Tesla throws shade at Apple design (and it might have a point)

If there's one brand known for the consistent quality of its design, it's Apple. But it's arguably been a while since the company brought out something actually new (we're on track for the 14th iPhone, 7th Apple Watch and, um, 749th MacBook this year) – and it seems other brands are taking notice.

In a not-so-subtle dig, Tesla's design chief has announced a lack of excitement about future Apple products, claiming that there's simply "nothing to look forward to". Do Apple's regular, incremental upgrades suggest the company is running out of ideas – or is it simply refining a series of already brilliant products? Check out the best iPhone 13 deals if you want to decide for yourself.

As spotted by iMore, Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla's chief designer, told the Spike's Car Radio podcast that the "sad part about Apple products now" is the sense of "continuation," and "slight refinement on the same thing." von Holzhausen says this makes it "hard to get super motivated by what they're doing." 

On one hand, we can see his point. While new products like Apple's VR headset have been rumoured for a while, the last few years have felt fairly 'business as usual'. We get a new iPhone, a new Apple Watch, some new iPad and Macs, and they offer a few tweaks over the previous model. The iPhone 13, in particular, offered little in the way of upgrades – we got a slightly smaller notch, a slightly bigger battery and not much else.

But then again, it could be argued that the reason for such subtle updates is that so many of Apple's products are already best in class. Take the Apple Watch, for example – there simply isn't any decent competition. That said, we wouldn't mind a new design, like the much-rumoured flat-edged version.

And let's not forget, Tesla may have reason to worry about Apple. It's hardly a secret that the company is working on a car, which is rumoured to be an electric vehicle like, yup, the Cybertruck. And speaking of design, Tesla's Cybertruck hasn't exactly got off scot-free since its disastrous launch a few years back. The boxy design has been compared to everything from Lego to pixel art – so it's hardly surprising that Tesla might be keen to trash talk a potential competitor that's famous for its aesthetic sensibilities.

While they might not be brand new products, upcoming Apple gear like the iPhone 14 and 2022 MacBook Air still sound like hugely exciting upgrades. Don't fancy waiting? Check out the best Apple deals available now.