I would be excited for curved edges and weight loss. I've held onto my 11 Pro Max because it's so light and nice to hold. The features on the more recent models are great, but not enough to make up for the fact that they're rather uncomfortable to hold for me.
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iPhone 15 Could Feature Titanium Chassis With Curved Rear Edges
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And, if the “Titanium” is a Liquidmetal alloy, it can still be said to have a “glass” back as it’d be Bulk Metallic Glass.
As far as I know, Apple still is paying for the rights to use Liquidmetal in a lot of key areas such that other companies aren’t allowed to. They’ll either eventually use it or eventually stop paying for it?
I don’t use a case so it matters to me. It’s a valid complaint to me. I couldn’t really care less whether others use a case or not. From what I see it’s about 50-50 case less to using a case so it must also matter to others
Liquidmetal alloys are radiotransparent. So, they could use a Liquidmetal titanium alloy for the entire back and have tough, light, seamless back.Just doesn't work as well for signal strength. The first iPhone had a plastic back at the bottom to solve this however it only had 2G, Bluetooth and WiFi, didn't even have GPS. Now you've 2G up to 5G for 2 networks, mmWave 5G, WiFi with MIMO, Bluetooth, GPS and Ultra Wide Band off the top of my head. Maybe forgetting something.
Point is it won't work as well or at all. Notice they have to cut out of the metal frame on the iPhone in the US to put in the mmWave so that works.
From that post it's 2.5x stronger than Ti and 1.5x harder than steel. But you're probably right about maybe it not being practical for the larger forms for an iPhone. Would be interesting to hear what happened with this technology.
They’ve been molding larger parts since the acquisition of the large tools required to mold them, but I think the cost may still be prohibitive for something like an iPhone. It’s still as impressive as it ever was, but they’ve been focused on medical tools where precise sizes are required and the low predictable shrinkage of BMG is a great benefit there.
The whole of macrumours cried for years for the flat edge design, now they cry for the soap bar design. A lot of people just want change for the sake of change, they’ll ask for flat edges back in 3 years. I find the 12/13/14 design much easier to hold and handle so you’re not alone.
I think there’s some truth to that. There were people that grew up in the iMac era where Apple was trying something fairly significantly different every other year or so. They’ve not been happy since they settled on the design that finally just “worked” for Apple.
I would love titanium for an iPhone but I’m very happy with the current flat edge design.
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Unless it’s grippy, and looks glossy, then it is trash. Grip is all that matters. If you use a case then the back could have vulgar imagery and it wouldn’t matter in the slightest: hint it’s never seen.
If you don’t use a case then the priority is grip so you know….oh…..so…you know……….you don’t drop the device constantly from it slipping out of your hand like a wet bar of soap.
sounds nice, I'm imagining the iPod touch 5-7 and the 2013-21 iPad design (and the new MacBook Pro/ Air to an extent). Hopefully along with redesigning the camera array so it isn't crammed into the corner anymore? (looks a bit silly now it extends more than halfway across the back of the 6.1" Pro).
The other poster was asking about signal strength. I replied with a post related to signal strength. I don’t think the grippy-ness of it would affect signal strength at all.
It's about time for Apple to switch to Titanium. I'm loving the Titanium Ultra, it definitely feels like a premium product, and a definite upgrade from the Aluminum/Stainless Steel chassis of old. But hearing about all these rumored upgrades and features Apple might be bringing for the 15, you do have to wonder if the price point will stay the same.
I would love to see titanium used in iPhones and MacBooks. However I have a couple issues with the article. Stainless steel is one of the hardest alloys and is more scratch resistant than Titanium unless the titanium is hardened in some way. Titanium scratches way easier than stainless steel and is closer to aluminum in that regard but it is much lighter than steel and several times stronger than steel or aluminum.
The problem as I see it is that it would drive up manufacturing costs significantly as Titanium is a very difficult metal to work with. So future iPhones/Macbooks with Titanium would most certainly cost significantly more.
I think titanium would make sense on an iPhone but on a MacBook that would get rather expensive.
Would like to see it if it doesn't drive the cost up too much.
The problem as I see it is that it would drive up manufacturing costs significantly as Titanium is a very difficult metal to work with. So future iPhones/Macbooks with Titanium would most certainly cost significantly more.
I think titanium would make sense on an iPhone but on a MacBook that would get rather expensive.
Would like to see it if it doesn't drive the cost up too much.
Man it seems that you’re inside my head. Exactly same situation and thoughts…
I’m sure there are many more people like us.
I didn’t bother going back to re-read the article about it, but now that you say this, I remember Apple touting the strength of the Liquidmetal. Of course when I “tested” the sim ejector made with it, it bent with similar pressure to the stamped steel version, so I didn’t think in this particular case it offered much other than the interesting backstory.
That’s interesting where they ended up finding a market for it. I’m sure Apple was hoping that the technology would reduce costs and increase production speeds, but clearly that hasn’t been how it played it or they would be using the technology today for something. I used to work for a plastic product manufacturer with 6 high speed injection molding machines, so the idea of making a metal alloy that works similarly was always interesting to me.
Cool. But if I get one it will go in a case to provide shock absorption. So will pretty much every single one Apple sells. I cannot think of a single family member or friend who uses their iPhone without a case. Apple knows almost all of their phones end up in a case. But Apple must have figured out that since the point of sale is mainly what they care about, the phone looking good in the store is really important and worth spending all this money and engineering effort to make the phone look better.
It’s difficult to know whether people are putting their iPhones in cases because they want drop protection, or they want to keep it as scratch-free as possible, for as long as possible, or maybe to create some personalization, or some combination of reasons. I carry my 14PM both naked and in an Apple leather case (for the visual personalization) and would likely ditch using a case if they switched to titanium, just because I like how any smooth titanium object feels in my hand, plus I wouldn’t worry about it scratching as much.
I had iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, and now 14 Pro Max. I did not really like 11's curved sides. Holding the 11 was not great. 13 or 14 is much better to hold.
My current 14 Pro Max is black with black sides.; my carrier didn't have purple but black is equally good. The black sides are more grippier compared to my previous blue 13 Pro Max. I put the clear Apple case on it and it's slippery. 🤪
My current 14 Pro Max is black with black sides.; my carrier didn't have purple but black is equally good. The black sides are more grippier compared to my previous blue 13 Pro Max. I put the clear Apple case on it and it's slippery. 🤪
It isn't difficult to know why people use cases because you can just ask them. I know that folks use cases for drop protection because the phone has a glass front and back. They may pick their case for personalization, but their fear is that the phone will break if dropped. Keeping the phone scratch free is kind of meaningless on the back because the phone is always going to be in a case during use. When you resell the phone (and I resell all my phones), the new owner is also going to put it in a case. If "scratch protection" was really what most folks cared about, I'd see more phones with sticker skins instead of cases. But I don't ever see those. I've also started using a screen protector for "toddler protection". That is to protect the screen from scratches.
Over the years, I think I've known one close friend who carries his phone "naked". He claims he is careful and won't ever drop his phone. But he is also not very good with money, so I suspect he doesn't worry if he has to buy a new phone due to a drop. Personally, I drop my phone several times a year. Not on purpose or anything like that, but it happens. So I always have it in a case. Currently using a Nomad leather case on my iPhone mini and think it is great. So I'm with you on adding a bit of leather to the look.
But if the iPhone was made with a plastic back and had better shock absorption properties from that material, I might consider going "naked". But as long as the device is all metal and glass, it won't easily survive drops. So for me a relatively slim case is the way I'm going.
I and many people that I know regularly put our phones face down on a table or bar for various social reasons.