---
title: "The New iPhone Design Is Horrifying People With an Obscure Phobia"
description: "Apple just unveiled the iPhone 11 Pro, but based on the public's response, it didn't run the design past anyone with trypophobia."
date: "2019-09-10"
modified: "2019-09-10"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski.md"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/apple-iphone-new-design-triggering-phobia"
categories:
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "apple"
  - "iPhone"
  - "the digest"
  - "trypophobia"
---

# The New iPhone Design Is Horrifying People With an Obscure Phobia

![Apple just unveiled the iPhone 11 Pro, but based on the public's response, it didn't run the design past anyone with trypophobia.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/apple-iphone-design-triggering-phobia.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Apple/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Disturbing Design

On Tuesday, Apple unveiled the iPhone 11 Pro, which is loaded with new camera features like a background-eliminating portrait mode for headshots, a front-facing lens that can take slow-motion video — which Apple [really hopes](<https://www.cnet.com/news/apples-slofies-slo-mo-selfies-get-strong-early-reaction-nope/>) you'll call "slofies" — and three separate lenses that take wide-angle shots.

But Apple is already facing backlash against the camera's design. [People are tweeting](<https://twitter.com/lifeaseva/status/1171444031399682048>) about how the three lenses are [setting off their trypophobia](<https://twitter.com/TheAJayII/status/1171470381493805056>) — an aversion to patterns of tightly-packed holes — that's leaving them disgusted or horrified when they look at the new handset.

https://twitter.com/lifeaseva/status/1171444031399682048

## Opt Out

Some are even complaining that the off-putting lenses will lead them to skip over the new iPhone and hold onto their older models.

https://twitter.com/Kristeyyy/status/1171465052567691264

Others say they're [opting out](<https://twitter.com/delucamer_/status/1171526289116676096>) entirely.

https://twitter.com/delucamer_/status/1171526289116676096

## Feels Bad

As it stands, trypophobia is not an [officially-recognized medical condition](<https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320512.php>), but that doesn't mean that people aren’t feeling repulsed.

https://twitter.com/visecs/status/1171445452253753344

For some, the new iPhone is the [first thing to trigger](<https://twitter.com/helloimisabella/status/1171526617161580545>) any sort of trypophobia, truly a monumental accomplishment for Apple.

https://twitter.com/helloimisabella/status/1171526617161580545

**More on the iPhone:** *Google Uncovers Massive, Multi-Year iPhone Hacking Effort*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)

## More

- [The New iPhone Camera Is Reportedly Rumbling Loudly](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/new-iphone-camera-reportedly-rumbling.md>)
- [An iPhone 12 Can Temporarily Shut Down Implantable Defibrillators](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/iphone-12-shut-down-pacemaker-near-it.md>)
- [Horrifying Hack Takes Over iPhones Just by Pointing an Antenna at Them](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/horrifying-hack-iphones-antenna.md>)
- [The Next Generation of iPhones May Be Coming With an AI Chip](<https://futurism.com/the-next-generation-of-iphones-may-be-coming-with-an-ai-chip.md>)
- [Apple: Keep Your New iPhone At Least 6 Inches Away From Pacemaker](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/apple-iphone-away-pacemaker.md>)
- [New Apple Patent Shows a Bendable iPhone Using Carbon Nanotubes](<https://futurism.com/new-apple-patent-shows-a-bendable-iphone-using-carbon-nanotubes.md>)
- [The FBI Forced A Suspect To Unlock His iPhone With His Face](<https://futurism.com/fbi-unlock-iphone-face.md>)
- [Trump Believes Entire iPhones Can Be Manufactured in America](<https://futurism.com/trump-iphones-america.md>)