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Motorola has spoken out to defend its Moto Maker programme following perceived criticism from Apple’s design guru Sir Jonathan Ive.
In a well-publicised profile in the New Yorker this week, London-born Ive indirectly slammed Moto for allowing consumers to customise the design and build materials of phones like the Moto X.
"Their value proposition was, 'Make it whatever you want. You can choose whatever colour you want,'" Ive reportedly said of a rival. "And I believe that's abdicating your responsibility as a designer."
Now Motorola president Rick Osterloh has fired back at the criticisms claiming users should be involved in the design process.
Citing a different philosophy, Osterloh told the BBC: “Our belief is that the end user should be directly involved in the process of designing products.
"We're making the entire product line accessible. And frankly, we're taking a directly opposite approach to them [Apple]."
He said the differing approaches of the two companies isn’t limited to design, calling Apple’s prices and drive for profit ‘outrageous.’
He added: "We do see a real dichotomy in this marketplace, where you've got people like Apple making so much money and charging such outrageous prices. We think that's not the future.
"We believe the future is in offering similar experiences and great consumer choice at accessible prices. The mobile phone industry's greatest failure is also its greatest opportunity: to make really good, affordable devices for people who don't want to spend a lot of money.
"A great smartphone, and a great mobile internet experience, shouldn't be an expensive luxury. It should be a simple choice for everyone."
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The retort from Osterloh will certainly draw sympathy from smartphone users, with Moto offering high quality devices like the Moto G at prices that defy their upper-mid-range spec sheets.
The Moto Maker store opened in the UK in September last year, allowing shoppers to choose the colours and accents, when buying a Moto X, while also customising the materials used in the rear casing.
