Apple Designer on Why Curved Glass and Extruded Aluminum iPhone Designs Were Rejected

[twietee]

Yes, there's some real potential here! Imagine it finished!
Since the curves aren't that extreme it wouldn't have problems on the desk I think.

To be honest, I think 50% why it looks good is because the screen has no bezel.
But the black Apple-logo is cool.

 

[iLunar]

I think these mock-ups show just how much attention to detail goes into design. It's not something that just happens magically, and a phone is conceived. There are numerous iterations, testing, considerations, etc. It takes a lot of time and effort to come up with an effortless design.

 

[thenewperson]

They still did it with the nano:

Image

The curved part was plastic and was not the display. The actual display was behind it and flat.

 

[pgiguere1]

and I dont think it was glass... Plastic?

The curved part was plastic and was not the display. The actual display was behind it and flat.

No, it was curved glass, not plastic.

Look up iFixit or even MacRumors articles about rumors of a curved glass iPhone 5, they talk about the nano's curved glass.

 

[kdarling]

Reminds me of the later Dell Flash and Thunder phone designs with curved glass and/or curved sides and backs:

 

[QuiteSure]

De-mystification of Apple

All kinds of interesting design insight since this trial started.

I really wonder if allowing the whole world an inside look into Apple's design process is worth the $2.5 billion they're trying to get from Samsung

 

[CPD_1]

For varying degrees of awesome

I nearly bought the Lumia 800, but two months after they released it they pre-announced the 900, so I stuck with iPhone. I'm pleased with my choice, because not upgrading the Lumia to WP8 is a real dick move. Imagine if Apple cut off iPhones from the latest iOS after just one year. Unimaginable.

Heck, there are people up in arms over what the 4 and 3GS get out of iOS 6.

 

[Gemütlichkeit]

I'd love to see a curved glass back like the 3GS shape

 

[pgiguere1]

Do you place the Nano over your ear? No.

Does the Nano utilize 3G and wi-fi capabilities? No.

The reasons were stated in the quote quite clearly.

I was talking about the curved glass, not the extruded aluminium.

Otherwise I wouldn't have mentioned the nano specifically since there are a lot more iPods that used aluminium extruding, including older ones like the mini which is already mentioned in the article. I also wouldn't have picked an image that focuses that much on the screen.

No need to be rude.

 

[MuddyPaws1]

What this says to me: They wanted to try something different than the standard rectangular phones. They were forced, like everyone else, to design a rectangular phone with rounded edges because it obviously makes the most sense. Hence why patenting a certain shape is ridiculous for any company; it's the obvious route to go. You can make the rectangle look slightly different, but that's about it.

Agree. Apple is spending way too much time and money on this bull crap. They need to spend more time and money on making a better iPhone.

 

[cupcakes2000]

I really wonder if allowing the whole world an inside look into Apple's design process is worth the $2.5 billion they're trying to get from Samsung

I think it's more about the copying problem than it is about the money.

 

[jouster]

Is it only me who thinks the curved glass looks phantastic?

Nope. I like it a great deal.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Hideous. No wonder they scrapped it.

 

[Swordylove]

The iPod mini/nano one looks pretty sweet. Good to know the reason it was rejected.

 

[prezasti]

The technology in shaping the glass, the cost relative to shaping the glass at the time, and some of the design features of this specific shape were not liked. [...]

The technology at the time had a lot to do with it. The qualities of the glass at the time had a lot to do with it. These are models -- I'm trying to remember a time frame -- that were before gorilla glass and before a lot of the other factors.

So your saying there's a chance? It would be cool to have a curved glass iPhone, but I think it might be strange for playing games and using other apps. Typing might be cool on it though.

 

[Tiger8]

Nokia managed to do curved glass on N9 and Lumia 800 and they both turned out awesome.

6 years later

 

[smoledman]

For varying degrees of awesome

I nearly bought the Lumia 800, but two months after they released it they pre-announced the 900, so I stuck with iPhone. I'm pleased with my choice, because not upgrading the Lumia to WP8 is a real dick move. Imagine if Apple cut off iPhones from the latest iOS after just one year. Unimaginable.

B-s. Mango phones will be getting 7.8 update next year.

 

[Swordylove]

I really wonder if allowing the whole world an inside look into Apple's design process is worth the $2.5 billion they're trying to get from Samsung

Since money/profit is the last thing in Apple's mind, it has to be really really really really really totallllyyyyyy worth it.

 

[milbournosphere]

I've really appreciated these posts about the iPhone prototypes. It shows just how hard they worked to get the design as perfect as possible. Lots of people worked really hard and tried umpteen bajillion ideas, and it's really cool to see the product's evolution. I had often wondered myself why they didn't go with a non-like design. Now I know.

 

[viewfly]

Agree. Apple is spending way too much time and money on this bull crap. They need to spend more time and money on making a better iPhone.

They have enough cash to do both. So why not!

 

[Mak47]

Nokia managed to do curved glass on N9 and Lumia 800 and they both turned out awesome.

Sure, several years after the fact.

Curved glass is easy, and really was easy then too. Optical lens blanks are all curved and manufacturers crank those out in bulk, so getting regular old glass wouldn't be a huge problem.

It's making it touch sensitive that's the issue. No one was doing anything with touch sensitive displays made from glass at the time. While curved glass is easy, adding yet another special requirement to the design was apparently cost prohibitive.

Today, Nokia can take advantage of the fact that multitouch glass displays are the norm in the mobile device industry. That hurdle has been jumped. Now they just needed to curve the glass. A lot of difference a few years makes.

 

[chrmjenkins]

Curved glass doesn't make sense for LCD because the panel itself cannot flex to keep the distance between glass and panel uniform. This is not good for a touch interface where you want accurate input via a consistent input method. Curved glass is ok if you're willing to do flexible panel AMOLED, though. Apple still seems to be a ways away from AMOLED though.

 

[Poisednoise]

A lot of difference a few years makes.

Definitely a quote begging to be said in a Yoda voice.

 

[marksman]

What is funny is people keep claiming there is only one way to make a touchscreen smartphone yet we have proof apple made different looking devices themselves. The fact that apple has prototypes that look markedly different from the release iPhone hurts Samsung a lot.

 

[kdarling]

It's making it touch sensitive that's the issue. No one was doing anything with touch sensitive displays made from glass at the time.

I was programming on curved glass capacitive touch screens (on 15" monitors in casino electronic slot machines) as far back as 1992.

While curved glass is easy, adding yet another special requirement to the design was apparently cost prohibitive.

Ah, okay, it could've been cost. Casinos are richer than the usual entities