Apple design boss Jony Ive. Getty Images/Michael Kovac People are fed up with short battery life on their devices, with 73% of respondents to a recent poll saying they would rather have a thicker smartphone if it meant they could have longer-lasting batteries. But Apple isn't buying it.

In a new interview with Nick Foulkes from the Financial Times, Apple design chief Jony Ive has defended the company's ever-thinner designs, even when they come at the expense of increased battery life. He says the company will not introduce a larger battery because it would make the devices more "cumbersome" and less "compelling":

"When the issue of the frequent need to charge the iPhone is raised," Foulkes writes, "[Ive] answers that it's because it's so thin and light that we use it so much and therefore deplete the battery."

That said, battery life is clearly a serious concern for Apple. Developers we have spoken to say Apple is limiting the functionality of apps for the Apple Watch to maintain battery life. "Sensors take up a lot of battery, and they don't want every app out there on the Apple Watch using these sensors because of all of a sudden this watch will only give you four hours of battery life," developer Sumit Mehra said.