One iPhone colour that refuses to blend in, and the fanboys love it

By Ray Zhang

He was seated across from me in the MRT train. The two oranges of the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the strap of the also-new Apple Watch Ultra was unmistakable. He was quick, I told myself. I saw and touched both at the Apple store two days ago, but I was not convinced that I needed to part with that much money to buy things that are not needed to replace what I have that are not broken. Here is this chap before me, with not one, but two of the most expensive of Apple’s newest offerings. I was fascinated by his colour choice. He did not appear to be someone who would adopt such a bold colour. He wore a nondescript navy polo shirt; plain, black, cotton twill trousers; and a pair of white and battered Nike Killshot 2. When he stood up and turned towards the train doors to alight, I saw the familiar logo on the top, centre-back of his shirt: Valu$.

It never fails to surprise me who the users of iPhones are, especially those clutching the newest models. The 17 Pro Max is the most expensive in the new line-up. Even if the fellow chose the most affordable configuration, it would have set him back S$1,749. Add the S$1,199 of the Apple Watch Ultra, he would have parted with a cool $2,848. The hierarchy of status has, of course, shifted dramatically. Traditional markers of wealth and success—like high-end clothing, luxury watches, or expensive cars—are being replaced by, or at least supplemented with, a new kind of status symbol: the smartphone. Cost aside, it’s an investment in identity and social standing that provides more tangible and lasting benefits than an investment in the wardrobe. A bright orange iPhone exclaims more vividly than everything worn on the body at the same time.

A bright orange iPhone exclaims more vividly than everything worn on the body at the same time

It is clear that a smartphone is the single most-used and most-seen object in a person’s life. It’s on a desk, in a hand, and held up for countless inane selfies. Its visibility is constant and universal. When you’re out, your phone is often the first thing people notice you’re interacting with—probably the only thing you have such an intimate relationship with. A new, vibrant iPhone in a distinctively fresh color is a powerful and instantaneous social signal. Clothing, on the other hand, is fleeting. What you wear can be changed daily and it often is. The latest iPhone, however, is a persistent statement that you tog along with you everywhere. It’s truly efficient and impactful way, as I witnessed, to project a certain image of yourself, especially if it is coloured in ‘Cosmic Orange’, as Apple calls their citrusy glow. It is, without doubt, a low effort to be ‘trendy’. The colour does all the trending.

In the world today, technology is fashion. It’s a key part of how we express our identity, status, and, without doubt, taste. The lines have blurred between a gadget and a personal accessory. The orange iPhone is the equivalent of a statement piece in tech. It, therefore, isn’t a fashion colour, it is an Apple colour, never mind if a certain fruity chroma that Melania Trump wore was the most talked-about at the same time of the 17 Pro Max’s launch. Apple’s Cosmic Orange is the most obvious visual cue that the iPhone is, in fact, new, even if the internal changes are subtle. And for many, this newness is crucial to how they project themselves to the world. It is a paradox, I told myself, as the guy left the train and disappeared into the crowd. This is not a fashion highlight, but the phone itself served a deeply fashionable purpose for him. It’s statement piece that speaks to the moment, not the season.

Photo: Ray Zhang