High-Quality Video and Photos Reveal What Apple's Plastic iPhone Will Look Like

[mrbrown]

No. The display is made of silicone rubber, and stretches when you touch it - did noone tell you?

Why would the display be plastic? Are the screws plastic too? What do you think?

First off - you need to quit with the degrading attitude. It's a legitimate question.

The original iPhone's display assembly was plastic when it was in its prototype stage (along with all of the major smartphones on the market at the time, including my awesome Symbian powered Nokia)... Glass didn't come in until late in the game because Steve was upset about plastic's tendency to scratch.

If we're talking about a cheap iPhone, what's not to say that the display would be made of plastic to reduce costs?

 

[sniffies]

I love everything plastic.

Plastic phone.

Plastic car.

Plastic bed.

Plastic girlfriend.

 

[typeface]

First off - you need to quit with the degrading attitude. It's a legitimate question.

The original iPhone's display assembly was plastic when it was in its prototype stage (along with all of the major smartphones on the market at the time, including my awesome Symbian powered Nokia)... Glass didn't come in until late in the game because Steve was upset about plastic's tendency to scratch.

If we're talking about a cheap iPhone, what's not to say that the display would be made of plastic to reduce costs?

Sorry you felt that way - wasn't what I was saying. Nope, definitely NOT plastic, not a bit.

No offence, but I don't buy your story about Steve Jobs and plastic screens - can you help me out on that? Sounds a bit... odd.

 

[tomegun]

Finally! We all wrap out phones in plastic cases anyway. So at the end of the day, that beautiful anodized casing of the 5 gets hidden all day.

I would really like them to make an iPhone with an easy to change exterior.

This is exactly what I have been saying. Want to really piss case manufacturers off and make some $$$ in the process? Allow people to change their "cases" as they wish. Women would probably love to have a case that matches their outfit/mood. For me it wouldn't be as much about the color, but the fact that I would be able to replace a damaged "case" is great.

I also think holding a iPhone 5 is not that great of an experience. Yes, it looks very sexy sitting on a table...but it is not the most comfortable phone to hold.

 

[Jjaro]

I some ways this looks better than the iPhone 5. The continuous rear shell looks better than the glass signal windows on the 5. This design is more minimalist.

Agreed it looks great! I just hope that we can choose between any color back and either a white or back front. I prefer my front to be black, and I don't want to be forced into a white front (IF I choose a colored back).

The more I think about a "cheaper" iPhone, the more I think I would buy one over a "flagship" iPhone. I like the idea of the colors!

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Sorry you felt that way - wasn't what I was saying. Nope, definitely NOT plastic, not a bit.

No offence, but I don't buy your story about Steve Jobs and plastic screens - can you help me out on that? Sounds a bit... odd.

Hey it's true, it is in the biography. Great book BTW if you haven't read it.

 

[macduke]

I couldn't take my eyes off of the sensor dust in that video. Must have been recording with a Nikon D600! *BURN*

As for plastic, I do kind of miss my 3g and 3GS. I've owned every iPhone and they were perhaps the most resilient. I never felt like I had to be super careful with them as the plastic wasn't going to shatter or dent. Maybe they would get some scratches but not as bad as scratches on anodized aluminum which show up silver underneath.

I hope Apple comes out with a titanium case. Super light, strong, thin, transparent to radio waves. Or perhaps their new "liquid metal" technology. But they won't switch case materials for the flagship line until the iPhone 6 in 2014.

 

[mrbrown]

No offence, but I don't buy your story about Steve Jobs and plastic screens - can you help me out on that? Sounds a bit... odd.

Here you go... The whole incident created a market for Corning's strengthened glass, which they couldn't find a buyer for at the time.

 

[SILen(e]

.

1. Selling Dock Connector stuff in 2013 and 2014 is just bad for fragmentation, so they have to get rid of the old connector for their entry level iPhone (and also iPad, there's no way that the iPad 2 will be sold by Apple after the iPad 5 is released).

How can they sell a device that has Lightning, but costs less than the 549$ they will charge for the iPhone 5 now?

They have to create one, they would either have to redesign the iPhone 4S to use Lightning, but then they still would have the "outdated" screen - or they can go the full lenght and do a new device based on the 4S but with all the newer stuff they need to decrease fragmentation of device features.

They chose the latter.

2. The iPhone 5 is even more costly to produce than the iPhone 4S (more difficult -> Scuffgate), but when they establish a plastic case at the entry price point, they will be able to sell a plastic phone that is based on the iPhone 5 when the iPhone 6 is released next year.
The plastic shell is big enough so that they probably could insert iPhone 5 mainboards into the case without having to change anything on the circuit board, like a case you're using for an iPhone 5 now - but without the aluminium shell of the phone inside the case.

3. Cannibalisation of their own products has happened always in the past and they prefer to cannibalize their more expensive products with their cheaper products to some other company's products doing that.

People have been joking how the iPhone 3GS was just the same as the iPhone 3G (even though the hardware was much better) and the 4S just the iPhone 4 with some unimportant feature (Siri) added that they also could have ported to the iPhone 4 and 3GS.
Some even ridiculed the speed improvements between iPhone 4S and iPhone 5.

This has happened in the past and it will always happen.

The iPhone 5S?

"Blabla unimportant fingerprint reader" and a bit faster...

The next generation of the iPhone doesn't have to be much better, because most people upgrade only every two years - and there's a big improvement from one iPhone to the one that's released two years later.

 

[Retired Cat]

Sorry you felt that way - wasn't what I was saying. Nope, definitely NOT plastic, not a bit.

No offence, but I don't buy your story about Steve Jobs and plastic screens - can you help me out on that? Sounds a bit... odd.

I remember reading about that in the New York Times. It was in the context of China being a business friendly place for manufacturing.

Steve Jobs was angry that the plastic display scratched so easily on the original iPhone prototype. He wanted the material changed to Corning glass, but the manufacturing lines were already being set up and a design change would be difficult on short notice. A Chinese company, with help from the Chinese government, was able to quickly set up a factory line specifically to cut the glass sheets to specification. Apple believed that they would not have been able to get a design change implemented that quickly in the US.

 

[typeface]

I remember reading about that in the New York Times. It was in the context of China being a business friendly place for manufacturing.

Steve Jobs was angry that the plastic display scratched so easily on the original iPhone prototype. He wanted the material changed to Corning glass, but the manufacturing lines were already being set up and a design change would be difficult on short notice. A Chinese company, with help from the Chinese government, was able to quickly set up a factory line specifically to cut the glass sheets to specification. Apple believed that they would not have been able to get a design change implemented that quickly in the US.

Ah! thanks, didn't know that

 

[FatLip]

Will look like a plastic phone and it's tooooo expensive for a yet-another-plastic-phone...

will look like a samsung lol

 

[Regbial]

One very good thing about this plastic design is that the user will not have to subject himself to the potential dangers of touching a bare metal antenna. The only way to accomplish this on an iPhone 4/4S/5 is to buy a case which adds bulk. For those who want to avoid the potential dangers of touching a bare metal antenna but don't like cases, this new plastic iPhone design is good.

Can you tell me more about these dangers?..

And whats with that "trailer" "reveal" video? Music is really out there. So exaggerated..

 

[typeface]

will look like a samsung lol

Wonderful twist of irony for Samsung then; I'm sure they're flattered that Apple are "copying" their industrial design forms...




























Not.



Tell me - how many ways can one design an oblong with rounded corners, to be made in white plastic, different enough to the latest competitors white oblong with rounded corners, made in white plastic, enough to make you say "wow - they look totally different; neither is white or oblong, neither has rounded corners and neither uses white plastic"

<_<

 

[stewy]

How do you like the new tool for changing volume?

Image

It's $22.99 and only available directly from apple!

 

[mejsric]

The cheaper iphone will become the most sold smartphone ever worldwide. Without a doubt.

Can wait too see how many teens lining for this phone.

And Android fanatics will freak out...

 

[StyxMaker]

I dont care about it until Apple starts selling unlocked iPhones direct to consumers for less than $400, but closer to $300. I dont want a slave carrier contract and its the whole reason I dropped the iPhone finally and picked up a nexus direct from google. Freedom at least more than buying a $700 iPhone unlocked. Ill stick with the unlocked google phones and keep my iPads.

What? 'Sheep' and 'sheeple' aren't insulting enough to get reactions so now we have references to 'slave carrier contracts'? What a bunch of idiotic bs.

 

[gaximus]

The iPhone 3G & 3GS had the same combination.

No it didn't, the black one had a black front, and the white one had a white front.

 

[tekboi]

Looks like crap. I hope this is all ******** and Apple continues to make PREMIUM QUALITY hardware only. Leave plastic crap to companies like Samsung and HTC.

 

[cc3d]

I sure that

When Apple does plastic, it will be a much 'better' plastic than Samsung and will have a look and feel that Samsung cannot achieve in plastic!

You guys kill me

 

[currentinterest]

No it didn't, the black one had a black front, and the white one had a white front.

The white (and black) 3GS had a black front. I owned the white one.

 

[typeface]

The white (and black) 3GS had a black front. I owned the white one.

Yep, confirmed. White 3G S bezel never existed.

 

[falconeight]

Is the front bezel of the white one white or black? I have seen it in both colors. I like it better in white or color matched.

 

[Beautyspin]

I think this looks nicer than any of the other low-cost phones out there. Apple needs to get people into the "system" with lower priced options. Like a BMW 1 series. Get people hooked and vested in the Eco system, and they may stick around and buy higher quality products in the future. I think it is a needed step for Apple.

Guess you have not seen many phones out there..

 

[Mackan]

I some ways this looks better than the iPhone 5. The continuous rear shell looks better than the glass signal windows on the 5. This design is more minimalist.

Yeah, looks like a phone I could buy, and probably prefer instead of aluminum/metal. But of course... it's filled with last generation tech. Always this curse. There really is no choice.

 

[dazed]

Most will put it in a rubber case, so what it's made from isn't important.

I still have a 3GS and to me it doesn't feel cheap, but then again it's just a phone to me.