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iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

It's news to me that suddenly the reason is unclear. First is the ENORMOUS pressure to not blow out the price. Year over year Apple has proven that iPhones are at the ragged edge of what the market will bear. Raising the price even 10% lowers sales dramatically. Look at what has happened in China. They can spin CCP blame all they want, but when they slashed the price sales rebounded with a vengeance. That tells you the market simply would not support that price point.

Same thing with Apple Vision Pro. EVERYONE LOST THEIR FREAKING MINDS when it was announced. Only after the $3500 price tag was announced did people start claiming it was a junk niche device that no one ever wanted or would use.

SO. Why Aluminum?

2. Because it is A LOT cheaper than Titanium.
But mostly
1. Because Apple announced 10 months ago that the next iPone would be Aluminum because they were worried about tariffs on titanium.

It is a double edged sword. Apple is very afraid people won't (CAN'T) pay for Titanium, and they are also concerned they can't GET titanium.

Thus you will have an inferior product in every respect. But Tim will tell you it is better. "Let them eat Bugs!"
 
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I/0 said:
Worst of it is that it’s most like going to be more expensive for a worse build quality.
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Why would the build quality be worse? Apple is way more experienced with aluminium than they are with titanium, if anything I’d expect the build quality to be at least the same if not better.
 
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Interesting design choice and material being used. MacBook uses aluminum - so the question about premium material is up to one's perogative.
This might be the first year I give a break on the yearly iPhone upgrade.
 
Steel is a better material for the frame, plastic is a better material for the back, aluminum is a better material for thermals.

Sounds like the new chip is going to run hotter.
 
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I use a case on my iPhone, so this is welcome news, though it makes you question why they even bothered with titanium two years ago instead of just going to aluminum.
 
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It likely is Apple wants to manipulate the price of titanium for a better phone and this is seen to them as a transitional phone to their ultimate goal. Look at the price of titanium after all but confirming that they are going to aluminum. They will try to blow smoke up our ass about why this is better, and then backtrack and say "we heard you loud and clear and our pro phones are going back to titanium" even though they probably got a titanium rail phone in the pipeline right now. Just to edit: the price of titanium has dropped to aluminum prices in the past month. Possibly because of these rumors.
 
Terry2023 said:
Same thing with Apple Vision Pro. EVERYONE LOST THEIR FREAKING MINDS when it was announced. Only after the $3500 price tag was announced did people start claiming it was a junk niche device that no one ever wanted or would use.
Click to expand...

Actually, that was after most people used it and realized how compromised and half baked it is.
 
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jason4427 said:
That is easy. It will be lighter and I welcome that.
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Very true, aluminium has always been a better material for a phone. But it is Apple who kept advertising the (non existing for a phone) better properties of steel and titanium. This is an embarrassing U-turn.
 
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Terry2023 said:
Same thing with Apple Vision Pro. EVERYONE LOST THEIR FREAKING MINDS when it was announced. Only after the $3500 price tag was announced did people start claiming it was a junk niche device that no one ever wanted or would use.
Click to expand...
That was already the case in the two years of rumors leading up to the launch.
 
As someone who doesn't like using a case, I always preferred the stronger materials, titanium especially because it is much lighter than steel. Agree this is a downgrade, but the lower weight and better thermals at least offer some tradeoff to make it easy to live with.
 
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This is a good move by Apple. Many other premium phones like Samsungs S series use aluminum. Polished aluminum still looks nice.
 
1. produce a higher quality material
2. Promote the more premium material as an upgrade to hike the price.
3. Run this for couple years.
4. Assume the masses adjust the prices.
5. Market some reason for going back to aluminium under a new hybrid material form/buzzword.
6. Retain the higher cost under some marketing bs.
7. Higher profits.
 
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TechRunner said:
Returning to aluminum is the first step in the eventual transition to transparent aluminum. (IYKYK)
Click to expand...
1751909766073.png
 
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johnnyenv said:
1. produce a higher quality material
2. Promote the more premium material as an upgrade to hike the price.
3. Run this for couple years.
4. Assume the masses adjust the prices.
5. Market some reason for going back to aluminium under a new hybrid material form/buzzword.
6. Retain the higher cost under some marketing bs.
7. Higher profits.
Click to expand...

This man could work for Apple.

It’s the exact playbook.

👏
 
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