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wonderspark

macrumors 68040
Feb 4, 2010
3,048
102
Oregon
I'm fully aware of the construction, I did have two of them.

Were they or were they not "all plastic"? :mad:

No phone is all plastic. You need some metals to conduct electricity, transmit and receive radio signals, etc. I can't name a single phone made on earth entirely of plastic.
 

rjohnstone

macrumors 68040
Dec 28, 2007
3,896
4,493
PHX, AZ.
I'm fully aware of the construction, I did have two of them.

Were they or were they not "plastic"? :mad:
If you had two of them, you would know the answer. ;)

Way to attempt to make it sound so big. The entire 1/6th of the back was plastic.
That would include the entire BOTTOM of the phone.
The back was more like 1/4 plastic, not 1/6. Just pulled my old one off the shelf and yep... 1/4... maybe 1/5, but the whole bottom is plastic, which is what I stated.

Good old wiki pic of the back and yes, even the bottom.
Original_iPhone_rear.jpg
 
Last edited:

tomjleeds

macrumors 6502a
Jul 19, 2004
511
208
Manchester, UK
No phone is all plastic. You need some metals to conduct electricity, transmit and receive radio signals, etc. I can't name a single phone made on earth entirely of plastic.

This is the entire reason there is a plastic piece on the original iPhone in the first place, just as there is a plastic piece on a "cellular" iPad :confused:

EDIT: See my edited post, I was quoting incorrectly. Point stands however.

If you had two of them, you would know the answer. ;)

OK, here's the answer: No they were not plastic, the "casing" was predominantly metal and the plastic section was relatively small and there for a functional reason only.

The poster I quoted said "all iPhones were plastic through the 3GS". This is clearly not the case. Now what is your point?
 

TMar

macrumors 68000
Jul 20, 2008
1,679
1
Ky
That is way out of date and are forced into a 2 year agreement. Tey can make the phone cost cheaper than 650 plus for a base current model

I hate getting locked into a 2 year agreement when so many companies are offering free service now...
 

wonderspark

macrumors 68040
Feb 4, 2010
3,048
102
Oregon
This is the entire reason there is a plastic piece on the original iPhone in the first place, just as there is a plastic piece on a "cellular" iPad :confused:
Maybe I just don't know what plastic is. When I look at the back of an older iPhone, the entire back side looks and feels like plastic, and then there's a bit of chrome trim around the frame of the glass screen. If that's not plastic on the back side, then I don't know what it is.
 

Spungoflex

macrumors 6502
Oct 30, 2012
388
488
A 3GS for $300? An 8GB iPhone 4 for $400? Seriously?

There's a fine line between charging a premium for a solid product and gouging a bunch of suckers with more money than sense.

They are currently selling the 8GB iphone 4 for $450. They sold the 3GS for $375.
 

Eric E. Schmidt

macrumors member
Nov 14, 2012
77
0
Calif
You know what you could do to keep your so-called "elite" status? Hire your own programmers, hardware designers, etc. and have a custom phone built for you!

alternatively, fly 1st class to india to pick one up, on contract. a unique phone with an exotic phone number. best of all; a lavish voice and data plan few can match.
 

TrentS

macrumors 6502
Sep 24, 2011
491
238
Overland Park, Kansas
Ya-Whoo!!

It's great that Apple makes the iPhone with sturdy parts that will last forever, but what really is the point, if after 5 to 10 years they are basically rendered worthless? The initial user will probably use the phone for 4 years at most. Then they will upgrade to the newsest and greatest, while the old handset will be handed down to a 2nd user, with a discounted price. That person will probably use it for 2 to 3 more years, then after that, will be thrown atop the ever growing mountanous pile of cell phone relics.

So I see no reason not to build cell phones with cases that will outlast someone living in the 23rd century.

I just wish someone would build a solid core to a cell phone, but with upgradeable module parts that can be swapped out every 2 or 3 years, with updated processor chips, updated input connectors, longer lasting batteries, new anntenaes, larger memory, better camera, etc..... That way the cell phone bodys could be used for years and years, and save room in the landfills....

:D :D :D :D
 

tomjleeds

macrumors 6502a
Jul 19, 2004
511
208
Manchester, UK
Maybe I just don't know what plastic is. When I look at the back of an older iPhone, the entire back side looks and feels like plastic, and then there's a bit of chrome trim around the frame of the glass screen. If that's not plastic on the back side, then I don't know what it is.

fuk8tl.jpg


:rolleyes:
 

G4DP

macrumors 65816
Mar 28, 2007
1,451
3
Just ask the other MacRumors posters. When the Apple vs Android debate comes up, the No. 1 argument is 'Android is cheaper because it has cheap plastic,' which is, in every sense of the word, idiotic.

But but, it'll special magical Apple plastic which is the best in the world and much better than the plastic Android makers use. It'll have that special symbol on the back which means it's the worlds best plastic!
 

samcraig

macrumors P6
Jun 22, 2009
16,779
41,982
USA
What they sell for and what they cost to make are two entirely different matters.

If Apple really wanted penetrate the market - they could simply produce an 8gb iPhone 4(ish) spec and sell it with a smaller margin (GASP!!!) overseas

Almost more important than selling the phone at a high margin would be hooking people into Apple's ecosystem. If someone hooks them first - then that's that.
 

rjohnstone

macrumors 68040
Dec 28, 2007
3,896
4,493
PHX, AZ.
OK, here's the answer: No they were not plastic, the "casing" was predominantly metal and the plastic section was relatively small and there for a functional reason only.

The poster I quoted said "all iPhones were plastic through the 3GS". This is clearly not the case. Now what is your point?
So you ignore the first part of my post to ridicule the second. :rolleyes:
I clearly stated it was a "mix of metal and plastic".

*adds obtuse poster to ignore list.
 

CosmoCopus

macrumors regular
Nov 1, 2012
206
268
so you were thinking that you were elite, and insult other people with prejudgement and state them as "unwashed' by just using a device, previously. so sad to see what happened to humanity.

I wonder if he buys all his "elite" Apple gear at Walmart ....hahahahaha!
 
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