Apple exec says iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island is an example of “Apple-like development”

In a recent interview, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, says that iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max’s ‘Dynamic Island’ is the first significant change to the iPhone’s user experience since the release of the iPhone X five years ago.

During the interview with Japanese magazine Axis (via MacRumors), which also features Alan Dye, Apple’s vice president of human interface design, the executives discuss how the new display cut-out blurs the line between software and hardware, with Dye describing the Dynamic Island as an example of “Apple-like development.”

Dye emphasized that the Dynamic Island allows both the iPhone 14 Pro’s hardware and software to work together in tandem in a unique way:

“For one purpose, our hardware and software partners will come together in the same studio to solve the problem together. This new feature also made it possible to display alerts, notifications, and ongoing operations in real-time without seeing the boundary between hardware and software. I think it’s a good example of Apple-like development.”

Below is an excerpt from Federighi’s portion of the interview:

“It’s probably the first major operation change in five years since the iPhone X came out. Five years ago, we lost the home button with iPhone X. This has fundamentally reviewed various iPhone operation methods, such as how to unlock the lock screen, return to the Home Screen, and how to switch apps. This new feature has also changed the appearance of the iPhone, and it made me think again about how to run multiple apps, notifications, and how to manage the ongoing behavior in the background. It was a very exciting challenge for us to consolidate what is happening on our iPhone into this small interactive place.”

While I like the iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island, it doesn’t do much beyond interacting with a few Apple-made apps. Hopefully, once the cut-out’s development API is in the hands of developers, more third-party apps will support the unique feature.

While only Apple’s ‘Pro’ devices feature the Dynamic Island this year, recent rumours point to the cut-out making its way to the tech giant’s entire iPhone 15 lineup.

You can find the entire interview on Axis’ website.