For a number of years, Apple has asked that developers use only images of black iOS devices in their App Store marketing materials, although that restriction has never been firmly enforced. With the new look of iOS 7, Apple has been turning its promotional focus to white devices, and as noted by 9to5Mac earlier this month, the company removed language restricting developers to black devices, opening the door to additional color options.

On its App Store Marketing Guidelines page, Apple provides product images with blank display areas for all of the current iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models to allow developers to paste their app screenshots into them for promotional purposes. The product colors included in Apple's downloads are limited, however, with the iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and iPad mini available in silver and space gray options while the iPhone 5c is available in blue and white and the iPod touch is available in blue and space gray.

ios_blank_product_images
Notably absent are files allowing developers to include their screenshots on gold iPhone 5s devices for marketing purposes, and Apple has now extended that restriction to custom photography and video, which already requires explicit approval from Apple. Apple has clarified which colors of devices may be used in custom photos and video with a new addition to the marketing guidelines:

Feature only the most current Apple products in the following finishes or colors: iPhone 5s in silver or space gray, iPhone 5c in white or blue, iPad Air in silver or space gray, and iPad mini in silver or space gray.

Just yesterday, a survey revealed that the blue and white iPhone 5c models have proven most popular with U.S. customers, and Apple's guidance on using those colors for developer marketing parallels consumer preference.

The iPhone 5s is a somewhat different story, with that survey showing the gold models with the lowest share among the three color options, but gold models have also been in the shortest supply. Those shortages have almost certainly skewed the buying patterns as customers wanting a gold iPhone have in many cases been forced to either turn to another color or hold off on their purchases until they can find a gold unit for purchase.

Apple has been heavily promoting the gold iPhone 5s in its television and print advertising for the iPhone 5s, and thus it appears that Apple prefers to keep focus on the distinctive color to itself. Within hours of the iPhone 5s launch as it became clear that customer demand for gold models was higher than expected, Apple was reportedly already moving to boost production of those models. Supplies do, however, remain very tight in Apple's retail stores and other locations.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

Sky Blue Avatar
156 months ago
I would tell Apple to go jump in a whole and send my checks on time.

a whole what?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
notjustjay Avatar
156 months ago
What sort of moron is going to see a gold coloured 5S as any more of a luxury item than say... a 'space grey' one?

Wait, you mean they're not plated with real gold?

*cancels all his orders*
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roadbloc Avatar
156 months ago
It makes perfect sense. They want to promote the gold as if it were a luxury item. The ads need to be styled to support this. Use of the gold images in a contrary manner could dilute their message.

What sort of moron is going to see a gold coloured 5S as any more of a luxury item than say... a 'space grey' one?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
furi0usbee Avatar
156 months ago
I would tell Apple to go jump in a whole and send my checks on time.

You must have fallen into that *hole* as Apple both makes the rules and writes those checks. So unless you play the game by their rules, you will be stuck in that hole. It seems Apple wants to distinguish their ads from all the rest, with only they using the gold iPhone. Whatev.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wheeeelan Avatar
156 months ago
Makes sense purely from a clashing colours standpoint. Colours on screen look nicer set against the blank canvas of white and black.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
reden Avatar
156 months ago
Maybe this is a sign they are going to discontinue the gold iPhone.

How I miss that downvote button.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
maxresdefault

Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass

Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...
iOS 26

What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4

Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below. Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...