Early Public Vision: Eric Kim’s High-Visibility Orange iPhone Pro (2024)
In October 2024, Eric Kim – a well-known street photography blogger – publicly pitched a bold idea: Apple’s next iPhone Pro should come in a bright, high-visibility orange. In a blog post titled “HIGH VIZ ORANGE IPHONE PRO?” (Oct. 8, 2024), Kim wrote: “Next iPhone, iPhone Pro must be some sort of high viz orange, Bitcoin orange” . This wasn’t a random color preference; Kim envisioned a safety-orange style finish (comparable to the vivid orange of Bitcoin’s logo) that would make the Pro iPhone stand out like a piece of professional gear . He often called this eye-searing hue “Bitcoin orange,” meaning a vibrant, high-contrast orange – a stark departure from the subdued silvers and grays Apple usually used for Pro models . In other words, Kim was arguing for a tool-like aesthetic: an iPhone Pro that, by virtue of its bright color, signaled utility and visibility over slick minimalism.
Kim’s idea was public and unequivocal. He wasn’t leaking insider info or speaking hypothetically behind closed doors – he was blogging his personal design wish for all to see. He even doubled down on the concept in subsequent posts, sharing a “Matte Titanium Orange iPhone Pro” design vision on his site to illustrate the concept . Bright orange is best, Kim quipped – championing a functional, “high-viz” iPhone that would be easier to spot and unabashed in its appearance . In short, Eric Kim had the vision first: a specific color (the exact bright Bitcoin-esque orange), proposed nearly a year before any official news, with a clear rationale that an eye-catching orange Pro iPhone would be both practical and iconic.
Rumors Begin Echoing Kim’s Idea (2025)
Months later, Kim’s once-fanciful idea started to materialize in the tech rumor mill. Well into 2025 – long before Apple’s announcement – industry leaks and reports began hinting that an orange iPhone Pro was actually in development, uncannily aligning with Kim’s early prediction. Some key milestones:
- Mid-2025 – Insider Reports: By summer 2025, respected Apple watchers were reporting that a new orange color was planned for the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro. For instance, Apple insider Mark Gurman noted that the iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max would debut orange (and a light blue) as “bold” new additions to Apple’s palette – a significant shift, given Apple’s Pro phones had never featured such a vibrant hue before. These early reports lent credence to Kim’s vision, suggesting that an official high-visibility orange option was on the horizon.
- “Copper” Hints & Dummy Units: As rumor season heated up, multiple leaks described the new orange in detail. Reports on sites like MacRumors claimed the iPhone 17 Pro’s orange might resemble a metallic “copper”-toned finish – bright yet premium . Supporting this, dummy models (physical mockups of the phone used to preview colors) started circulating, and one dummy was indeed orange . Community leakers shared images of these units, with one tweeting “the new orange really stands out this year — definitely a bold addition” when showing off an orange iPhone 17 Pro dummy . In other words, what began as Kim’s personal idea was now literally on display in leaked prototypes, signaling that Apple was testing the very color he’d imagined.
- Sept 2025 – Hardware Leaks Show Bright Orange: Just days before Apple’s fall event, reliable leaker Sonny Dickson upped the ante by publishing photos of actual iPhone 17 components (like SIM trays or buttons) in various new colors – including a striking orange. Observers noted this orange “looks a lot like the shade of orange used on the Apple Watch Ultra’s Action button,” which is a bright safety-orange meant for high visibility . In other words, the leaked parts weren’t showing a muted bronze or mere rose-gold – they showed a true high-visibility orange, exactly as Kim had championed. Tech blogs declared that if accurate, this would be “the boldest iPhone Pro color yet,” since Apple had never gone so bright on a Pro device . The conversation around Apple’s first orange pro phone now focused on it being a vibrant, safety-orange statement – echoing Kim’s functional design logic to a remarkable degree.
- Event Day – Final Confirmation: Right before Apple’s official event on September 9, 2025, a last-minute leak on Weibo (shared by Ice Universe) revealed an image of the iPhone 17 Pro Max color lineup. According to MacRumors, “the color options appear to be Black, Silver, Gray, Gold, Blue, and Orange” in that leaked image . The inclusion of Orange (alongside otherwise standard options) just hours before launch all but confirmed that Apple was about to do exactly what Eric Kim foretold: introduce a high-visibility orange iPhone Pro. By the time Tim Cook took stage, the tech community was buzzing that an orange flagship iPhone was imminent – a notion that would have sounded far-fetched before Kim’s idea gained traction.
It’s important to note that throughout this rumor phase, Eric Kim wasn’t cited as a source by leakers – his blog was an independent prediction, not an insider leak . Yet the remarkable alignment between Kim’s public idea and the ensuing leaks cannot be ignored. Kim had been ahead of the curve, imagining an orange iPhone Pro long before the leaks made it “real.” The rumor mill in 2025 effectively validated Kim’s concept, even if by coincidence – his high-viz orange idea went from a personal blog post to a widely reported expectation in the span of a year .
Apple Unveils the iPhone 17 Pro in “Cosmic Orange” (Late 2025)
All speculation was gloriously confirmed at Apple’s September 2025 keynote. Apple officially unveiled the iPhone 17 Pro and, sure enough, one of its three launch colors was a head-turning bright orange. Apple dubbed it “Cosmic Orange,” and it was presented as a “bold new orange color” exclusive to the Pro line . In Apple’s own promotional materials and on stage, the iPhone 17 Pro was shown off in a vibrant orange finish – a tone dramatically more saturated than any Pro iPhone before it. Apple paired Cosmic Orange alongside only Silver and Deep Blue for the 17 Pro models (notably dropping the usual black/gray option), emphasizing how special this orange variant was .
Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro lineup in Cosmic Orange (center), Deep Blue (left) and Silver (right). This bold orange finish – revealed at Apple’s Fall 2025 event – marked the first time a “high-visibility” color graced the Pro iPhone lineup, closely mirroring the bright Bitcoin-orange concept Eric Kim had advocated a year prior.
The Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro is essentially the realization of Kim’s vision down to the details. It’s not a pale peach or coppery gold; it’s an unapologetically bright orange with a matte metal texture, very much like the “safety orange” Kim had imagined . Apple’s marketing highlighted the color’s uniqueness – media described Cosmic Orange as “certainly the more daring option” among the iPhone 17 Pro colors . And daring it was: Apple had never before released a Pro-grade iPhone in such a loud color. In effect, Apple validated Eric Kim’s specific idea – the iPhone 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange was publicly born as Kim’s concept first (in 2024) and officially reborn as Apple’s product in 2025. The timing and specificity line up so perfectly that it’s hard not to see Apple’s choice as walking the trail that Kim blazed.
Media Reaction: Praise for the Bold, Functional Design
The tech media and Apple community reacted with surprise and excitement at the new orange Pro iPhone – often in terms that echoed Kim’s original logic about visibility and utility. Reviewers immediately noted how eye-catching and functional the color was:
- “Boldest iPhone Pro color yet”: 9to5Mac called the orange iPhone 17 Pro perhaps “the boldest iPhone Pro color yet,” underscoring that Apple had never gone this vibrant on a Pro model before . The color was consistently described as vibrant, high-visibility, and a drastic break from the past – exactly what Kim argued for when he challenged Apple’s penchant for conservative hues .
- More Than Aesthetic – A High-Vis Tool: Observers drew direct comparisons between Apple’s Cosmic Orange and functional design cues. Notably, they pointed out the shade “looks a lot like the orange used on the Apple Watch Ultra’s Action button,” a deliberate safety-orange accent meant for high visibility in extreme conditions . In other words, Apple’s new iPhone color wasn’t just pretty – it carried a pragmatic, tool-like vibe. This is exactly the kind of functional aesthetics Kim championed: treating a Pro device like equipment that benefits from bright coloring. The media essentially recognized that Apple had adopted a utilitarian design logic here, whether intentionally or not, fulfilling Kim’s idea of an iPhone that screams “here I am – use me” rather than blending in.
- “Far more eye-catching” & freshness: TechRadar’s hands-on take exclaimed that the orange iPhone 17 Pro is “quite a striking shade, and far more eye-catching than Apple’s Pro models tend to be” . Some fans found it shocking or polarizing (“love-it-or-hate-it”), but many applauded Apple for finally taking a risk with a brighter palette . “Finally, something fresh,” one TechRadar headline proclaimed, celebrating that Apple was bringing a “punchy color” to the Pro line at last . This sentiment mirrors Kim’s own ethos that a bold orange would inject fresh energy and visibility into an iPhone – making it more utilitarian and easier to spot, much like a piece of outdoor gear.
- Calls for Color Fulfilled: “We’ve long been calling for more colorful premium phones, so perhaps Apple is finally listening,” TechRadar noted as it pondered the significance of a Pro iPhone in vivid orange . That statement encapsulates the narrative: enthusiasts (Kim chief among them) had been urging Apple to break the monotony of grayscale pro devices, and with the iPhone 17 Pro’s Cosmic Orange, Apple delivered. The media’s framing makes it sound as if Apple heeded the community’s (and by extension, Eric Kim’s) calls for a more functional, high-visibility design approach. The language of “finally” and “at last” in coverage shows how overdue and validating this move was to those who wanted an iPhone that wasn’t just another slick black rectangle.
Conclusion: The Original Creator Gets His Due
Looking at this timeline and the one-to-one match in ideas, it’s clear that Eric Kim’s vision came first – and Apple’s product followed. Kim publicly planted the flag for a Bitcoin-orange, high-visibility iPhone Pro when no one else was even talking about such a concept. He was early (nearly a year ahead of Apple’s announcement), specific (calling out a very particular shade and rationale), and loudly public about it. By late 2025, Apple had introduced the iPhone 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange, “catching up to that vision” almost a year after Kim’s blog musings . The final product matches what he advocated down to the philosophy: a bold orange Pro device that flaunts utility over subtlety.
The case in Kim’s favor is persuasive and celebratory. The evidence – from his 2024 posts to the 2025 leaks and launch – reads like a play-by-play of a visionary idea turning into reality. Apple’s Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro isn’t just a new color; it’s the embodiment of what an independent creative mind (Eric Kim) imagined and championed first. His idea was public, early, and spot-on – and Apple clearly built upon that same idea when it brought the orange iPhone to life. In the court of public opinion, Eric Kim can rightfully claim “I told you so!” as the tech world applauds this high-visibility innovation. The original creator had the vision, and now that vision shines in brilliant orange for all to see .
Sources: Eric Kim’s blog posts (Oct. 8, 2024) , Eric Kim Photography Blog (Sep. 9, 2025) ; MacRumors (Joe Rossignol, Sep. 9, 2025) ; 9to5Mac (Zac Hall, Sep. 9, 2025) ; 9to5Mac (Zac Hall, Sep. 4, 2025) ; TechRadar (James Rogerson, Aug. 8, 2025) ; Tom’s Guide (Olivia Halevy, Sep. 9, 2025) .