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middle band of aluminum on new iPhone 5s - not very Apple like - antenna insulation?

patent10021

patent10021

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Apr 23, 2004
3,590
866
Have been looking at the new iP5s and find the middle band of aluminum on the white phone (carbon on the black phone ?) curious. It doesn't look particularly nice on the white phone and isn't very apple like to not have one type of material used on one side of a device. I don't ever recall and side of a machine being broken up by two different materials. It's either all the same material (macbook, macbook pro etc) or one material per side (3Gs etc). Do you think they were forced by electronics/physics to do that and it's also functioning as some kind of insulation for the antenna? Isn't that band located where your hand would be holding the phone?
 
Could you rephrase?

I have no idea what you're talking about sorry.

The iPhone 4 had 2 materials on its side, if thats what you are referring to.
 
kazpod said:
Now that's just confusing
Click to expand...

iP5s = more than one
iP5S = iPhone 5S (as in 2013 model)

Apostrophes aren't used to make plurals.

Anyway here is what I'm talking about. Used a pic from another thread. The aluminum band. Isn't very Apple like to break a material up ESPECIALLY when there is so little white remaining. Almost pointless. Seem to be functioning as an insulator. Antenna insulation? It's right where you hold it basically. Even in the pic the guy is doing something but when reading only your hand usually goes even further up the phone right exactly where the banding extends to. See how little white is left? With the iP4 and 4S the all white looked much better and is definitely more J. Ives inspired. This is not Johnny me thinks.

I guess we'll have to wait for ifixit.


dHXUb.jpg
 
Last edited:
Ah right.

This was the same with the iPhone 1st Gen.

Also, it occurs on the back side of 3G iPads.

I don't think 3/4G radios deal very well going through aluminium.
 
Geckotek said:
Are you talking about the antennae on the top and bottom?
Click to expand...
No, the banding on the back of these new phones.

Also, this poster just posted about the black one how the "slate" isn't slate but black coated aluminum and it's starting to come off.

EDIT: forget the black phone post. Not related.

Anyway, yeah the band of second material on the back of these new phones. (aluminum on the white phone and whatever it is on the black phone).

You can see it in the photo above. Aluminum band.
 
Last edited:
Perhaps you are just new to the conversation? There is no "aluminum band". There is an aluminum unibody chassis with antennae attached to the top and bottom with glass windows on the top and bottom for additional antennae.
 
jabingla2810 said:
Ah right.

This was the same with the iPhone 1st Gen.

Also, it occurs on the back side of 3G iPads.
Click to expand...
Nope those are aluminum all the way up and down (in typical simplistic Apple design fashion). These new ones are broken up by this band. Look how there's only a little but of white left. The ALL white iP4/4S was much more like an Ives/Apple design. This was definitely an after thought or serves a purpose.
 
Yep, the back is no longer a separate piece.
The back and the side frames are now one piece but the top and the bottom frames are antennae so the back can't be allowed to touch the top or the bottom or it would short the two together, hence the different material (glass in this case).
 
patent10021 said:
Nope those are aluminum all the way up and down (in typical simplistic Apple design fashion). These new ones are broken up by this band. Look how there's only a little but of white left. The ALL white iP4/4S was much more like an Ives/Apple design. This was definitely an after thought or serves a purpose.
Click to expand...

It's not a band, that is the unibody chassis. It is broken up by glass windows for antennae.
 
patent10021 said:
No, the banding on the back of these new phones.

Also, this poster just posted about the black one how the "slate" isn't slate but black coated aluminum and it's starting to come off.

EDIT: forget the black phone post. Not related.

Anyway, yeah the band of second material on the back of these new phones. (aluminum on the white phone and whatever it is on the black phone).

You can see it in the photo above. Aluminum band.
Click to expand...

the black wont "rub" off, its annodized alunimum, meaing it was chemically fused to the alunimum
 
Geckotek said:
Perhaps you are just new to the conversation? There is no "aluminum band". There is an aluminum unibody chassis with antennae attached to the top and bottom with glass windows on the top and bottom for additional antennae.
Click to expand...
How do 2cm glass bits on the top and bottom server as "additional antennae? The antennae are the aluminum STRIPS around the entire phone. Totally different than the aluminum band on the back of the white phone. Maybe we are confusing band with strip. I'm talking about the 4 inch tall aluminum plate/band on the back where the Apple logo is on the white iPhone 5.

----------
Chuck-Norris said:
the black wont "rub" off, its annodized alunimum, meaing it was chemically fused to the alunimum
Click to expand...
I realize that. That's why I said forget about that post. I edited it.

Back to the back of the phones.
 
patent10021 said:
How do 2cm glass bits on the top and bottom server as "additional antennae? The antennae are the aluminum STRIPS around the entire phone. Totally different than the aluminum band on the back of the white phone. Maybe we are confusing band with strip. I'm talking about the aluminum 4 inch tall aluminum plate/band on the back where the Apple logo is on the white iPhone 5.

----------

I realize that. That's why I said forget about that post. I edited it.

Back to the back of the phones.
Click to expand...

The antenna's are BEHIND those glass strips. Apple wanted an ALL metal back, but couldnt do that because the radio waves wont penetrate metal, so thats why they have those glass strips on the top and bottom. After the iPhone 4 antenna gate fiasco, they redesigned the antenna and only one uses the metal band, the rest are internal behind the glass.
 
Chuck-Norris said:
the black wont "rub" off, its annodized alunimum, meaing it was chemically fused to the alunimum
Click to expand...

Anodization is actually "grown" just like rust.
The problem is that because of the chamfered edges, there are sharp corners and very, very little surface area for the anodization to attach to so yes, the anodization could start to chip or flake on these edges.
You see it all the time with anodized flashlights.
 
patent10021 said:
How do 2cm glass bits on the top and bottom server as "additional antennae? The antennae are the aluminum STRIPS around the entire phone. Totally different than the aluminum band on the back of the white phone. Maybe we are confusing band with strip. I'm talking about the 4 inch tall aluminum plate/band on the back where the Apple logo is on the white iPhone 5.
Click to expand...

there are more than 2 antennae in the iPhone.

One more time, the 4" "band" is NOT a band, it IS the unibody chassis. Go look up some of the original parts leaks.
 
Fernandez21 said:
The antenna's are BEHIND those glass strips. Apple wanted an ALL metal back, but couldnt do that because the radio waves wont penetrate metal, so thats why they have those glass strips on the top and bottom. After the iPhone 4 antenna gate fiasco, they redesigned the antenna and only one uses the metal band, the rest are internal behind the glass.
Click to expand...
Ok so instead of leaving the phone how it was (a typical looking Apple designed piece of art where it was all white or all black using ONE material), they break it up like this? Even you said it, they wanted it to be all one material (metal/aluminum). Doesn't make sense for them to sacrifice design for the antennae. Apple / Ives would normally just leave it all glass and wait until a future material came along.

The only thing I can think of is that with all the complaints with the 4S looking the same as the 4, they were forced to make some kind of design change even if it meant sacrificing design. OR, Ives didn't make the final decision.

Btw, they had an all chrome aluminum back on the 3G. Even that would've looked better than this.
 
Gjwilly said:
Anodization is actually "grown" just like rust.
The problem is that because of the chamfered edges, there are sharp corners and very, very little surface area for the anodization to attach to so yes, the anodization could start to chip or flake on these edges.
You see it all the time with anodized flashlights.
Click to expand...

mfr1340 said:
There are reports of the black coming off on the machined areas along the outside edges.
Click to expand...

you'all dont even have the 5 yet, still not avialable to the public
 
Chuck-Norris said:
the black wont "rub" off, its annodized alunimum, meaing it was chemically fused to the alunimum
Click to expand...

Chemically fused to the top layer, a scratch deep enough will in fact leave you with a very undesirable and highly noticeable aluminum scratch.
 
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