and Ingrid Moye teamed up with the Scottish artist Katie Paterson to create the piece, using cylinders of pure cast glass made from sands ‘collected from deserts across the Earth.’

Depending on the location and consistency of the sand, each desert generated a set of unique colours and textures. Structural engineering is by Eckersley O’Callaghan, a UK-based firm that has a long history of working alongside Apple on its architectural projects.

The result is an installation that crystallises the variety and scope of these habitats into a singular space. As the artist’s notes describe, ‘together the columns combine the world’s deserts transformed into liquid-like material, flowing like a dune shaped by the wind’.

The process of collecting the sand was undertaken in partnership with Unesco, geologists and the regional communities that live in these places, and to walk through it one is moved to think of taking a trip around the world's many desert ecosystems.

Such a vast array of translucent material creates a very dynamic environment, as the light shifts throughout the day and emphasises different parts of the snaking structure. ‘Mirage creates an experience of being enveloped by Earth’s sublime spaces,’ says Paterson. ‘Each piece of glass is a portal to otherworldly landscapes. Our hope is that Mirage creates a sensory experience that will ignite the imagination, connect visitors to the vastness of the Earth, and its precious wilderness.’

Mirage.place

ZellerMoye.com

KatiePaterson.org

Apple billed the newly debuted iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus as a ‘huge leap forward for iPhone’, with the key advances being colour-infused back glass and a new contoured edge detail. The new models are available with 6.1in and 6.7in displays, with new features added to the ‘Dynamic Island’ interactive display that incorporates the front selfie camera. 

Apple iPhone 15: new features

The other detail that has caught the world’s attention is the iPhone’s long-awaited switch to the USB-C charging format. Driven in part by EU legislation, the benefits of a universal power cable for all mobile phones might take a couple of generations to filter through, although right off the bat you can charge your AirPods and Apple Watch directly from the iPhone with the USB C connector.

The iPhone 15 also continues Apple’s reputation for peerless camera quality, thanks to a 48MP Main camera with a quad-pixel sensor and three optical-quality zoom levels and the ability to auto-detect your subject so that depth information is automatically saved, allowing you turn the image into a portrait in post-processing. Results will look extremely impressive on the Super Retina XDR display, and in addition to the 48MP Main camera there’s also an Ultra Wide camera and the TrueDepth front camera.

Other new features (for American users) include Roadside Assistance, which connects drivers via satellite to the AAA if they break down away from cell coverage, as well as a crash detection that uses the iPhone’s motion sensor to detect when things go serious awry.  A better, more customisable contacts app and a faster, more efficient processor will make good use of the improvements in iOS 17, which will accompany the launch of the new phones. There’s also an update of Apple’s AirPods Pro, which get a USB‐C MagSafe charging case.

Apple Watch Ultra 2: enhanced capabilities

The company has also announced the Apple Watch Ultra 2, the first hardware upgrade for the flagship wearable since the launch of WatchOS 10. In addition to better performance, a brighter screen and a new double tap gesture interaction, the Ultra 2 has enhanced sensor capabilities for health and sport tracking.

The new iPhones continue Apple’s journey towards full carbon-neutral production, with increased recycled content (including 100 per cent recycled cobalt in the battery and 75 per cent recycled aluminium in the enclosure and fibre-based packaging). As part of this strategy, Apple will stop using real leather in all its products and accessories (although third-party vendors will rush to fill this gap). 

Also, the company announced that certain combinations of Apple Watch and bracelet (for example, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 with the Alpine Loop) are already certified carbon neutral.

Does this all add up to a huge leap forward? Perhaps not. We’re accustomed to incremental improvements, not genre-defying innovation year on year, and are holding on to our personal tech for longer as a result. The average smartphone lifecycle is expected to creep up from around 2.5 years to around 3 years by the end of the decade. Apple is also clearly holding fire on risky strategies like the rumoured folding iPhone, perhaps waiting for the foldable market to mature. Cables aside, it’s business as usual for the world’s biggest phone manufacturer. 

Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are available in pink, yellow, green, blue, and black in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage capacities, from £799 (15) and £899 (15 Plus), Apple Watch Ultra 2, £799, AirPods Pro, $249 (UK/Eur price tbc), Apple.com/store

For more news from Apple, read our Apple Vision Pro review, with the product available in the US from 2 February 2024

Apple WatchOS 10, set to be released later this year, is the most significant overhaul of the device’s user interface since it debuted almost a decade ago. It it also the latest instalment of Apple’s most intriguing, on-going design story. With a mission to rationalise and clarify the way we use a device far more capable and multi-functional than it was at launch, Apple has dramatically improved the look and user experience of Apple Watch in the process.

Apple Watch’s design, hardware and OS, has always been about the tension between possibility and constraint. As Apple Human Interface designer Gary Butcher explains, the design of the Apple Watch OS has to allow access and control of an ever-increasing arsenal of tricks, tools and capabilities on a small display and to do it with short and intuitive interactions. And while the Apple Watch boasts a touch screen, the ambition has always been to find the optimal balance of screen and hardware controls, without muddying the sleek case design with multiple sticky-out buttons.

The Apple Watch’s key innovation and functional focal point was and is the Digital Crown. Over time though, the watch’s app ecosystem has grown and grown more complex, as has usable screen real estate, and the mix of touch and crown scroll manoeuvrings has grown more variable and confusing. For OS10 every Apple Watch app has been redesigned to restore order. These redesigned apps now make smarter use of the entire display and corner icons and how have a far more consistent look and interactive logic. 

The more information-rich apps, such as Activity, now offer Vertical Pagination which allows you to access distinct and colour-coded infographic screens rather than a fussy infinite scroll. The Weather app in particular has been given a serious upgrade in looks and functionality. In other apps, the Digital Crown now has extra functional oomph. In World Clock you can now scroll through the day - with screen colour helpfully moving from darkness to light - taking the tricky head-maths out of out scheduling inter-continental video conferencing.  

The update also makes smart use of background colour to convey information. If the Noise app is green, it’s all good but if it turns yellow, reach for the ear plugs. And the subtle use of translucency instantly establishes hierarchy of information. 

A new feature in Apple Watch OS10 is Smart Stack, a rolling, almost 3d-in-effect display of App widgets that throw up bite-sized chunks of useful and well-timed information. Smart Stack can be surfaced on any watch face with turn of the Digital Crown or a simple up swipe.

Powered by the ‘relevancy engine’, Smart Stack has been designed to roll out only useful information at a useful time, from morning weather forecasts to calendar reminders and tickets and boarding passes when travelling. It also allows instant access to other apps at work at the same time, such as music or podcasts. You can add your preferred widgets to the information flow and some apps offer alternative widget layouts. The widgets have again been colour-coded while the three-dialled Combo Widget is a useful multi-tasker. (Apple is also offering external developers a choice of six different widget templates).

Snoopy and Woodstock have now joined the list of IP with their own Apple Watch face but with new levels of interactive engagement, employing 148 unique animations, which sees them playing with the watch hands, reacting to weather conditions and getting active when you get active. 

In what Butcher admits is a ‘super nerdy’ move, the Snoopy face’s default mode is Sunday Surprise which means that the background is a grey halftone Monday through Saturday but bursts with colour on Sunday, a nod to an era when coloured newsprint was a weekend-only treat.

Apple Watch offers other geeky pleasures of course, and WatchOS 10 offers advanced new metrics for cyclists. When a cycling workout is started on the watch, a simple tap will activate a full-screen Live Activity display on iPhone and the upgrade means an Apple Watch can automatically connect to Bluetooth-enabled cycling accessories such as power meters and speed and cadence sensors.

For hikers, the Compass app will now add a Waypoint for the last place on the trail with cellular reception and a Last Emergency Call waypoint will estimate the last connection to any available carrier network. And a new Elevation view offers a three-dimensional view of saved waypoints.

WatchOS 10 also offers more in the way of mental health tracking. Moods and emotions can now be logged in the Mindfulness app. And as of iOS17, the iPhone Health app will track how your state of mind correlates with lifestyle factors such as time spent in daylight, sleep, exercise and ‘mindful minutes’.

Overall, Apple Watch OS10 is a deep and wide rethinking of Apple Watch’s UX. App design is at once richer but cleaner and less cluttered and much closer to iPhone apps in look and feel while the information offered hits the sweet spot between useful and overload.

Apple.com/Watch

For the latest from Apple, see our exclusive interview with the Apple Design Team about the development of Apple Vision Pro

Apple watch bands have come a long way, with a host of designers and brands putting their own distinctive spin on accessories that are both functional and stylish. Whether fashion-led, sporty, or a riff on classic watch design codes, the right band can bring new life to a much-loved Apple watch. Whatever your aesthetic, find the best Apple watch bands for you with our handy guide.

Best Apple Watch bands for design lovers

Bandwerk

Italian Nappa leather makes for a soft and comfortable adornment, the perfect foil for a sleek Apple Watch.

bandwerk.co.uk

Casetify

Crafted from used phone cases and in a bright rainbow of hues, Casetify's new Flexi Bands are both eco-conscious and summer ready.

casetify.com

Horus

Fans of utilitarian design will love the simple army aesthetic of this piece from Horus, cast in a classic khaki rubber.

mrporter.com

Hermes

The H Diagonal strap from Hermes draws on the distinctive motif which first appeared in the Seventies. Here, its subtle reproduction on buttersoft Swift calfskin offers an understated take on a heritage piece.

apple.com

Vincero

Vincero's silicone Apple watch bands are rich with appealing design quirks. Crafted from fully waterproof silicone, the pieces are strong and soft, and lightly embellished with a textured rubber top and gently tapered form.

vincerocollective.com

Mintapple

Ostrich-embossed leather makes a chic juxtaposition to the clean metal case of an Apple Watch, with this piece just the ticket for a formal do.

selfridges.com

Kate Spade

Apple watch bands take on a chic edge when the familiar links are drawn in black stainless steel. We love Kate Spade's interpretation, imbuing the distinctive form with a chic gloss.

bloomingdales.com

Bellroy

A smooth loop of leather makes a sleek complement to the simple silhouette of your Apple watch, and these eco-tanned options from Bellroy come in a multitude of hues.

bellroy.com

Apple

The Apple Watch Nike Sport band is crafted from a flexible, soft material that allows your skin to breathe, whether you're in the gym or the office. A handy pin-and-tuck closing feature makes slipping it on and off a breeze.

apple.com

UAG

We love the easy wearability of this sporty piece from UAG, which use soft touch silicon for a watch strap both soft, comfortable and waterproof.

urbanarmorgear.com

Apple

Apple's own selection of watch bands encompass the sporty, the smart and the chic. We love this double-layer nylon weave which is both comfortable and practical, with a soft cushioning which lets moisture escape. Available in a rainbow of bright hues, you're sure to find one to love.

apple.com

Nuclieus

Who says your Apple watch band can't be a piece of jewellery in its own right? Not luxe accessories brand Nuclieus, who create super-strong and sleek Apple watch bands in high-quality stainless steel from their Antwerp-based workshop. Diamonds, clustered in the centre of each link, can be personalised at will for seriously dazzling design.

nuclieus.com

Hermès

Hermès announced a collaboration with Apple in 2015, and their shared focus on technical innovation and simple, recognisable design codes made this partnership both a natural and successful one. Fans of classic design will find the range of straps in butter-soft calf leather irresistible, and with a rainbow of bright hues available, everyone will find something to love.

net-a-porter.com

Off-White

Off-White brings an offbeat sensibility to the classic Apple watch band, with pieces inspired by streetwear references in a blending of fashion and horological motifs. This piece, crafted in a nylon-blend webbing with the familiar jacquard logo, adds an edge to dusky pink and blue tones.

ssense.com

Jean Rousseau

Leather aficionados will be spoilt for choice with Jean Rousseau’s range of Apple watch bands. Crafted in France, the collection encompasses both classic and sporty pieces. Straps are padded and stitched to ensure total comfort, while some pieces -– such as those suitable for a short swim – are crafted from functional water-resistant alligator.

jean-rousseau.com

La Californienne

Independent watch company La Californienne puts a retro spin on the classic watch band with a collection that paints stripes onto vegetable-tanned leather. This piece in black and white will bring a touch of sporty chic to the utilitarian design of an Apple watch.

mrporter.com

Mintapple

Prefer the seamless metallic loop of a stainless steel watch band? The link bracelet band from Mintapple is crafted in aluminium and is available in space grey, space black or gold, with links that make for quick and effortless size adjustments.

mintapple.co.uk

The Apple store at Battersea Power Station in London is the first sighting outside the US of the tech giant’s new, or at least evolved, retail design. A re-engineering rather than a radical facelift, the new store's design prioritises sustainability and applies, as much as possible, ‘universal design’ principles. 

The usual Apple retail design tropes and systems are present and correct - the large product display tables, the mobile sales staff rather than checkout desks, the generous ceiling heights and uninterrupted sight lines, the disciplined, almost utilitarian restraint of material palette, and the meticulously handled curves and radii. At the same time, there is plenty of innovation in the use of more sustainable materials and in increasing accessibility (which is exactly what the universal design movement promotes), ensuring that the store is easy to navigate and interact with for all kinds of customers and staff. 

Apple store at Battersea Power Station: moving towards sustainability

'We’re moving from petrochemical-based products to very plant based [ones], or what we call biogenic,' says Bill Bergeron-Mirsky, Apple’s retail design lead. 'So the terrazzo floor is actually plant based, a bio-resin mixed with aggregates from Italy and Greece and recycled glass from the UK.' The acoustic baffles in the ceiling of the Battersea store are also plant based (rather than fiberglass) and pretty much everything else is FSC-certified wood, a solid oak and spruce composite (and like all Apple stores, the latest opening runs on renewable energy). 

Bergeron-Mirsky says the application of universal design principles has meant 'really thinking about all the different abilities that people have, whether that's cognitive, mobility, hearing or sight, and trying to use that as a guide to everything. And the ideas is that if you do the right thing for people of every ability, it improves things for everyone.'

The wide-open spaces and generous ‘avenues’ of Apple stores have always been wheelchair friendly but now there are tables and counters that work for sitting and standing; those acoustic baffles reduce audio clamour and increase clarity; there is a starker visual contrast between the floor, walls and fixtures (a black insert between wooden pillars and the lighter-than-usual floor establishes a clear visual break); and signage is decluttered and more sharply outlined. Tables used for workshops now have audio induction loops. Small adjustments, perhaps, but they can radically improve the experience and enjoyment of the stores for customers with reduced mobility, sight or hearing. 

Another part of that pushes towards accessibility is a greater clarity of store geography and purpose. The Genius Bar, Apple’s much imitated help desk, is again a physical bar. In many stores, The Genius Bar had become the Genius Groove, a less clearly defined area, where support staff roamed free. And for many, were harder to find. Now they are exactly where you expect them to be. 

Reinventing the Genius Bar

'We spent a lot of time with the Genius team,' says Bergeron-Mirsky, 'and we’re sort of reinvigorating the brand. There is a lot of ways people can get service in the store and it was getting a little lost in the noise.' That new push for visibility includes a new Genius logo and the physical bar now comes in two heights, for sitting and standing advice. The store also features a redesigned Apple Pickup station, with a particularly lovely curved wooden counter. 

The restoration and reinvention of Battersea Power Station has been a long and hugely expensive and complex exercise in adaptive reuse. And the new store’s design aims to work with the existing building and sit lightly within it. 

The store is essentially a 'what you see is what you get' wooden insert, says Bergeron-Mirsky, set around the hefty and beautifully restored brick columns and steel beams of the original building. 'What we’re doing is trying to give you everything up front. This is actually a solid timber structure and that expresses itself to the customer. And it’s just that idea of doing more with less.' And while the new store is definitely a retail unit within what is, in effect, a beautifully realised upmarket mini-mall, Bergeron-Mirsky says the Battersea outlet has taken a lead from Apple stores in other historic buildings. 

'You really want to use as much of that original fabric as possible. And Apple has done that a lot in the past with stores like the Via del Corso store in Rome or Carnegie Library in Washington, where we go in and restore of the original fabric in a way that no one else would and then insert a store. At Grand Central Station, there’s almost no store at all. It’s mostly just tables and it's kind of the perfect store.'

Working with Foster + Partners

Apple has again partnered with Foster + Partners on the design and, says Bergeron-Mirsky, the architecture studio came up with a surprising reference for the new store’s design: Mayfair’s swanky store-lined cut through, Burlington Arcade. It’s not immediately apparent but the Watch Studio, an almost store-within-store, does have something of the arcade’s sense of elegance and discovery. 

The new look was premiered last month at Tysons Corner in Virginia, Apple's first ever retail outlet and Battersea, taking a prime slot amongst the redeveloped behemoth’s retail offering, is only the second to employ the new design formula anywhere in the world. 

Apple's home above the store

The new store is close to home for Apple. It has taken 40% of the office space available at Battersea Power station to create a centralised Foster + Partners-designed UK HQ. And Apple is determined that the Battersea store becomes a model for next level customer service and engagement with the local community. 

Elle Lafaras, the store leader at Apple Battersea, says all staff at the store, and that can mean 70 or so on a busy weekend, have an average of seven years Apple retail experience and have some connection with the local area. And Kat Wong, head of today at Apple and creative studios EMEIA, says bookable-for-free Battersea Power Station art and photography tours have been added to the store’s Today at Apple sessions. 'People will actually get to go around the building and learn about its history, heritage, the architecture, as well as all the other buildings around it and how the landscape has completely changed.'

'Our stores are a place where the community can come together to discover all of Apple’s products and services, and we’re proud to be expanding to serve even more customers with the opening of Apple Battersea,' says Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail. 'Located just below our new UK Headquarters, our amazing team is excited to provide exceptional support and help customers unleash their creativity.'

apple.com 

fosterandpartners.com 

Foster + Partners has also now designed the first Apple store in Malaysia, at Tun Razak Exchange. Follow the link to look inside.