The backstory on iOS 8's wallpaper


Each year Apple selects an official wallpaper for both OS X and iOS. The wallpaper is used in product marketing and becomes connected to the release, and in the case of iOS, often with a new iPhone model.

The image rights were acquired by Apple through 500px.com. They have a neat story about Espen Haagensen, the photographer who captured the image. He didn't know Apple purchased his image until iOS 8 was announced.

I was at Sunnmore, making the last preparations for my wedding when a colleague of mine called me. He was all worked up, and asked whether it was my image Apple was using in their presentation of the new iPhone 6. I said I didn't know, but maybe it was. I found my Mac, and took a look at the live streaming of the iPhone launch. I found my image all over the place! That started a day of a lot of media attention. First, the story came out on a couple of online newspapers, then national radio and national TV.