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Apple's iPhone 6s Battery Case: iOS Integration Is Nice, but Better Options Exist
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Could've just made a slightly thicker iPhone with 3200mAh battery thrown in.
This abomination is fugly
This abomination is fugly
No it's not. It's for the modest number of heavy users that need extra capacity.
i think the problem is simple: addicted to apps like Facebook and instagram, make a lot of voice calls? you're a power user, whether you think so or not. then the complaints pour in as they assume that 'power users' are total geeks who tinker with features that they haven't even heard of. nope - power users just use lots of power, point blank. if your phone isn't performing well and you don't use many bloated power hungry apps, return the phone after checking out how well a restore/wipe goes over.
i can't think of any phone that's a 'perfect' blend of power consumption, thinness, and performance. they all have a shortcoming or two. and battery life doesn't seem really seem like one to me (regarding the iPhone, personally). i think this new case from apple is for people who can't stay off their phones. and of course, nearly every study i've read places consumers in the 'ignorant' bracket when it comes to gauging how often they're using their smartphone.
Everybody relax. If you are happy with your iPhone's battery life (I am), just go back to sleep. The world will keep spinning. If you travel a lot and need really long battery life, now you have an option that integrates right into iOS. It solves a problem for someone, I don't see what's wrong with that. Nobody's forcing you to buy it.
I'm not here to argue with anyone, but I like the idea of this case, and think it is very Apple like. I don't keep a case on my phone because it is awkward, but let me explain my reasoning. This is a design that solves a few problems, and avoids a couple that a battery case creates normally. iPhones are slippery? Here's a silicone case to steady that grip. iPhone battery isn't lasting long enough, here is 5 more hours. Added benefit of better cell reception? Awesome.
Plus now you can keep the case on with all your accessories with the integrated lightning connector. And something I don't see anyone mentioning completely indeed has to do with the bulk of it. Normal battery cases cause a lot of bulk and since a lot of using the phone has you holding it in landscape, these thin edges make for almost a game controller type grip. Instead of that awkward fat battery case feel. I think Apple took its time designing this, like all of its products, to try and see what benefits they could add without making anything worse. And I think they did quite well. Sure there are cheaper options, but that's not even an argument worth stating with Apple products any more. We get it.
Just my two cents. Sure, I can see Steve rejecting this sort of thing, but he's not here to ask and great businesses have to evolve. They are trying out something different for a case, not reinventing the wheel. Simmer down folks.
Plus now you can keep the case on with all your accessories with the integrated lightning connector. And something I don't see anyone mentioning completely indeed has to do with the bulk of it. Normal battery cases cause a lot of bulk and since a lot of using the phone has you holding it in landscape, these thin edges make for almost a game controller type grip. Instead of that awkward fat battery case feel. I think Apple took its time designing this, like all of its products, to try and see what benefits they could add without making anything worse. And I think they did quite well. Sure there are cheaper options, but that's not even an argument worth stating with Apple products any more. We get it.
Just my two cents. Sure, I can see Steve rejecting this sort of thing, but he's not here to ask and great businesses have to evolve. They are trying out something different for a case, not reinventing the wheel. Simmer down folks.
It's heavy all right, no denying that. And the extra capacity they'll really need are bigger pockets.
As if the iPod socks or the iPhone 4 bumpers were objects of beauty. By today's standards, the candy-colored iMacs and iBooks are hideous. Fashion is fickle.
What Apple did was modify its existing case design to accommodate a battery. Battery cases in general are about function, not form. Perhaps Apple could have designed it like the Mophie or Anker cases, but Joanna Stern's review explains why they didn't. It's easy to slip the phone in and out of the case, and it's a single piece. If they made it a uniform thickness it would have to be a two-part design.
Design isn't just about physical looks. Interesting, I'd read articles recently that Jony Ive has been too focused on looks vs. true design. This is just the opposite. According to Joanna Stern's review, it depletes the case battery before the phone if the phone is fully charged, indicates its charge level through the widget, and has a built-in antenna so that it doesn't hurt wireless performance. Those are all elements of good design.
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One question, and please answer honestly:
Had this case not been made by Apple, and released by a third-party, would your first thought have been "well, this is synonymous with Apple's design"?
And third party battery packs don't add weight? What makes Apple's different is trimming the bulk others impose, and the added features (antennas, integration with iOS, etc).
I don't understand the complaints about the design. It doubles the battery life without doubling the entire thickness of the phone. That's not a disadvantage vs. 3rd party products.
Definitely ugly as sin; makes me worry how much Jonny's head is in the game.
But what it has going for it, and I hope Mophie, et al. gets on ASAP, is lightening cable charging. I don't want to carry another cable just for charging a battery.
I would buy this case just for the lightening cable. My hope is Mophie's next generation cases and external batteries use lightening—I would pay more for it.
But what it has going for it, and I hope Mophie, et al. gets on ASAP, is lightening cable charging. I don't want to carry another cable just for charging a battery.
I would buy this case just for the lightening cable. My hope is Mophie's next generation cases and external batteries use lightening—I would pay more for it.
'Trimming' isn't the first word that came to mind when I saw this case. Why didn't Apple instead allow MFI features for third-party battery manufacturers, and sell those in-store? It would've at least saved some embarassment with releasing this landwhale of a battery pack.
You only took one piece of what I said. I went on to explain why I think it is Apple like. I even said they are trying something different. I get that. So while the physical form doesn't necessarily follow their normal look, I think the overall idea of it follows their design philosophy, yes.
It's ugly, but it serve a purpose for the few who don't have a charger at work or in their car. Knowing apple, they probably had a good reason for their ugly design - my guess is that it probably fits better in one's hand and especially a smaller hand. They care about such things.
It's December. Tech press has nothing to talk about and they need the clicks so they freak out over a battery case that most people will never buy.
Was Steve's head in the game when he approved the hockey puck mouse? At least this works from functionality standpoint. That mouse was a disaster in every respect.
Waiting for an iFixit teardown. Guessing the repairability score will be 0 or 1
Wait WHAT!? Is it April? That thing is horrid. And you can't turn the battery on / off? Um, not thanks. Let's just get wireless charging into the phone so I can cut the wires in my car, at my desk, at Starbucks, etc. This case is ugly. Ivy let this fly!?
Maybe they really liked the camera bump that made its way into the iPhone 6 design and though a small bump was nice, but a bigger bump would be better
I'm still not sure if this is a troll or not... This isn't seriously a product Apple designed and is selling (for $100!!), is it?