You keep talking about drop tests, but none of those show the iPhone 5 aluminum case cracking. We're talking about the casing, not the screen.
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Possible Photos of Plastic Rear Shell from Apple's Lower-Cost iPhone [Updated]
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You keep talking about drop tests, but none of those show the iPhone 5 aluminum case cracking. We're talking about the casing, not the screen.
Don't be stupid
You want the bumpers on your car make from Aluminium that will crush and distort on impact of will take the force and spring back.
there is a whole world of "plastics" out there, far more suitable than soft Aluminium
I suspect when the new 5S/6 comes out, the 5 will go into this shell and drop in price, and the 4S will be phased out.
and how do you explain iPod mini? ipad mini?
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That it will have, like someone once pointed, ths will take the 'free' phone slot (currently 4) instead of the 4s. This will make all apple phones 4 inches, lighting doc
Lower cost does not mean cheap. It will still be mid-range or above.
I know a few people who bought Android because they could afford one, but would rather have had an iPhone. A lower cost phone will make iPhones available to more people.
Apple makes the Mac Mini and Mac Pro. Both desktops, with the Mac Mini at a lower cost, but still not cheap.
A plastic shell is hardly slumming it, and makes a good differentiator at the point of sale. Having the new model and old looking the same and selling at the same time (which could happen if the iPhone 5S looks like the 5 and they keep the old model around) will confuse some.
I never said plastic was better than metal in terms of cracks. Metal is more resistant than plastic when it comes to cracks, I am not denying that. But metal does bend and dent more than plastic.
And yes the build of the body does affect screen resistance too. Plastic has more flex and bounce, this in turn can help avoid the screen cracking.
Find me a bent plastic phone made of polycarbonate.
And you're making me repeat myself, I always supported the fact that metal does not crack.
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Not all asians have smaller hands, Yao Ming could the one holding the phone
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I really doubt they will go back to 3.5
So radioactive vomit green is one of the color choices?
No... You got it wrong! It has a "polarizing" color and it goes very well with iOS7 ;D
I believe the 4 and 4S will be gone for good when the 5S is introduced, so there'll be the 5 at a lower contract price, and the 5S flagship model, both mostly geared towards the post-paid market segment, while the introduction of the lower cost iPhone will be geared towards the prepaid market, as well as emerging markets. I believe that will justify its existence.
This lower priced phone will have most of the functionality of the 5 and 5S, and will run iOS7, but will be manufactured with slightly less expensive components, and of course no (expensive) CNC'd shell. Their whole line-up will thus have the 4" screens.
If this scenario unfolds, and the phones look anything at all, like these: http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2013/06/lower_cost_iphone_colors.jpg , and the unsubsidized price for the entry-level model will stay at or below $450, I believe these phones will sell like hotcakes. Think iPad Mini or better. If I'm wrong, I'll eat my words.
Who says this "smaller" phone has to come to North America?
Many markets in Asia would eat this up.
Personally if they repackage the current I phone 5 in there for the cheap version I'll buy that to save money over a 5s/6.
Buy outright that is, I'm not going to be locked into 2 years over a piece of plastic.
Buy outright that is, I'm not going to be locked into 2 years over a piece of plastic.
Tell that to the iPhone 5 owners who have scratched and dented and bent phones from daily use.
My old LG flip phone could take out a modern smartphone any day in a head on collision
Because plastic is such an awful material....
Im sure the iPhone 5 is much better built than a jet. ( which is mostly made of plastic )
Ok you got a point about shock absorption, but it also proves my initial point. Because plastic is more fragile and more bendable, it can absorb shocks by bending or cracking.
Maybe I should've made this more clear, but I'm not worried about drops. I'm worried about plastic casings cracking over the years just from normal wear and tear, which does happen in real life, a lot, to plastic casings.
The bumpers on cars have been made of urethane for years now (aka plastic). The actually frame of a car is made of metal but comparing high strength steel to the low grade thin aluminum used an iphone is a terrible comparison. The aluminum in the iphone is not very durable at all.
FWIW, "plastic" aircraft are made of composite materials, of which plastic may or may not be a part.
Only to the horrible plastic used on the white macbooks. I have never seen another plastic laptop crack anywhere close to that bad.
Indeed, its silly to compare high grade automotive steel to the low grade crap used in consumer electronics.
This might not even come to the US market. The iPhone 5 is cheap in the US as carriers will subsidize it with a new plan.
This phone is aimed at lower income markets where they wouldnt have bought an iPhone at all anyway.
I know that behind the scenes there's a lot more than just spit and polish, but coming back to the quality argument, perception is reality. Apple has always been perceived as being the market leader in terms of quality. Anyone that has used the flagship devices from all brands knows that that isn't strictly true, but the perception amongst the customers is, therefore the image persists. Apple doesn't have a Unique Selling Point for iOS 7 (Anyone using the word parallax needs to be euthanized), therefore the perception will be that there are no major changes beyond a color scheme.
And the irrational buyers - People that don't need a smartphone at all but have one anyway. Customers that are more interested in the fashion proposition provided by Apple than the value proposition, where competition in terms of the overall package could significantly eat into the big chunk of 'I've got an iPhone so I'll just buy another' market that is milked so effectively
That is very offensive man, seems that you also have an anger issue. If you cannot participate in an argument, please don't post anything here.
And also, I am not American nor do I own any Samsung products.
This was not directed to you, and I'm really sorry.
I'm having a bad day and I didn't feel like being bombarded by replies by people who seem to have prepared their pro-plastic talking-points a while ago. I got angry, and I'm not usually like that.
Edit : Now I feel really bad, and I'm thinking of deleting my account.
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