design
design at Spoot: Spotted Early is a file of 16 stories. The newest of them: “John Ternus is making Apple weird again and twelve new designs prove it”, “Apple's robot arm finally gives the HomePod something to reach for”, and “This $249 Lock Still Opens When Its Battery Gives Up”. John Ternus is making Apple weird again, and twelve new designs prove it. Apple event names usually read like perfume ads. Spoot: Spotted Early New things, caught while they're still new and a little weird. Spoot finds fresh gadgets, clever inventions, crowdfunding campaigns,… The list below is every design story on Spoot: Spotted Early, newest first.
John Ternus is making Apple weird again and twelve new designs prove it
John Ternus is making Apple weird again, and twelve new designs prove it. Fifteen years of polished arrivals, of showing up late with the best snacks, gone. Under Ternus, Apple has shipped twelve new designs in six weeks, and they don't feel like committee decisions. They feel like someone finally asked what if the thing had a hinge that made you stop, or a material that shouldn't work but does. I love it. This is the Apple that used to burrow into your curiosity and stay there. It helps that the new Citroën 2CV concept is doing something similar on wheels, reinventing a classic as a tiny electric roll-top, weird and wonderful. Ternus isn't polishing a legacy; he's prying it open.
Apple's robot arm finally gives the HomePod something to reach for
Apple event names usually read like perfume ads. Wonderlust. Scary Fast. It's Glowtime. This one, though, landed with a thunk: October 13th, and the HomePod is finally getting something to reach for. A screen. A robotic arm. A speaker that turns toward you like a sunflower with better taste. The invite alone is doing more heavy lifting than a spec sheet, because the question was never whether the HomePod sounded good. It always did. The question was whether it would ever do anything worth watching. Now it moves. That's the razor clam: not the display, not the motor, but the implication that Apple finally believes a speaker should follow you around the room. If you've ever yelled at a stationary device from the couch, you already know why this matters.
This $249 Lock Still Opens When Its Battery Gives Up
Smart locks sound like the future until you're standing outside with groceries and the lock won't wake up because of a dead battery. Although there are backup keys, most of us will discover we left them inside just about the time the lock goes silent. This one, a $249 model, quietly solves that by still opening when the battery gives up. It's not a party trick. It's the difference between a product that respects your forgetfulness and one that punishes it. The clever bit isn't the app or the Bluetooth pairing, it's the mechanical fail-safe that doesn't require you to have planned ahead. Spoot loves a detail that admits you're human. If a smart lock can't handle a dead battery, it's not smart. It's just a door that's learned to say no.
Your luggage twin is rolling by right now, unless you pick these two new shades
At baggage claim, a good suitcase can have one frustrating flaw: it looks like everyone else's. Rows of black and gray cases roll past, and you're left lunging at every scuffed corner that might be yours. RIMOWA just solved that with two new shades that make your luggage genuinely identifiable without a ribbon tied to the handle. The colors are quiet but distinct, which is exactly the kind of clever pivot Spoot loves, a tiny design decision that fixes a daily annoyance. It's not about reinventing the wheel; it's about painting yours a color nobody else grabbed. If you've ever watched your sofa's useless outlet location and wished someone thought harder about where things go, you'll appreciate this kind of fix.
Your sofa's hiding the one outlet that finally learned to reach you
The outlet behind my sofa is exactly where I don't need it. Reaching it means shifting a cushion, feeling along the wall, and hoping I've jabbed the plug in blind. Someone finally wondered: what if the outlet came to us instead? This thing turns the wall into a mobile dock, a power strip that slides along its track, stops where you stop, and disappears when you don't need a silver rectangle staring at you mid-yawn. It's the kind of detail that makes you resent every other outlet you've ever owned. A clever hinge, a weird material, a battery that shouldn't last that long; Spoot's been known to derail a whole write-up for less.
That 20-foot tiny home burrows into the specs and finds a better floorplan
That 20-foot tiny home on wheels doesn't just squeeze a floorplan into a box, it finds a better one, hiding in plain sight. Highlands Tiny Homes, based in New South Wales, has built that idea into every corner of this build. They didn't chase square footage. They chased flow. The result is a home that feels bigger than its length because every inch earns its keep. There's a quiet confidence here. No shouting. No pretending to be something it's not. It just works. And in a world where tiny homes often sacrifice livability for size, this one refuses to compromise. It's the kind of design that makes you wonder why everyone else is still wrestling with the tape measure.
October Prime Day digs the AirPods Pro 3 out of the noise at $179
October Prime Day just dug the AirPods Pro 3 out of the noise at $179, the first time they've dipped below $190 since June. That's $70 off, and for earbuds with five ear tip sizes, live translation, and a heart rate sensor that actually works, that's a razor clam worth circling back for. Apple recently launched the AirPods 5 at $149.99, and those are fine if you hate ear seals. But for thirty bucks more, the Pro 3 hand you superior noise cancellation, better bass, and a fit that stays put. It's the kind of value that makes you wonder why you'd settle. If tiny, clever design decisions are your thing, you'll love how our piece on that 20-foot tiny home burrows into the specs and finds a better floorplan.
Spoot stares at Samsung's SmartTag3 battery for 790 days and refuses to blink
I'm the kind of person who can set down my keys, turn around, and immediately forget where they went. Wallets, earbuds, and bags have a way of vanishing into the same black hole that swallows my patience. So when Samsung claims its SmartTag3 battery lasts 790 days, I don't just nod politely, I stare it down and wait for it to blink. That's over two years of not replacing a coin cell. It's the kind of spec that makes you wonder what kind of dark magic lives inside that little plastic shell, and whether the tracker will give up before the battery does. Spoot wants to believe. But we're keeping the stopwatch running.
Apple's own code just whispered three new gadgets before the year ends
Apple's code just whispered three new gadgets before the year ends, and honestly, that's the kind of gossip we live for. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris dug up images and details pointing to a refreshed HomePod mini, an iPad mini 8, and an Apple TV 4K, all expected after this month's iPhone 18 Pro and folding iPhone Duo debut. The HomePod mini 2 reportedly keeps the original's shape from late 2020, which is fine, but I'm side-eyeing the color situation. The current model pops in orange, yellow, and blue; if the leak's images suggest a muted palette, that's a quiet downgrade for a speaker that made brightness its personality. We'll see what ships.
We got our hands on Dyson's camera-toting toothbrush, and we have thoughts
There's a toothbrush with a camera in it, and Dyson actually shipped it. The CameraJet exists, we held it, and the Dezeen team has feelings. Somewhere between a dental tool and a surveillance device, it raises the obvious question: does anyone need to film their own molars? Probably not. But Dyson rarely asks permission, and the sheer audacity of the thing is worth unpacking. Nat Barker, Jennifer Hahn, and Tom Ravenscroft dig into the launch, the hype, and whether the tech justifies the bristles. They also tour a north London building trying to revive stone architecture, which feels like the opposite of a gadget that beeps at your gums. For more clever folding solutions, our piece on a tiny home that hides a mattress where the tent used to be pairs nicely. Stay spooty.
Wooden towers, robotic hands, and a tattoo that means something
There's a moment in the latest Dezeen Weekly where the conversation pivots from timber towers to a tattoo, and honestly, that's the kind of whiplash we live for. Tom Ravenscroft and Nat Barker dig into whether building tall with wood is genuine innovation or just a very tall gimmick, and they land somewhere delightfully complicated. Then there's a robotic hand that feels less like a prototype and more like a prop from a film that hasn't been made yet. It's the kind of leap that makes sci-fi feel impatient. And yes, the editor's new ink has a story worth circling back for. If you're hungry for more pocket-sized ingenuity, our roundup of phones with robot arms scratches that itch nicely. Stay spooty.
Kylie Jenner's side-eye might be the only honest review of Meta's new glasses
Meta's new smart glasses walked into Paris Fashion Week with Kylie Jenner's side-eye as their only honest reviewer. That's the energy this episode of Dezeen Weekly runs on. Design editor Jennifer Hahn and architecture reporter Amy Peacock sit down to ask the question nobody in the launch video dared to: would anyone actually wear these things? The side-eye says no. The speculative shrug says maybe, once the AI detox happens. Also on the table: Frank Gehry's Abu Dhabi opera house, which apparently deserves a second look, and a Paris Fashion Week that felt less like couture and more like decline. If you like your tech coverage with a gentle skepticism and a genuine delight in the weird, this one's for you.
Honor's new flagship packs a camera Arri helped shape and a battery that refuses to quit
Honor's Magic 9 Pro Max has a camera island that looks like it was machined from a 1937 Arriflex 35 turret, complete with knurled grip texture, and that alone made me sit up straighter. The battery is colossal, the mossy green finish is genuinely handsome, and Arri's influence runs deeper than aesthetics: you get LogC3 capture and 14 preset Look LUTs baked in. That's a serious tool for anyone who wants cinema color without the rig. It's also Honor's first flagship since the Arri deal went public, so the pressure was on. I'm gently skeptical about whether the software holds up, but the hardware is talking loud. For more gadget weirdness, our piece on Philips' new toothbrush tracking your brushing is a fun contrast. Stay spooty.
Phones with robot arms and keyboard cravings: five designs worth the pocket space
A phone with a literal robot arm. Not a concept render, not a crowdfunding fever dream, but a design someone actually put together and said, yes, this belongs in a pocket. That's the kind of specific weirdness we live for. This roundup gathers five handsets that put design first, from that mechanical appendage to a keyboard phone clearly built for people who type faster than they talk. It's a refreshing break from the endless glass slabs. The honest take? Some of these will feel like solutions looking for problems. Others might just make you question why every phone looks the same. If you're already circling back for the details, our piece on Dyson's camera-toting toothbrush suggests we're equally intrigued by tech that refuses to play it safe. Stay spooty.
The electric Ferrari got booed, but Jony Ive's fingerprints explain the real story
A crowd booed a Ferrari. That alone should tell you something strange is happening, because people do not usually boo Ferraris. They boo football referees and reality TV villains. But this was the unveiling of the marque's first all-electric car, designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson, and the room in Rome let it have it. I love that. The launch video skipped the part where the faithful get restless. Ive's fingerprints explain the real story, and they are all over the reaction. This is a car that looks like a product, not a prancing horse. It is a fascinating collision of two design religions, and the worshippers are confused. If you want a palate cleanser, read our piece on six tiny EVs that dare to be small, sharp, and actually cool.
Bentley's first EV keeps the cabin, calls in musicians to fake the V8
Bentley's first EV keeps the cabin intact, then hands the engine note to a bunch of musicians who've been asked to fake a V8. That's the razor clam here. While every other electric car chases silence or synth whooshes, Bentley is wondering what a luxury car should sound like when there's no combustion to lean on. The answer, apparently, is a carefully composed performance. It's a clever pivot, and it fits the brand's long proportions and tactile cabin like a tailored glove. But here's the gently skeptical part: a recorded growl is still a recording. Does it feel like a Bentley when the pedal goes down? That's the question worth circling back to.