Dynamic Island on the new iPhone 14 Pro is one of Apple’s best features in recent years, but are we getting really annoyed by this silly marketing name? Hear us…
Jim Grisham: Efficiency achieved.
I really need to play around with Dynamic Island to form a good opinion. At first it seems rather silly. But I think there is a lot of potential efficiency.
For example, I spend time browsing the Control Center to access active timers. Or lock my iPhone to see the timer on the lock screen. Also, the music thumbnails and quick playback controls in Dynamic Island are nice. I like the idea of getting visual and timely information in Dynamic Island while I’m doing other things.
For example, Lyft’s arrival time – without having to open the Lyft app.
Sebastian Page: Don’t call it a neckline!
In an age where everything leaks out in weeks, if not months, how nice it is to be surprised by something none of us expected: Dynamic Island!
Aside from the feature itself, which I think is a brilliant way to not only embrace but make the most of hardware inconveniences, we can all agree that the title leaves something to be desired.
When I first heard “Dynamic Island”on Wednesday, I immediately thought of “The Island”. You know, the one from the popular early 2000s TV series LOST. This made me feel uncomfortable. Until now, because unlike my colleague Anthony, for whom “island” is a synonym for paradise, and vacation, for me it is a synonym for disaster and loneliness. I’m so weird.
I don’t really like the name, but I like this feature. Could Apple have come up with a better name? Probably. Should they just not give him a name to begin with like they did with Notch? Read: Everything you need to know about lock screen widgets on iPhone
Absolutely not, because if they didn’t, they would give users and critics carte blanche to give it their own name, and we would end up with something like The Notch. At least here, Apple has full control over messaging.
Anthony Bouchard: Attractive feature name
Like many others, I almost couldn’t help myself when I first heard the name Dynamic Island. But come to think of it, Apple needed to give this particular feature of the new iPhone a name that sounded interesting enough to make users want to interact with it, and I think they did a good job of that.
Consider a recess, for example. Apple didn’t name it, and users simply joined one of two different camps. Either they adored it and appreciated the extra curves on the display, or they hated it and wanted their display image to be free of ‘bites’.
The Dynamic Island name clearly distinguishes the design of the punch-hole TrueDepth camera system in the iPhone 14 Pro range from the rest of the display, because the word “island”creates a sense of privacy.
But by adding the word “dynamic,”Apple draws attention to the feature’s versatility, something we didn’t see with the notch.
I’m looking forward to how Dynamic Island will change the way I interact with my phone while using different apps.
Michael Billig: Distinctly “Apple”
I was very excited when I first saw Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro.
The last time I was so excited to see a new iPhone feature was in 2015 with 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s. Like 3D Touch, Dynamic Island opens up a whole new way to use the iPhone and is clearly “Apple”in terms of its simplicity and fluidity.
Every time Apple releases a new feature like this, there’s a collective feeling in the tech community: “This is brilliant, why hasn’t anyone done this before?”
Dynamic Island seems to bring a whole new kind of task switcher to the iPhone, giving you quick access to the tasks you’re currently doing. This creates a new iPhone experience where Apple uses the hardware with fun animations bouncing around the tablet cutout.
The name, however, is quite complex, with 5 syllables, and I honestly don’t think I’ll ever say “Dynamic Island”in public. This name seems to come straight from the same playbook that Apple used for its “surgical stainless steel”on the Pro iPhone models. Name aside, Dynamic Island is one of the best iPhone features in a while, and I haven’t been this excited to get a new iPhone in a very long time.
Now we just need it on the iPad.
Christian Ziebreg: Where is Apple’s top notch marketing team?
I think I must be the most annoyed member of the team when it comes to the name Dynamic Island (no wonder I get annoyed too easily). I remember the feeling of complete disbelief when I heard the phrase “dynamic island”spoken for the first time at an Apple event. It didn’t sound like a name for a high-tech feature to me.
This must be a joke, I thought to myself. “Why didn’t Apple get their top-notch marketing team on board?”I complained. I mean, over the years this famous department has come up with some pretty interesting codenames for macOS!
And yet, “dynamic island” is the best thing these people could do?
I understand there is no such thing as bad publicity. Apple has certainly talked about this feature. But for me, this name sounds too stupid to be taken seriously.
What was the first mental image that came into your mind when you first heard the words “dynamic island”? Exactly! Apple has come up with some pretty catchy marketing monikers over the years, but I’m pretty sure I won’t remember “dynamic island”for good reasons. Read: How to manage iPhone always-on display
Apple is calling Dynamic Island a new way to interact with the iPhone.
It’s quite a challenge, but the main takeaway is that Apple only mentions “iPhone”instead of the iPhone 14 Pros. In all likelihood, this means that recent reports that Dynamic Island will appear in all new iPhones in 2014 are probably correct.
This is one of the features coming soon to all iPhones. I just feel like it deserves a cooler name, more tech, futuristic and sci-fi than “dynamic island”.