Earlier this month we reported that Apple had changed its developer marketing guidelines after years of only allowing images of the black iPhone in marketing material. Since Apple’s new lineup of iPhones features a number of new colors for the device for the first time, we noted that Apple tweaked its guidelines to allow other colors of the device, including white and certain iPhone 5c colors. Now, Apple has updated its guidelines once again, this time specifically excluding the gold iPhone 5s from the list of colors allowed in photography and video marketing material (via MacRumors):
Feature only the most current Apple products in the following finishes or colors: iPhone 5s in silver or space gray, iPhone 5c in white or blue, iPad Air in silver or space gray, and iPad mini in silver or space gray. If multiple Apple products are shown, display them in the correct relative sizes.
You’ll notice that it’s also not allowing certain colors of the iPhone 5c (only blue and white are listed), so gold specifically doesn’t seem to be the issue. As it did previously, Apple provides downloads of iPhone images for developers to place their screenshots on and use for marketing purposes. Those downloads are limited to the iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 5s in Silver/white and Space Gray, and the iPhone 5c and iPod touch in black and blue models.
It’s unclear Apple’s reasoning for not allowing the gold model of the iPhone 5s and certain colors of the iPhone 5c. It could possibly be due to Apple’s desire to keep the popular colors unique to its own marketing material, or perhaps Apple thinks screenshots do not show as well on certain colors as they do on black and silver models.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
not if you ask Gold SVP
It also could be due to reproduction of said colours – white and blue as well as black are easy to recreate on screen and print .Getting colouring correct with the other ones can be tricky and may be very far apart from actual product.
I believe that gold is difficult to show a good print on the paper or many other marketing material. I have been trouble with printing material in special color. It just cost to much trouble to just make it right. Sometime, it just don’t do the justice to show the product. If it does (if you use Japanese printing skill), it just cost too much.
I imagine it’s because Apple doesn’t want to be the “pink” company, or the “gold” company. They spend a ton of energy on branding — it took years before they offered a third color.
When somebody is advertising that their product works on iOS and Android, for example, Apple wants to own the “white device” mindshare. If app marketers started using all 3 + 5 + 2 + … colors for iPhones, they’re diluting Apple’s mindshare.
Similarly, I would imagine that Apple have no problem selling all these different colors themselves because customers put garish cases on them, anyway. Half the time I can’t tell an iPhone when it’s right in front of me, because I can’t recognize an iPhone after some tasteless person has gotten ahold of it. Apple isn’t trying to own that. But they are trying to own the icon of a pristine iPhone.
It’s the same reason you don’t see the pink iPhone in the front of Apple’s retail stores, or anywhere in Apple’s own advertising except next to the other 4 colors of iPhone 5C’s.