Is it time to abandon Apple’s iPhone? The smartphone is a tool, just like a hammer or power saw. Nobody would accept a manufacturer remotely changing the grip, reversing the claw, enlarging one control, or relocating a frequently used feature after purchase, and then calling the resulting confusion “innovation.” Software companies get away with behavior that would seem absurd in almost any physical tool. Change can certainly be good, but a tool should preserve learned competence. We invested a lot of time building muscle memory: where controls are, how alarms behave, how to search, how to perform common tasks without thinking. That knowledge is part of the value we purchased. When Apple moves controls, changes gestures, or redesigns workflows without offering a “keep the old layout” option, it effectively depreciates that investment. A smartphone does need security updates and occasional technical changes, but those don’t require repeatedly rearranging the interface. Apple could provide a classic interface option, per-feature layout choices, advance notice of major workflow changes, the ability to postpone interface redesigns while still receiving security updates, and/or a reliable way to restore familiar behavior. Instead, Apple often treats the iPhone partly as its evolving product experience, while we view it as our purchased equipment. That’s the core conflict. But maybe we tolerate it because we fear the change from switching tools even more.
— Will Bermender (@WillBermender) Nov 11, 2026
from Will Bermender on Twitter
November 11, 2026 at 08:29AM
