Foxconn Developing Glass Casing and OLED Displays Ahead of Tenth-Anniversary iPhone

[colbertnation]

Meh. That one was more on Apple's head. A secret device should not have been left in a public place. Mistakes happen, but you can't blame Gizmodo for not missing out on the story of the year and all those lovely clicks.

Oh yeah, I mean, not blaming Gizmodo at all. They did what they had to do. But I just meant to say from a nostalgic perspective that the iPhone 4 announcement would've been so much better if we the general public had no idea during the announcement what the new iPhone was going to look like. The unveiling would've been that much better, you know?

Now the announcements are hardly as exciting or fun; we already pretty much know what they're going to announce, and what it looks like.

 

[576316]

Oh yeah, I mean, not blaming Gizmodo at all. They did what they had to do. But I just meant to say from a nostalgic perspective that the iPhone 4 announcement would've been so much better if we the general public had no idea during the announcement what the new iPhone was going to look like. The unveiling would've been that much better, you know?

Now the announcements are hardly as exciting or fun; we already pretty much know what they're going to announce, and what it looks like.

Yeah, I think that what makes the iPhone 4 announcement such a standout even though a few had seen the device before it got unveiled. Cause when you compare that to announcements these days, we know pretty much everything about it before we even see it. It would be nice if Apple could just control all leaks before an announcement but it's probably just not possible these days. I imagine the operation is far larger today than it was even when the iPhone 4 came out.

It would be cool if Apple could control all leaks especially in the coming year up until the rumoured iPhone 8, seeing as it's suspected to be a complete departure and radical redesign. We'll have to see though.

 

[yesjam]

How come I never thought of this? That we don't have to wait a year for this to come out. This would be a really good thing. People shouldn't be so worried.

My guess is that the 10th Anniversary iPhone will be a "special edition" released mid-cycle at a premium price-point with some (but not all) features (OELD but perhaps not the full glass casing) adopted within the iPhone 7S and 8 designs.

 

[brentonbrenton]

Just a thought - if the iPhone is going to more a minor update, perhaps by design the Apple Watch is going to be a bigger than expected update this year (with LTE, or whatnot) and they'll do something with the pricing that really allows them to take the majority smartwatch market. Then next year with the rumored massive iPhone update, which many will wait upon. Will Apple try to move it's iPhone/Watch into yearly tick-tock updates? Watch, iPhone, Watch, iPhone.. Make the two products independent, but then to really make them sing you need both. Kind of evil, but genius the money it would create. Then they can also spread the innovations out into every 2 years.. Just thoughts.

 

[NT1440]

Apple's got nothing to do with these screens. It's all Samsung innovation driving OLED displays. Apple is just on board for the ride. They're not a true OEM like Samsung.

That's not entirely true. Yes Samsung has done amazing work in ramping up OLED production, but Apple (like many other companies) works hand in hand with the supplier on R&D to tailor their screen production for the characteristics they are looking for.

 

[MacBergin]

Here we go with this ******** again. SO ****ING WHAT? Is this an excuse to be lazy this year? No, it's not.

Agreed. I have the upgrade every year plan so bring on the new phones!!!
[doublepost=1470832739][/doublepost]

Feeling sorry for this years iphone. It'll be the ginger cousin you never liked

Wrong!! i'll love this years phone and upgrade next year too then the year after because i will probably drop and smash my all glass phone.

 

[Shlooky]

if the 10th anniversary iPhone is all glass, the weight will significantly increase. Aluminium is much lighter.

 

[SandboxGeneral]

A glass casing again, potentially, eh? I liked the look and feel of the 4s when I had it, but I was always careful with it since I didn't want to scratch or break it. These days I just use the simple black leather case by Apple on my 6s. The glass on the older 4's and 4s's really made the phone look sharp and attractive to me.

 

[Sevanw]

That's not entirely true. Yes Samsung has done amazing work in ramping up OLED production, but Apple (like many other companies) works hand in hand with the supplier on R&D to tailor their screen production for the characteristics they are looking for.

Lol, whatever makes you sleep better buddy. They did a helluva lot more than ramp up production. They created and developed (innovated) those displays. What a desperate attempt to even give Apple any significant credit for how bone crushing dominant Samsung's OLED displays are. Just makes me laugh to hear the phrase, "works hand in hand." Sure, the same way a couple works hand in hand to buy a house. And one spouse makes a million dollars a year and the other makes 20 thousand dollars a year. And the spouse making 20 thousand dollars a year is telling their friends how proud they are to have saved to buy their new custom built 4 million dollar home. Like that 20 thousand dollar salary had any significant input in that house purchase. Hahaha, yup!

 

[szw-mapple fan]

As an Industrial Designer, there's nothing more elegant than glass and steel IMO. If it was polished it'd be even more beautiful.

I mostly agree but if that band was polished steel it would only remain "polished" for a few months at best without a case. Remember these?

 

[NT1440]

Lol, whatever makes you sleep better buddy. They did a helluva lot more than ramp up production. They created and developed (innovated) those displays. What a desperate attempt to even give Apple any significant credit for how bone crushing dominant Samsung's OLED displays are. Just makes me laugh to hear the phrase, "works hand in hand." Sure, the same way a couple works hand in hand to buy a house. And one spouse makes a million dollars a year and the other makes 20 thousand dollars a year. And the spouse making 20 thousand dollars a year is telling their friends how proud they are to have saved to buy their new custom built 4 million dollar home. Like that 20 thousand dollar salary had any significant input in that house purchase. Hahaha, yup!

WTF are you talking about?

This is standard industry process, there are generic parts you can get, or you can get custom variants that still fall under a brand name (like Gorilla Glass, the glass in one model phone vs another is actually different depending one the tolerances that the OEM has asked for).

Apple works with their vendors to get the properties they want from components (take a look at their camera modules for an example). Yes, Samsung makes the best OLED's on the market right now, just as they do with many other components. All I'm getting at is that if/when Samsung gets orders for Apple's OLED's (which they may not given their partnership with Japan Display) it will be a variation of OLED that was codeveloped (from the tooling to manufacturing process) between the two companies.

 

[Sevanw]

WTF are you talking about?

Samsung has raised the bar, and Apple's got nothing to do with it. Their hardware is a complete joke.

 

[NT1440]

Samsung has raised the bar, and Apple's got nothing to do with it. Their hardware is a complete joke.

Ah, so you're going to disregard all the content of my post and boil down the conversation to a kindergarten level "they suck".

Side-Note: Not sure how you can call the A-series a joke, but you clearly don't understand anything about engineering, design, or manufacturing to begin with so, whatever.

 

[jimbo1mcm]

Guys, seriously, the iphone 7 is not worth fighting over.

 

[admob71]

When that thing got announced, the world gasped. It was unlike anything we'd seen before with a totally new way of designing and constructing mobile devices out of premium materials. .

With respect sir, glass isn't a premium material, it's what they make milk bottles out of..

Enjoy the rest of your day.
[doublepost=1470856990][/doublepost]

If these rumors about the 2017 iPhone came out to be true then oled screen with all glass body this will look like a dream iPhone ,

Erm, actually fella, it sounds like it will look like a galaxy s7, but hey, enjoy the rest of your day.
[doublepost=1470857225][/doublepost]

I just sent a money-wire to my future self to pre-order this.

I've just sent some money to a prince from Nigeria, hope I've done the right thing..
[doublepost=1470858288][/doublepost]

The only time I see plastic on Phones is today on the cheap pre-paid phones you see you at Walmart for $30.00.

You mean.the last few 5c's on sale lol...

Sorry sir, couldn't resist it. Have a nice day.

 

[576316]

With respect sir, glass isn't a premium material, it's what they make milk bottles out of..

With respect, sir...

I was referring to the use of aluminium and the ground breaking unibody design which paved the way for many of Apple's products that exist today.

YOU were just being needlessly cocky.

 

[44267547]

With respect sir, glass isn't a premium material, it's what they make milk bottles out of..

Enjoy the rest of your day.
[doublepost=1470856990][/doublepost]

Erm, actually fella, it sounds like it will look like a galaxy s7, but hey, enjoy the rest of your day.
[doublepost=1470857225][/doublepost]

I've just sent some money to a prince from Nigeria, hope I've done the right thing..
[doublepost=1470858288][/doublepost]

You mean.the last few 5c's on sale lol...

Sorry sir, couldn't resist it. Have a nice day.

Touché'. Very true. Forgot about the iPhone 5c.

 

[admob71]

With respect, sir...

I was referring to the use of aluminium and the ground breaking unibody design which paved the way for many of Apple's products that exist today.

YOU were just being needlessly cocky.

And you sir are being ever so slightly a tad mean

Oh, and you know that unibody means 1 piece. The 4/4s was deffo not unibody.., oh and it was aluminium either. But thanks for joining in.

Have a nice day sir..

 

[LeahJoFoxtrot]

That render of the phone is beautiful... instead of getting transgender or poop emoji's in all colors, can we get a better looking phone?

Hey, I'm all for a better looking iPhone but I want to keep my transgender emojis!

 

[Savor]

More people will appreciate the iPhone 7 form factor once iPhone 8 is released. Keep making your rants about iPhone 7 looking the same. Most people here don't have much foresight. Once the "Samsung" iPhone 8 gets released, back to the same crying with shattered glass like we had with the iPhone 4 series.

Even if Apple happens to wow us...

2016 - iPhone 7 (that looks like the 6 series)
2017 - iPhone 8
2018 - iPhone 8s
2019 - iPhone 9 (that looks like the 8 series)

Apple will reuse the design again anyway but be the STRONGER twin. I don't understand people complaining about the 7 design when nobody complains at MacBooks and iPads looking the same for years. Is that rear back that most people cover up so important to some of you that it needs to change every two years? Automobile makers don't change it up every few years either, why should Apple be obliged to change it every few years?

Both iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 are a waste of money or time to wait on... Several Android OEM's make better-looking phones at a lower cost with the same features Apple tacks on years later. Since this site is North American-centric, iPhone is really the only phones most people see or want to use since it is the only one they are familiar with.

In Asia, more competitive industry like a 20-horse Kentucky Derby field. I see people carrying a variety of brands. I do see that iPhones are quite common but it isn't the most dominant like the States where it seems like match race between Apple and Samsung.

American phone market is boring because it is a duopoly. It needs to be more competitive like what we see in China where a different OEM tops every new year. More competition means more motivation for fat cats to make changes.

 

[576316]

And you sir are being ever so slightly a tad mean

Oh, and you know that unibody means 1 piece. The 4/4s was deffo not unibody.., oh and it was aluminium either. But thanks for joining in.

Have a nice day sir..

They definitely announced it as being the first iPhone with a unibody design...

Also you're right, the body was stainless steel and not aluminium. Wish they'd have stuck with that, I don't much care for a full aluminium design as we have now. Bring back the glass back!

 

[ValO]

Samsung has raised the bar, and Apple's got nothing to do with it. Their hardware is a complete joke.

Excuse me, but apple' s own designed soc and memory controller in the 6s blow the competition out of the water. And according to the rumors, the a10 will be even better.
What about touchid? Samsung has come close , but apple' s implementation and speed is superior to the competition.
[doublepost=1470912246][/doublepost]I would love a one piece glass iPhone , without metal. No seams. Some kind of Sapphire to make it scratch and shatter resistant .
Just one metal piece at the bottom that acts like a stop gap that has the motherboard/battery and display attached to it, so they can shove it in the glass casing.
Curved oled screen over the edges instead of slightly curved with in display volume and reset buttons, in screen Touch ID en homebutton, in screen FaceTime camera and speaker.
Etc, etc.
One can dream ...

 

[maxsix]

Who is being lazy?

Apple developing the best SoC for mobile devices in the world is laziness?

Apple's NOT keeping up with Google and Samsung is rather disappointing. Especially when the Cupertino Company is capable of leading the way.

However it's understanding since Apple has programmed their customers to accept anything they do as good enough. Thus enabling them to coast while profit taking over the last few years. A brilliant strategy that's made billions for them. Apple customers get good enough, while Apple gets fat and happy.

 

[admob71]

They definitely announced it as being the first iPhone with a unibody!

They might very well have mate, but a glass back with a steel side is at the very least two items, so not unibody...

Have a nice day sir.

 

[NT1440]

Apple's NOT keeping up with Google and Samsung is rather disappointing. Especially when the Cupertino Company is capable of leading the way.

However it's understanding since Apple has programmed their customers to accept anything they do as good enough. Thus enabling them to coast while profit taking over the last few years. A brilliant strategy that's made billions for them. Apple customers get good enough, while Apple gets fat and happy.

Can you elaborate? You quoted my SoC comment, where they are clearly ahead of the industry.

I'm assuming you're talking about features in iOS seeing as you mention Google, whom have done nothing of consequence on the hardware front (other than buying the company that got rolled into project Tango).