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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Apple continues to expand and improve its current plastics division, today posting a new job listing for a Senior Materials Engineer with a specialty in plastics (via 9to5Mac). The position asks for someone experienced with plastics materials to join the iPhone/iPad Materials team.

According to the job notes, Apple is seeking an engineer with 10 or more years in the mold making industry to develop new plastic materials and processes to "meet the structural and aesthetic requirements of a wide range of part designs."

iphone_5c_hr0-800x535.jpg
Prototype of Apple's Upcoming Low-Cost iPhone
Apple is also looking for several other employees with a specialization in plastic, including a Plastic Tooling Engineer and a Manufacturing Design Engineer. Apple originally began seeking a Manufacturing Design Engineer back in January and the position, which remains unfilled, asks candidates to "Identify, develop and launch new tooling and process capabilities in support of new Apple product developments."

While Apple has focused heavily on aluminum for the iPad, the iPhone, and the MacBook line for the last several years, the company continues to use plastics in products like the Apple TV, the AirPort Extreme, and other accessories.

Most notably, Apple's upcoming low-cost iPhone features a colorful polycarbonate shell, the first plastic-shelled mobile product Apple has produced since the iPhone 3GS.

Apple does use plastics for internal parts, but multiple job listings focus on the aesthetic use of plastic, which suggests that plastic may be a renewed area of interest for the company and could play a larger role in future Apple products.

Article Link: Apple Still Searching for Engineers with Plastics Expertise
 

ee13lbp

macrumors member
Aug 19, 2012
92
6
As much hate I'll get for this, I really hope they don't expand the line any further with more plastic products.

I really like the weight and feel of aluminum and glass and Apples current design consensus seems so much better than the plastic fantastic of 06 and before. :(
 

Renzatic

Suspended
As much hate I'll get for this, I really hope they don't expand the line any further with more plastic products.

I really like the weight and feel of aluminum and glass and Apples current design consensus seems so much better than the plastic fantastic of 06 and before. :(

Plastic being cheap feeling is entirely subjective. To me, the iPhone 5 feels cheaper than the 4 because it doesn't have the glass coating, and the lack of heft and weight to the thing makes it feel like I'm holding a tin can with a nice screen attached to it. It's the same way with plastic. Not everything made with the stuff feels like the Galaxy S4.
 

sransari

macrumors 6502
Feb 11, 2005
363
130
Maybe look at fisher-price? They have been creating plastic phones for years...and they even make cool farm animal sounds
 

Goldex

macrumors member
May 15, 2009
54
86
As much hate I'll get for this, I really hope they don't expand the line any further with more plastic products.

I really like the weight and feel of aluminum and glass and Apples current design consensus seems so much better than the plastic fantastic of 09 and before. :(
Fixed that for ya. :b
 

rp2011

macrumors 68020
Oct 12, 2010
2,319
2,626
For many consumers price still plays a huge factor, and using plastic will allow Apple to reach more consumers without lowering margins. If Apple does not want a repeat of the Windows era, it will cater to all consumers.

The Mac is only around today and profitable because of new product categories that gave it an extended lifeline. The curve and profits of a new product category are greater but decline as competition catches up. The competition caught up and overtook the Mac in sales making it's ecosystem slowly become irrelevant, and the same thing is happening now with Android. Hopefully Apple has learned it's lesson. Thankfully with the new iPhone 5c, it sure looks like they have. It looks like Cook is on the ball and knows the time of day.
 

JohnGrey

macrumors 6502
Apr 21, 2012
298
557
Cincinnati Metro
Good. There are plenty of consumers out there that would adopt the platform for price concessions via cheaper materials. While Apple has always stressed an integrated hardware/software paradigm, so long as the display itself is unaffected, there's no reason not to produced cheaper/more-ruggedized versions of its mobile solutions. It's very unlikely a product like the 5C would endure something similar to Scuffgate.
 

Skika

macrumors 68030
Mar 11, 2009
2,999
1,246
Plastic for the C models and aluminum for regular. Makes sense to me.
 

BMcCoy

macrumors 68000
Jun 24, 2010
1,718
3,421
Think more widely...

For example, flexible OLED displays require a plastic substrate layer, onto which a semiconductor layer is placed.

And structurally, plastic composites are giving greater material strength in many scales of products and technologies.
 

Tankmaze

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2012
1,707
351
Apple has been producing the white macbooks, and the 3g &3gs yet they are still looking for expert in plastic mold. Better use other material apple!
 

Piggie

macrumors G3
Feb 23, 2010
9,109
3,974
I think we should all realize just how much bull poo the price argument has.

Let's see the TRUE manufacturing cost re aluminum shell vs a plastic shell.

I think many would be surprised, with mass production just how cheap the aluminium shell actually is.

It' not like $150 each to make in mass volume.
 
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