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Apple today quietly launched a new iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case that will prolong the smartphone's talk time and internet use by up to 25 and 18 hours respectively (via CNET). The case's outside material compares similarly to the company's previous line of silicone accessories, with an added hump sitting in the middle of the backside where the extra battery rests.

smart-battery-case-white.jpg
As the first official Apple-made iPhone battery case, the new product comes in Charcoal Gray and White color options and costs $99 on Apple's online store. A new feature will allow the case's battery life status to be displayed for users on both the lock screen and in Notification Center, so it's easy to determine how much life the accessory has left. The company also promised that the Smart Battery Case supports all Lightning products, including the iPhone's bundled-in Lightning cable and the official iPhone Lightning Dock.

smart-battery-case-gray.jpg
The company's storefront doesn't specifically disclose the mAH capacity of the Smart Battery Case, aside from the estimated hours given to tasks like talking on the phone and browsing the internet. There's also no version for the iPhone 6s Plus currently announced, but users of last year's 4.7-inch iPhone 6 model may be able to use the new case due to its design similarities to the iPhone 6s.

Article Link: Apple Launches Official $99 Battery Enhancing Case for iPhone 6s


Or how about we actually see the case in person before passing judgment lol . It looks like it could be bulging but maybe in person it's not as large as it seems .
 
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But judging by the comments here most people hate it so who's going to buy it? Unless the initial reaction is Apple has lost its mind and then someone actually buys one and says 'hey this is pretty cool and the hump doesn't bother me at all'.
Well, i find it horrible, at least from these pictures. But I'm sure they'll sell enough of these for this case to be profitable. They are first party, they can use lightning and they can integrate into the closed iOS ecosystem.
 
It looks weird, but I can see what they were trying to do. Keep the uniform look, keep it looking symmetrical, stick a solid battery in there, while still making the top easy enough to bend to get the phone out.
 
But judging by the comments here most people hate it so who's going to buy it? Unless the initial reaction is Apple has lost its mind and then someone actually buys one and says 'hey this is pretty cool and the hump doesn't bother me at all'.



Ahem...

imac-puck-mouse.jpg


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ibook.jpg


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but to be fair that was at times everyone was hooked on colors I stead of everything being minimalistic and flat. I am sure we will be looking back at today's design choices in a few years and get a similar reaction. either way I loved those socks when I was like 13 :D
 
"This is the beginning of the end."

That was my very first thought when seeing this case. I realize that's quite a jump to make, but that was my initial, honest reaction. What has happened to Apple's design team? Or has Ahrents been given her own B-Team to pump out accessories? This doesn't mesh with the iPhone design language at all. Couldn't they have at least smoothed out the edges of the bump but kept it flat so it doesn't wobble? Maybe put the unsightly charge indicators on the bottom or back—or, you know, at least center them? Makes it looks like an uneven, shoddy android device.

I think the reason it sets off alarms in my head is that it looks like Apple sacrificed design in favor of profits—and that is a sign of a company changing their core beliefs for the worse. Apple has always been about maximizing profits, but not by making a crappy product. They would have charged $150 to design it properly if they had to. Where is their craftsmanship? I'm afraid Jony is less involved in day to day operations than we're being led to believe. Fortunately, it's not too late to change course. A few years ago their retail division was headed in the wrong direction when they decided to hire that bozo and they canned him and made things better. But this just reminds me of Apple in the 90s and the oddball stuff they would come out with. Yikes.
 
It may not be pretty, but it offers two things that other battery cases don't - a lightning connector and a way to tell battery status in iOS. I wish they would make one for more storage, like those Mophie space packs.
 
The watch stand, I didn't think was ugly, but this? WTF, is Ive sleeping on the job?
I can think of several things that came out on Jobs watch that were just as 'ugly' as this and pretty useless, like iPod socks. At least this has utility and appears to go beyond what 3rd parties offer.

I can just see Steve's reaction to this: (yelling at the top of his lungs) "What the f@#k is that?!
Too bad he didn't say that when Apple released iPod socks. Or the hockey puck mouse. Or an iPhone that dropped calls when you held it a certain way.

but to be fair that was at times everyone was hooked on colors I stead of everything being minimalistic and flat. I am sure we will be looking back at today's design choices in a few years and get a similar reaction. either way I loved those socks when I was like 13 :D

Sure the socks were cute in a novelty kind of way but they didn't serve any real function. At least this battery case appears to have cool technology and real functionality behind it. I'm going to assume it was designed the way it is for engineering reasons not because someone thought an iPhone case with a hump would look really sexy. I suppose Ive could have told the engineers to go back to the drawing board but I'd need to use one first before coming to that conclusion.
 
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But judging by the comments here most people hate it so who's going to buy it? Unless the initial reaction is Apple has lost its mind and then someone actually buys one and says 'hey this is pretty cool and the hump doesn't bother me at all'.



Ahem...

imac-puck-mouse.jpg


flowerpowerdalmatia-100007480-orig.jpg


ibook.jpg


8ebaace0-429f-0132-0a8d-0eae5eefacd9.png

but to be fair that was at times everyone was hooked on colors I stead of everything being minimalistic and flat. I am sure we will be looking back at today's design choices in a few years and get a similar reaction. either way I loved those socks when I was like 13 :D
 
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But judging by the comments here most people hate it so who's going to buy it? Unless the initial reaction is Apple has lost its mind and then someone actually buys one and says 'hey this is pretty cool and the hump doesn't bother me at all'.

If Apple products success and failure were based off Macrumors responses, the iPod would have flopped harder than any other Apple product.
 
It's a specific product for a specific market. The average person won't need it. Those that do will buy it. No add on battery pack will ever be svelte and sexy. A hump is better than an overall big block. I think it's great to have it available to add it as a choice but enjoy the regular slim base phone if it's not required. Stop over-exaggerating it's apparent ugliness and consider its functionality. Moreover most people I know put their phone in a protective case anyway and thus lose its slimness. This option gives you more battery life with the same nett effect. I reckon that hump will fit nicely in the concave space that is your palm.
 
Battery life ultimately depends on the user. On a normal day, my 6S+ ends the day with over 40% battery life. But when I was playing a game like war hammer: freeblade, I could easily drain the phone's battery in one morning.

There will never be a one battery capacity large enough to make everyone happy. Even if Apple capitulates and makes a thicker phone, there will be people complaining that the phone is now heavier and bulkier to use. I am content to make do with a smaller battery (and consequently, a lighter phone which is also thinner and easier to hold) which still suffices in meeting my needs for the day.
I do agree. I love the 6+ and it's capacity, it will get me through the day and require nightly charging, but you've got to admit when they're sacrificing function for form and then coming up with something looking like this, it's adding fuel to the (thinness argument) fire.
 
It's all about personal use case. In my case, I don't use the phone to the point that I need to charge it throughout the day. It charges at night while I sleep and otherwise works fine. Others use the heck out of their phone and have to charge it all the time - for them, this is an option. Given that the price is competitive with other charging case, this looks like a great thing to up-sell when someone is in the Apple Store getting a phone. "Hey you need a case". "Oh, this case will give you extra juice and is made by Apple just like the phone." Sold.

Stop making sense here. This is MR were we like to complain.

For the "power" users NO battery would be good enough, even with an iPhone 6 inches thick.

About the only point somebody made that was of value is that maybe Apple can work on faster charging.
If the pencil can get 30 minutes out of 15 seconds, why not the iPhone? ( of course in proportion to power needed, say 2 minutes gives 15 minutes of usage or so)

Apple is aware of all the shortcomings in that area, hence the power saving mode introduced with iOS 9 etc.
and this dongle.

As for the design, not really elegant , but before crying one should try one in the hand. iPhones are slippery, so maybe this helps with a good grip?
 
It looks weird, but I can see what they were trying to do. Keep the uniform look, keep it looking symmetrical, stick a solid battery in there, while still making the top easy enough to bend to get the phone out.
Yup, I agree. Also this design can still "show" that the actual phone is really thin.
I still find it ugly...
 
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