Apple boosts R&D on iPhone materials, says design chief

Creating proprietary materials took precedence over supply chain costs, says Richard Dinh

- Shouvik Das

Apple's engineering of this year's iPhone 17 harks back to a culture that founder Steve Jobs inculcated.

(REUTERS)

Apple Inc., the world’s second-most valuable company, increased its global R&D spending to focus on developing proprietary materials for the design and customer experience of its money-spinner iPhone, the company’s top iPhone design executive Richard Dinh told Mint in an exclusive interview.

Apple’s engineering of this year’s iPhone 17 in many way goes back to the basics in a way that founder Steve Jobs used to — a culture that continues.

Specifically, engineering proprietary materials to build iPhones took precedence at Apple over reducing supply chain costs, Dinh, vice-president and head of iPhone design, told Mint. At the same time, the company also ramped up its goal of increasing sustainability of energy and raw material sourcing across its global supply chain, of which India makes for a key part.