Almost every day for months, there’s been a rumor here and a leaked picture here about the design of Apple’s next generation iPhone. Will the back be aluminum or glass? Will it be flat or curved? Would Jony Ive really design that two-toned back? What colors will it come in?

Now, some aspects of a design, namely the screen size and placement of ports and hardware buttons, are very important and affect a devices usability. But others, like whether the back of the phone features a two-toned design or not, seem just a bit more trivial. Every time I read or write an article about the design of the next iPhone  - the purely aesthetic design, that is – there’s always a couple commenters who ask something along the lines of, “Does it even matter? Everyone’s just going to throw a case on it anyway.”

And as much as iPhone designs are entertaining to talk about and mock up and look at, I feel as though they’ve got a point. I’ve always thought the design of a device was very important. But I have to be honest, the only time I am comfortable enough to use my iPhone without a case that completely obscures the physical appearance is when I’ve had it for two years and I’m gearing up to upgrade to the next model. Most of the time when I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone, what I see is something out of the imagination of Incase or Belkin, not Apple.

What do you guys think? iPhones are fun to look at, but as far as everyday use is concerned, how much does the sleek glass and aluminum design of an iPhone really matter? Let me know in the comments section below or hit me up on twitter!