Okay I know this thread might (probably will) come across tone-deaf given current events and the overall state of the world, but I think some people will find my stupid unimportant first world problem rant a bit refreshing in the laundry list of morose headlines… and I need to vent lol

 

So, the grand old question is….

 

Why the F did Apple decide to offer the 17 Pro/Max in only three (dismal) colors — navy blue, white/silver (it's not a sexy one like "Natural Titanium"), and most "importantly"… CRAYOLA CRAYON ORANGE?!?!?! And even more importantly… NO BLACK?!?!!!!

 

I remember reading the leaks and so many people were saying "it's probably gonna be like a rusted copper, or a burnt butterscotch" and I was like.. ok I may be able to get behind that but I still will prob just get the black one like I always do. All of the leaks said black was one of the options, and honestly, I don't think anyone had a reason to not believe so because it's the iPhone's MAIN COLOR.

 

The first iPhone was black, and I remember they added a white option starting with the 3GS and the 4, but you had to wait 6ish months for that version to come out. Then eventually, they started offering them both off the bat, and (not counting the flop 5c) decided to add gold and rose gold with the 6. The only iPhone (besides the 12 Pro which I got in blue because it was a sexy cerulean type blue) that I've had that wasn't black was the 6s… I got the gold one because I was into the gimmick.

 

But literally all my other iPhones have been black. Black (and shades of it) just consistently looks the best on iPhone, no matter the changes in design. It pairs together nicely with most cases and it hides scuffs and marks the best. 
 

They started offering their iPad Pro in silver and space gray (which is like a grey/black) and recently started making the MacBook Pro in silver and "midnight black" (which is more of a truer black) — after only ever offering the silver option for 15+ years. Every single main iPhone (which I consider the Pro in particular to be the true successor and what they would've had if they didn't decide to up-charge and force themselves into spreading out their prices, thus having to make base models) has always came in black since the very beginning. Until now.

 

The iPhone Air colors? Absolutely stunning. The specs are horrible and I would lose/break that Nilla wafer thing in 2 seconds, but the colors are what the Pro's should've been. Even the base iPhone 17 has some really nice colors. Oh, and they BOTH come in black.

 

I upgraded from a (black obviously lol) iPhone 13 Pro Max. This is the longest I've ever gone from upgrading (as Apple hasn't given much of an incentive or innovation like they did in the 2010's to upgrade more frequently) and photography/videography is a rather important aspect of my job and a side hobby of mine, so this upgrade felt right. The camera spec bumps are undeniably improved and so I feel like consumers like myself (heavy on photo and video, haven't upgraded in 2+ years) are who this 17 Pro is specifically targeted to.

 

But with that being said, you'd think the Apple boardroom in Cupertino would mention how consumers that are heavy into photo/video would probably be more critical than most over the color options. Well, that conversation clearly didn't happen because these colors are SO ugly. The navy blue is the "best" visually, but I say that with no enthusiasm and I don't want a blue phone. I chose the "silver" (aka white) one because it will pair the nicest with cases. But that orange, oof, is one of the UGLIEST phones I've ever seen in my entire life.

 

Apparently, the navy blue is the most sought after, then the orange, then the silver. So orange must be polarizing — you either love it or hate it. But from what I read, it seems like most people are underwhelmed by the color options for the Pro in general. Regardless, I stood in the queue right at 8 AM Taylor Swift/Adele/Gaga ticketmaster style, and I was let in pretty quickly, probably cuz I chose the least popular color and set up my cart ahead of time. I was not tryna wait till the end of October to get the new phone and this is the first time I've done this for a consumer product, yes it's grossly capitalistic but let me have my fun in a world that is so devoid of it ok

 

I quite enjoy and admire the color orange when it's found in naturally occurring things (the fruit, the tree, pumpkins, sunsets, REAL hair color, etc.) but when it comes to human-made items (clothes, electronics, cars, houses, etc.) I find basic orange out of the entire 12 pack of crayola crayons to by far and wide, with no competition, the UGLIEST choice possible.

 

But the real question is, why did they purposely omit black? Was it a supply chain issue? A Trump tariff issue? A hardware issue with the new aluminum body? Knowing Apple, there probably isn't an actually good reason and they just decided to be quirky and different (cheap), but if there is a more objective/scientific explanation as to why they couldn't make the Pro's in black and you know the answer, please share it here because I'm so confused.

 

Also PS: The yeast infection orange color should've been Product Red. I was a sucker for that line (had several iPods in that color) but they only offered it on the base model iPhones (starting with the 8? I think? Which was released the same year as the X, thus making it the "flop" phone) and I, along with many on the interwebs over the years, have said if they ever offered the iPhone Pro in Product Red, we'd all buy it immediately. If Apple was trying to stray away from "boring" colors for the Pro models, they should've listened to their fans and realized that Red_taylor_swift.mp3 would've been THAT gorl. But they probably stopped donating to that charity so that's why they don't exist anymore. Very greedy_tate_mcrae.mp3 of them.

 

I'll at least give Apple credit for not increasing the prices of the Pro and the Max like most leaks suggested they would. I was genuinely surprised by that. They usually never miss an opportunity to jack up their prices, but most people are broke af rn, so that's probably why they didn't.

 

In conclusion, the iPhone Pro in dehydrated hungover piss orange is like the equivalent of Katy Perry suddenly dying her hair platinum blonde and chopping it all off — an otherwise beautiful specimen botched by terrible coloring/design choices.

 

If you've made it this far, congrats, you either are just as irritated as me on this topic, or you have a remarkable attention span and needed to read the full thing in order to drag me for complaining about something that is so trivial and lowkey dumb in the grand scheme of things lmao

I love your enthusiasm 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can we get clif notes? Ain't nobody reading all that love

 

Tell us more

#youknowwho core thread

damn is it that serious

People don't just upgrade their phone every 2 years because their phone subscription ends and manufacturers deliberately design their stuff to not last longer? Like people are actually looking forward to new Apple models?

Just put a case on, problem solved. 

And just like that… I found myself standing in line at 8 AM, not for coffee, not for couture, but for a phone — a navy, silver, or Crayola crayon orange phone. No black. No drama. Just disappointment dressed in titanium.

I couldn't help but wonder…
When did Apple stop designing for the chic minimalist and start catering to the color wheel of a toddler's playroom?

For years, black was the little black dress of iPhones — timeless, flattering, and always appropriate. It matched every case, every mood, every outfit. It was the Carrie of colors: classic, a little mysterious, and always camera-ready. But now? We're left with a palette that feels more Burning Man than Manhattan.

The navy? It's trying to be serious, but it's giving "finance bro in a Patagonia vest."
The silver? Clean, yes, but sterile — like a hospital waiting room with good lighting.
And the orange? Darling, it's not even "statement." It's a cry for help in Pantone.

I get it — Apple wants to be bold, different, disruptive. But there's a fine line between innovation and alienation. And somewhere between the iPhone 13 Pro Max and the 17 Pro, they crossed it. Maybe they thought we'd all be so dazzled by the camera upgrades that we wouldn't notice the absence of our beloved noir. But we did. Oh, we did.

And while I admire the courage it takes to wear orange — in nature, in fashion, even in sunsets — on a phone? It's less "Sex and the City" and more "Stress and the Silicon Valley."

Still, I bought it. I clicked. I queued. I compromised. Because in a world that's falling apart, sometimes you just want a new phone to hold it together. Even if it's not in black.

So maybe the real question isn't why Apple ditched black.
Maybe it's why we keep coming back — even when they don't give us what we want.

 

*AI Generated answer

Edited September 12, 2025Sep 12 by LVP

Navy blue on a phone is kinda not the tea, it's giving old plastic samsungs. My guess is that they'll add the black at a later date to boost sales, I could swear they've done it at least once before

Edited September 12, 2025Sep 12 by Illuminati

@grok can I get a summary 

who cares when your phone is (should) going to have a case on it like 

9 minutes ago, Breathe On Moi said:

who cares when your phone is (should) going to have a case on it like 

@Kayseri Mantisi this is an Apple/iPhone convo, not Samsungs, mind your own thanks! 

Your beef with Apple is valid because my beef with them is even more first-world/insignificant

 

I'm still so mad that even after all this time and all this technological progress, we still can't edit song metadata on non-desktop devices

Who currrr 99% of us have a case on the phone at all times anyways. And the Cosmic Orange is cute! It's clearly the direction they want for the Pro marketing, less about luxury and more about its rugged-ness, its space grade materials and its use cases in all the elements. Similar to the Pro Watch

imma NEEDt atrl to get it 2getha & try to make it's own AI bot coz...

 

Spoiler

...we might needT help summarizing the long posts.

 

Just get the base iPhone 17 its much cheaper

25 minutes ago, Breathe On Moi said:

@Kayseri Mantisi this is an Apple/iPhone convo, not Samsungs, mind your own thanks! 

i reacted with the confused emoji cuz i absolutely hate using my phone with a case & i never have in my entire life... i found the "everyone uses their phone with a case anyways" argument weird that was all sis, had nothing to do with 🍏

13 minutes ago, babyforlife said:

Just get the base iPhone 17 its much cheaper

And prettier 

Yeah I'm definitely not reading all that

I don't want to hear anyone talk about parasocialism on this website again

Yeah, the new pro is horrible. If I were to get one which I won't, I'd get the white one. I don't use cases so a pretty design is very important to me

1 hour ago, Breathe On Moi said:

who cares when your phone is (should) going to have a case on it like 

The pro iPhones have been fine without cases for about half a decade now