Apple's new Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max didn't come as a complete surprise at Tuesday's Awe Dropping event; many leaks hinted at the premium color left turn. Still, the vibrant hue marks a real departure from the more muted finishes of previous iPhone Pro line-up handsets.
In a conversation with Apple Global Marketing head Greg Joswiak and the company's Senior VP of Hardware Engineering John Ternus (along with Tom's Guide Global Editor in Chief Mark Spoonauer), the pair of executives noted that the new colors are, in part, a direct product of the switch from Titanium on the last set of iPhone Pro and Pro Max phones to anodized aluminum.
It's a lighter, more energy-efficient material that, through anodization, happens to support a wider color range.
"For years, we've had Pro customers say, 'Hey, the other part of the line gets all the fun colors and we don't,'" explained Joswiak, "and it's like, 'Okay, you want a fun color, how about Cosmic Orange, baby'."
This makes some sense, since I, too, have heard some Apple consumers complain that the Pro line color choices are boring. Orange is decidedly unboring. On the other hand, many have noted the loss of one iconic Pro color that, on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, Cosmic Orange seems to have replaced: Black or Space Black. I asked Joswiak and Ternus, "When did orange become the new black?"
"We've had different shades of dark for years. We know people want a dark, " Joswiak told me, "We got Deep Blue, it's gorgeous."
Joswiak added that he believes that shade is "fantastic." He reminded me that Classic Silver is still an option. "We think we've got the bases covered there, and we feel really good about that."
While Ternus and Joswiak wouldn't go into great detail on the color choices, Joswiak did recall their reaction when Apple's "best design people on the planet" first revealed the new colors. "They showed us these, and we're like, yeah, it's awesome."
And, yes, Ternus is carrying an iPhone 17 Pro Max in Cosmic Orange. Looks like Pumpkin spice has some fresh fall orange competition.
If you want to see this moment and perhaps watch the full and fascinating conversation, check out Part 1 of the podcast interview on Tom's Guide and Part 2 on TechRadar's YouTube channel.
You can read Mark Spoonauer's report here.
