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Nightarchaon

macrumors 65816
Sep 1, 2010
1,393
30
Obviosuly this is so apple can 3D Print iDevice cases with no seams, and no method of entry into a device at all, maybe even Macbook cases for the Airs and Mac Minis ?:D
 

Macdick

macrumors member
Feb 27, 2008
84
0
Apple

No more green Bul...t :D Cheap is way to go so you make bigger profit, without Steve they go backward.
 

ChrisTX

macrumors 68030
Dec 30, 2009
2,690
54
Texas
So is plastic good or bad? I'm confused now..

Plastic is whatever you want it to be. It's neither good, nor bad. Like the other responder said, it's great when Apple used it in the 3G/S, but cheap plastic when Samsung, or anyone else uses it. But again, keep in mind that this doesn't point to any new change in product materials.
 

charlesdayton

macrumors 6502a
Oct 24, 2011
759
330
You guys are forgetting that ALL Apple products contain plastic parts. Even the iPhone has plastic. Plastic is necessary for insulation even if the outside is mostly glass and metal.

And this is just a job posting, it does not mean Apple is making a plastic iPhone. The possibilities for that job are large: keys on Macbooks and home button on iOS devices, plastic rim on the iPhone screen, internal plastic parts, plastic iPod packaging, etc.
 

M-O

macrumors 6502a
Mar 15, 2011
502
0
Or the guy that works on the Magic Mouse just quit and they're replacing him.

I'm sorry, but I hate the "a job posting means a new direction for Apple products" stories.

or AppleTV, Airport Extreme/Express, earpods, cables, all the power adapters, and various internal parts.
 

Sedrick

macrumors 68030
Nov 10, 2010
2,596
26
How dare the word plastic be, even remotely, associated with the Apple lexicon. Same, shame.
 

TheRealTVGuy

macrumors 6502a
Jul 21, 2010
704
1,156
Orlando, FL
hopefully they fired that guy. Whoever designed that mouse deserves to be fired. If you want a proper slim mouse the arc touch mouse was a way better design and wasn't a carpal tunnel magnet. The arc touch is very comfortable to hold. Much more so than it looks.

Image

Maybe, but I have a difficult time touching anything with the evil "M" word on it...
 

winston1236

macrumors 68000
Dec 13, 2010
1,902
319
I am ok with Apple using plastic. But many Apple enthusiasts have been bashing other phones for feeling cheap and flimsy because they were plastic. All ive seen is, "the iPhone 5 feels and looks so much better, sophisticated. Way better than a plastic S3..."

Apple goes back to plastic and all of a sudden those same people are declaring that Plastic is sophisticated and stylish, Apple-esk. Come on :rolleyes:

Personally, I like the aluminum back that my iPad mini has and the new iPod touch have. Thats the design of the future IMO :apple:



Yea its frustrating. Just like when everyone here bashed every phone for having a bigger screen. Then apple follows everyone else and its considered revolutionary. But its good they might be going back to plastic, you can do a lot more design wise with plastic. And the added bonus of better reception.
 

testcard

macrumors 68040
Apr 13, 2009
3,720
2,761
Northumbria, UK
Apple, a major consumer electronics company, posts a single position for a plastics engineer and you guys make the leap that this is supportive of some new company initiative?
Wow.

Good point. They might be simply redesigning the ketchup bottles in the staff restaurant.
 

nia820

macrumors 68020
Jun 27, 2011
2,131
1,980
Nothing wrong with plastic. I never got why people have issues with plastic phone. If it is a high grade of plastic nothing wrong. Also plastic means more colors.
 

Tiger8

macrumors 68020
May 23, 2011
2,479
649
I dunno folks... I look at my 4S and marvel at the precision machine engineering that went into the thing.

Plastic meh. Give me rubber... something that bounces on concrete. :(

that's very responsible! Thank you for being safe!
 

Thunderhawks

Suspended
Feb 17, 2009
4,057
2,118
These phones make for cheap unlocked phones directly from Apple, as it is illegal for users to unlock smartphones in the US. $299 to start?

People here are looking forward to AT&T unlocking their iPhones when their contract is up - little do they know the carrier is no longer obligated to do so...

1 minute after they refuse either

a) the government will get involved and %%$#$% it up further or
b) a new industry of unlocking services will evolve or
c) the hacking community will take care of this
 

omenatarhuri

macrumors 6502a
Feb 9, 2010
892
808
I still think that whilst the iPhone 5 is a sexy phone, it'd be nicer with the glossy plastic back of the 3/3s. Nothing wrong with plastic.
How about the curvy back of the new iMacs on the iPhone? That could be kinda nice too.

----------

Personally feel the 2009/2010 unibody polycarbonate Macbook is one of the best looking designs they have had, sans the awkward non-slip bottom. Give me a current gen i5/i7 in a 13" 2009 body with the 2009+ Macbook Pro bottom (yet plastic) and it might quench my need to replace hardware on a whim so often.
I really had a thing for the G5 iMac white enclosure. That thing was a beauty. The aluminum ones that came after that were a step in the wrong direction, but you gotta hand it to these brand new ones. Quite the improvement.
 

Fuchal

macrumors 68030
Sep 30, 2003
2,603
1,057
Hopefully they're finding a replacement for the guy that designed these impeccable plastic products...

iphone-3g-white-crack.jpg
crackingmacbookmain-420x0.jpg
 

JHankwitz

macrumors 68000
Oct 31, 2005
1,911
58
Wisconsin
Plastic from 3G/3GS is much better quality than Galaxy S3 back plactic. Just sayin'.
I cringed every time I pulled off the GS3 back cover. It sounded cheap and felt cheap.

And just what impact did that have on its performance? I personally don't purchase products based on how they sound when I disassemble them.
 

rmwebs

macrumors 68040
Apr 6, 2007
3,140
0
Hopefully they're finding a replacement for the guy that designed these impeccable plastic products...

ImageImage

Hehe I remember the white MacBook having that one - I had mine replaced twice. It was however a really dumb design as the lid had a rather pointy/sharp bit where the magnet would hold it down. If you weren't careful it would really slam hard.

On the plus side, its a hell of a lot easier and cheaper to replace plastic than metal.
 

jouster

macrumors 65816
Jan 21, 2002
1,456
603
Connecticut
Hehe I remember the white MacBook having that one - I had mine replaced twice. It was however a really dumb design as the lid had a rather pointy/sharp bit where the magnet would hold it down. If you weren't careful it would really slam hard.

Still using mine. It's a terribly designed product - worst I ever saw from Apple. It, too, went back to the shop twice, but the issues reappeared, at which point I gave up.

I'd be wary of any future plastic Apple products based on that experience.
 

melendezest

Suspended
Jan 28, 2010
1,693
1,579
I feel there is nothing wrong with plastic as a build material. But it is just a simple fact that, as a material, plastic is cheaper than aluminum. Period.

Therefore, for Apple to release a lower cost iPhone, it makes sense for them to go back to plastic, at least for a particular model.

But this does not mean that plastic is junk. Those are two very different things.

It is simple really: aluminum = more expensive
 

rumplestiltskin

macrumors 6502
Apr 12, 2006
284
103
Boy; I'll bet this news just burns Jony Ive's butt. Can't wait to see the self-serving video Ive creates after this product is announced. Ive will say how "philosophically necessary" this was from a designer's standpoint and how it brings some sort of BS zen to the product. I'll be laughing. Plastic is cheaper, easier to manufacture than milled aluminum, and doesn't block cellular signals.

Maybe this signals the end of Apple sucking up to Ive...and that would be a good thing.
 

powers74

macrumors 68000
Aug 18, 2008
1,861
16
At the bend in the river
Never was a fan of the plastic-bodied phones. Hopefully, if they're thinking of bringing said material back to the handhelds, it's something that doesn't feel crappy like the 3G/S. Either that or it's a hi-tech hybrid plastic of some kind etc. I have a feeling though, that they're looking to make the accessories a little better / improve durability / speed / cost of manufacturing & whatnot. I'll steer clear of plastic handhelds if I possibly can though. Another thing, Liquidmetal behaves much like a plastic in the way it's used in the manufacturing process. Although, with their executives being investigated for shady accounting we'll see how long that dream lasts.

Maybe this signals the end of Apple sucking up to Ive...and that would be a good thing.

That's a pretty keen insight. Jobs was a diehard Jonny fan. Could be Timmy is tired of seeing all that cash go to uber-expensive manufacturing processes. Of course, I still prefer aluminium. Like an idiot maybe, but it just feels nice.
 
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AZREOSpecialist

Suspended
Mar 15, 2009
2,354
1,278
This makes no sense, Apple already has the talent in-house to do this. I don't think this has anything to do with an cheaper iPhone, and if it does, it shows that Apple had no plans to produce such a product until after Wall Street screamed for it. Hence the very, very late job posting for an as yet non-existent product that won't be real for a year.
 

TheHateMachine

macrumors 6502a
Sep 18, 2012
846
1,354
Plastic from 3G/3GS is much better quality than Galaxy S3 back plactic. Just sayin'.
I cringed every time I pulled off the GS3 back cover. It sounded cheap and felt cheap.

Coming from someone who has done repair work on numerous 3G/3GS... The plastic on the GS3 is way ahead of the old 3G/3GS plastic. Of course the GS3 is newer but the old iPhone plastic was much thicker, far more brittle and got scratched a lot easier. You can remove the GS3 back cover and bend it nearly in half and it will pop back without anything wrong, however the plastic iPhone back part would crack or fracture under stress. Not saying the GS3 plastic is impervious to damage but its laughable to claim the old 3G/3GS was much better.

----------

This makes no sense, Apple already has the talent in-house to do this. I don't think this has anything to do with an cheaper iPhone, and if it does, it shows that Apple had no plans to produce such a product until after Wall Street screamed for it. Hence the very, very late job posting for an as yet non-existent product that won't be real for a year.

I believe this job is more about designing new ways to mold and shape plastic. I guess they want to bring in someone to shake up their current thinking of how they work with plastic. I could be incorrect however, but the article sort of implies this.
 
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