LAUNCHED ALONG WITH iOS 7 in September 2013, the iPhone 5c was Jony Ive’s chance to justify his elevation to oversee software as well as hardware design, “dramatically blurring the boundaries between the two,” as he explained in a video introduction.
The iPhone 5c’s one–piece polycarbonate case — described as “beautifully, unapologetically plastic” — complemented the stripped–down, flat look of the new user interface, with home screen backgrounds matching its choice of colors. The concept recalled Ive’s 1998 iMac, whose translucent finish would spread to Mac OS X’s “Aqua” UI.