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Next-Generation iPhones Could Adopt 7000 Series Aluminum Used in Apple Watch Sport

cambookpro said:
Tim Cook said in an interview that it stood for Siri.
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i think the 's' is borrowed from math/science.. it's the common letter for standard deviation.. a variation of.. also used as 'seconds' in certain applications.

lots of products use the s.. canon's 1D -> 1Ds.. mercedes S class.. nikon uses it.. etc.
 
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Chaszmyr said:
What are the specs on the aluminum the phone is currently using? I had just assumed it was the same as the watch.
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6000 Series Aluminum. Likely an alloy 6061-T6. Commonly known as "Aircraft grade" aluminum. Which I've always found funny, because the aerospace industry uses 5052-H32 alloy just as much.

Anyway, 7000 series is a step up and fairly uncommon. 5052 alloys are the most common in my experience working in sheetmetal, and 6000 alloys are used sparingly for certain circumstances. 7000 series is used in only very specific circumstances. 5000 and 6000 alloys are seen as strong/light enough for most applications.

You know the flight recorder "black boxes?" They're made from 5052-H32. And those things are designed to withstand a plane crash. So 7000 is used in only extreme cases of strength/weight optimizations.

Btw, 7000 is very hard to machine due to being so much harder than 6000. So for those of you complaining that $350 is expensive, I'm frankly STUNNED that Apple is producing a mass market product intricately machined out of a 7000 alloy and only charging $350. That is simply unbelievable, a true display of their design and manufacturing excellence.
 
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Rogifan said:
I assumed sapphire was for the watch (and camera and Touch ID). What's the benefit of a sapphire phone screen? I've never had my iPhone screen get scratched.
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But before the GT fiasco sapphire screens for the iPhone was going to be a good improvement because glass screens got scratched.
 
sapphire shatters more easily than ion-x glass or gorilla, though the latter scratch more easily. sapphire is very rigid and does not take bending too well.
 
heeloliver said:
Ew. No. Remember how much the SS on the iPod scratched? Dear lord.
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cambookpro said:
I thought we've moved on from SS? All stainless steel iPods just scratched like crazy and most looked awful after a couple of months. Aluminium is this lightweight, strong, easy to make and extract, almost space-age material and now everyone wants to move backwards. I don't get it :p
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X-X said:
We've had stainless steel on the iPods since 2001... it SUCKS... it scratches like crazy.
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I remember those iPods. Scratched so easily.
Never had a SS watch before though. Might the SS Watch have the same scratching fate? I never connected the two materials as the same until your comments.
 
darkslide29 said:
I remember those iPods. Scratched so easily.
Never had a SS watch before though. Might the SS Watch have the same scratching fate? I never connected the two materials as the same until your comments.
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i have a SS tiffany&co watch that gets scratched all the time, and it in turn scratched the entire interior of my car, so that is why i dont wear it anymore. but SS scratches on the watch can be buffed out i think.
 
Menel said:
Only for the 3GS.
For the 4S is was for Siri.
For the 5S is was never noted. Most assume Security (TouchID)

We don't need more speed, haven't needed more speed for awhile. We've crossed the tipping point for a bit.
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We do need more memory, and a 32Gb storage option.
 
AppleScruff1 said:
IMO, the SS watch looks much better than the aluminum model. Seeing them side by side puts the SS on another level.
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I felt the same way seeing them in person earlier this week. I then pre-ordered the SS with Sport band.

I don't think Apple will make a solid gold iPhone. The iPhone is not jewelry unlike the watch. A solid gold phone might sell, but it wouldn't really be something Apple could be proud of.
 
darkslide29 said:
I remember those iPods. Scratched so easily.
Never had a SS watch before though. Might the SS Watch have the same scratching fate?.
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Absolutely, it will scratch like hell. But at least you don't put your watch into your pocket, that really destroys polished stainless steel.

Aluminum is just a way better material for devices you carry around and use every day.
 
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Costino1 said:
What ever happened to the liquidmetal hype? Did they just use that for the Apple Remote?
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I doubt we'll see a liquidmetal exclusive iPhone body. Perhaps as a coating over aluminum or some other hybrid, maybe as an :apple:Watch casing, but it's too unreliable structurally to be used as a case by itself where drops are likely.
 
ghostface147 said:
My iPhone has, in the past, been bareback. This it the first model to be housed in a case. Why? Too damn slippery. I don't care what metal they use, just make it less slippery.
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Honestly, I think that's more about the larger size, rounded corners and thin form factor than anything else. I used to do one handed texts all the time on my iPhones. Don't dare try that with the 6.
 
HenryDJP said:
I thought the "S" was for speed?
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Each year I buy the latest iPhone simply because I like the improvements no matter how much or how little.

Each "S" model I've had has been excellent, but if indeed Apple claims it's faster, it has never been noticeable. Smoother perhaps, and definitely less buggy.

We have at least thirty Apple iPhone users and Mac enthusiasts at work. We've all agreed that while we like each of the S models better, it's due to the user experience but not speed, they're the same, and just fine.
 
teslo said:
iPhone Edition maybe. doubt they'd mess too much with their baseline models' pricing. but apple has been doing this kind of stuff randomly over the years (20th aniversary Mac '97), the apple watch just marks the first foray into 'mass produced' luxury items. well, moreso anyway. but i could see it slowly creeping into their other product lines if the watch sells
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Wow, that Mac was way ahead of it's time. Tons of features and capabilities. Just limited by current tech and net infrastructure at the time.
 
rdlink said:
Honestly, I think that's more about the larger size, rounded corners and thin form factor than anything else. I used to do one handed texts all the time on my iPhones. Don't dare try that with the 6.
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And the rest of the drivers thank you for the change.
 
Going off of the previously mentioned SS iPhone idea, it would look so beautiful and in line with the design of the  Watch if they release a 6S with a chrome SS back and black-bordered sapphire display. It'd reference back to the original iPhone, but with a much more slim elegant design.
They could charge say $999 for the premium, but that would be such a gem!
 
Chaszmyr said:
What are the specs on the aluminum the phone is currently using? I had just assumed it was the same as the watch.





On one hand, I think there is a (small) market for a solid gold iPhone with sapphire glass. On the other hand, that would be one seriously heavy, not to mention expensive, phone.
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And a phone is more likely to be dropped than a watch, making sapphire are more tricky choice as display material (apart from the cost of such a large sapphire screen, though we should not that Leica sells a 'MF' DSLR with a 3" sapphire screen).

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Mike MA said:
Was this ever confirmed? I'm in doubt about it. In case of the iPhone 4s people believe that it most certainly stood for Siri.
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But what did you think it stood for with the iPhone 3GS and the 5S?
 
teslo said:
iPhone Edition maybe. doubt they'd mess too much with their baseline models' pricing. but apple has been doing this kind of stuff randomly over the years (20th aniversary Mac '97), the apple watch just marks the first foray into 'mass produced' luxury items. well, moreso anyway. but i could see it slowly creeping into their other product lines if the watch sells
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Steve Jobs wanted to puke all over that machine (and also Apple's then Senior VP of Marketing)

https://youtu.be/4QrX047-v-s?t=2344
 
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