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OP, raw aluminum would oxidize as soon as it's exposed to oxygen, forming a protective aluminum oxide coating. If this didn't happen, the aluminum would just waste away.

Anodizing is like oxidation sped up and intensified, producing a thicker layer than natural oxidation. So it's actually more beneficial to anodize than to just rely on natural oxidation (plus you get to put in color).

I think you meant to say why not just do hard anodizing, which would make it 10-20 times thicker. Unfortunately, this causes the color to be kind of an olive gray.

It would have been cool if Apple went with hard anodizing with black added in, but then this would have made the phone more expensive or cut back in features.

Buy the white one instead, like me. :) I've always gotten black phones but this time, I switched.

I think you're reading too much into the OP's post, I know he said raw alum. But I do think he was getting at the idea of it having the same back plate as the white 5. which would look very nice (see op's pic) I would want it. I assume it would scratch no more than everyones white 5 would as it would be the same plate.

Don't worry everyone soon their will be tons of 3rd party accessory makers providing you with every color back plate your heart desires.
 
I really thought about buying white and then swapping out the front but too much work and maybe risk. The white iPhone 5 looks amazing largely because of that raw aluminum but I don't think I'd want white too long.

I think the white iPhones would look great if the fronts were also silver/grey like the back. I guess it would no longer actually be 'white', then...hmmm. A silver option would be nice.

To be honest, I love the black 32gb one I got. No blemishes, scratches. Perfect condition. I've upgraded from a 3GS so this upgrade is amazing to me. Not having owned an iPhone 4/4s, I don't have a perspective on the upgrade from 4 to 5.

The phone, so far, has been rock solid, fast, and has delivered on all counts. Sure, if you are used to ios, seeing the same os seems a little boring, but the functionality and performance. By boring, I mean there are no extreme visual changes to hang on, but it is an improved experience.

LTE doesn't hurt, either. I consistently get speeds averaging around 43 MB/S, with speeds as high as 57 mbs download and 25 mbs upload speeds. That is more than double what I am getting from home broadband. So nice!

Also, a side note: I've heard of people who have complained about the back panel scratching easily. I'm sure that if rub or scrape a harder material against it, it will scratch, however, my impression of the back plate and its finish is that it seems fairly durable. One thing I do notice is that the finish is a flat finish not a smooth glossy finish. It is similar, though not nearly as rough as slate. And like slate or a chalkboard, softer materials that rub or scrape against it are like to leave the softer material on the surface, like chalk. I suspect many of the complaints of scuffs may actually be transfer from a softer material. just like scraping your car's finish against a painted object, where the softer paint gets rubbed off onto the surface of the car's paint, but not under or through it.

Last note. This thing is a beautiful piece of industrial design. It is solid. The frame/case is stiff and there is very little flex in it. When you squeeze it, it feels solid as if it was chiseled or carved out of a single piece of material. Like a single slab. I cannot remember any other phone with such nice design. At least not since Apple introduced the original iPhone. Before that, I thought Motorola had some great designs (pre-smartphone, full touchscreen). But, among modern smartphones, I don't see anyone else building them with this level engineering/machining. Especially not the iPhone's, mostly plastic competitors. The only external plastic piece on the iPhone is the home button. Everything else is aluminum and glass.

Another thing. :) While a lot of people think IP5 looks like the 4/4s...I disagree. There are similarities, but there should be. You should be able to identify a product by its look. I mean, a 1980 BMW 528i is not the same design as a 2013 540i, but you don't need to see the brand badge to know you are looking at a BMW. Aside from the front panel and a metal band around the circumference of the phone, it is a unique design. The metal banding may reference the 4/4s design, but seeing it in black sort of accentuates the differences between the 4/4s and 5. Truthfully, if you applied the same logic that the IP5 is just a glorified IP4/4s...then doesn't that same logic say that the Galaxy SIII is just a glorified iPhone 3 evolution (in design)? (don't worry I'm not a an apple fan boy and I do own Android devices as well as OS/ iOS, and Windows devices...so plese don't put out an Android Fatwā on me :). Essentially, the GSIII is a plastic bodied smartphone with a chrome band around it...like the iPhone 3/3GS. (speaking specifically about the industrial design, not the tech within it).

Sorry...I know...too long (sitting through a two-hour conference call :( )
 
I think you're reading too much into the OP's post, I know he said raw alum. But I do think he was getting at the idea of it having the same back plate as the white 5. which would look very nice (see op's pic) I would want it. I assume it would scratch no more than everyones white 5 would as it would be the same plate.

Don't worry everyone soon there [fixed] will be tons of 3rd party accessory makers providing you with every color back plate your heart desires.

The back plate on the iPhone 5 is 90% of the enclosure. It's a milled piece of solid aluminum (aka unibody design). To change the back plate, you'd have to transplant all of the phone's guts.
 
I think you're reading too much into the OP's post, I know he said raw alum. But I do think he was getting at the idea of it having the same back plate as the white 5. which would look very nice (see op's pic) I would want it.

Yep, when people say raw aluminum, they meant untinted or clear anodized aluminum found on the white iP5.

The OP's pic looks great, but they went for black and slate to make it a little more different from what we've had the past two years. Otherwise, the iP5 in both colors would look like the 4/4S except the back plate.
 
One of the leaked photos was actually a prototype with raw aluminum with black back but with white front panel (an oreo).

Image

Very sharp!

----------

I think the white iPhones would look great if the fronts were also silver/grey like the back. I guess it would no longer actually be 'white', then...hmmm. A silver option would be nice.

To be honest, I love the black 32gb one I got. No blemishes, scratches. Perfect condition. I've upgraded from a 3GS so this upgrade is amazing to me. Not having owned an iPhone 4/4s, I don't have a perspective on the upgrade from 4 to 5.

The phone, so far, has been rock solid, fast, and has delivered on all counts. Sure, if you are used to ios, seeing the same os seems a little boring, but the functionality and performance. By boring, I mean there are no extreme visual changes to hang on, but it is an improved experience.

LTE doesn't hurt, either. I consistently get speeds averaging around 43 MB/S, with speeds as high as 57 mbs download and 25 mbs upload speeds. That is more than double what I am getting from home broadband. So nice!

Also, a side note: I've heard of people who have complained about the back panel scratching easily. I'm sure that if rub or scrape a harder material against it, it will scratch, however, my impression of the back plate and its finish is that it seems fairly durable. One thing I do notice is that the finish is a flat finish not a smooth glossy finish. It is similar, though not nearly as rough as slate. And like slate or a chalkboard, softer materials that rub or scrape against it are like to leave the softer material on the surface, like chalk. I suspect many of the complaints of scuffs may actually be transfer from a softer material. just like scraping your car's finish against a painted object, where the softer paint gets rubbed off onto the surface of the car's paint, but not under or through it.

Last note. This thing is a beautiful piece of industrial design. It is solid. The frame/case is stiff and there is very little flex in it. When you squeeze it, it feels solid as if it was chiseled or carved out of a single piece of material. Like a single slab. I cannot remember any other phone with such nice design. At least not since Apple introduced the original iPhone. Before that, I thought Motorola had some great designs (pre-smartphone, full touchscreen). But, among modern smartphones, I don't see anyone else building them with this level engineering/machining. Especially not the iPhone's, mostly plastic competitors. The only external plastic piece on the iPhone is the home button. Everything else is aluminum and glass.

Another thing. :) While a lot of people think IP5 looks like the 4/4s...I disagree. There are similarities, but there should be. You should be able to identify a product by its look. I mean, a 1980 BMW 528i is not the same design as a 2013 540i, but you don't need to see the brand badge to know you are looking at a BMW. Aside from the front panel and a metal band around the circumference of the phone, it is a unique design. The metal banding may reference the 4/4s design, but seeing it in black sort of accentuates the differences between the 4/4s and 5. Truthfully, if you applied the same logic that the IP5 is just a glorified IP4/4s...then doesn't that same logic say that the Galaxy SIII is just a glorified iPhone 3 evolution (in design)? (don't worry I'm not a an apple fan boy and I do own Android devices as well as OS/ iOS, and Windows devices...so plese don't put out an Android Fatwā on me :). Essentially, the GSIII is a plastic bodied smartphone with a chrome band around it...like the iPhone 3/3GS. (speaking specifically about the industrial design, not the tech within it).

Sorry...I know...too long (sitting through a two-hour conference call :( )

How's your battery life?
 
Very sharp!

----------



How's your battery life?

So far, so good. At first, it seemed to drain as fast as my old 3GS, but after a couple of cycles, it seems to be calibrating it self and improving after each charge. Honestly, i have not really had the chance really cycle it, as I have not let it drop below 50-60%. I did notice, when I was running those speedtests (I'd only had the phone a few hours and had only charged it through it's sync), but after running 18 tests back to back, I noticed that it got warmer. Not hot or unbearable, but you could tell it was working hard.

I suspect under normal phone usage it should be pretty good. I'm not sure how heavy LTE use will affect that, but I'm definitely going to test that to see.
 
Wouldn't raw aluminum have been nice with black? No scratch drama! Several people saw the scratch issue coming. Anodized isn't a great idea for something that is going to get a little beat up by normal use.

Crappy little mock up but you get the idea.

Wow, that's gorgeous, and actually not too far from the appearance of the original iPhone.

iphone2g.jpg
 
the iP5 in both colors would look like the 4/4S except the back plate.

Yeah, it already does from the front until have the 4 and 5 side by side. I really like both white/black as they are, absolutely beautiful phones indeed and to have one offered in silver as well would be awesome..
 
Yeah, it already does from the front until have the 4 and 5 side by side. I really like both white/black as they are, absolutely beautiful phones indeed and to have one offered in silver as well would be awesome..

What I meant is the black and slate looks different from all angles whereas if they made it black and silver the general public would have a difficult time noticing the difference except from the back (just like the white iP5 and white 4/4S). This is why Apple is showcasing the black and slate in ads, etc.
 
Wouldn't raw aluminum have been nice with black? No scratch drama! Several people saw the scratch issue coming. Anodized isn't a great idea for something that is going to get a little beat up by normal use.

Crappy little mock up but you get the idea.

Oh yeah!! I would of def got that!!
 
Wouldn't raw aluminum have been nice with black? No scratch drama! Several people saw the scratch issue coming. Anodized isn't a great idea for something that is going to get a little beat up by normal use.

Crappy little mock up but you get the idea.

I think it's a pretty nice mock up and looks nice. But if I knew a black/slate model existed and was conceived, but not made. I'd be sick. I love the black iPhone 5.

Remember these? :)
 

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Well my 2010 macbook pro unibody is good and without a single issue, the back of the 5 is the same stuff.

Yes, true, except yours and my MacBook has 4 rubber feet on the bottom so the Aluminium bottom doesn't scrape on anything. And most likely you transport it outside the house in a case.

But it does appear that there is a bad batch passing through the system.
 
I love my iPhone 5, But I like this color combo more. I was blown away by the white iP5 I saw at the Apple store the other day. I just hate how the camera, sensor and earphone look on white. Maybe I'd be ok if they shoved the Front camera and sensor into the cut out for the headphone. Then there wouldn't be three things at the top. Black hides them well so they don't bother me.

And yea, not raw aluminum but whatever all the other apple junk is.
 
Not my taste. I really prefer the black slate. A all in one color makes the phone look sleek, which everyone likes to call it.

That's why I choose the black one.
 
I made my own raw aluminum black iPhone 5

I was a long process, but very happy with the unique results. Of course you lose all description of Apple logo etc. To me didnt matter. iphone 5 aluminum.jpg
 
How is it so hard for people to realise that raw aluminium would look just as bad?

Here an image proving so (a throwback to the original iPhone, if you will):

Image

Talk about your misinformed kneejerks. The real problem is the phones being damaged in the manufacturing process. If my iPhone 5 is damage free after being subjected to punishment from a car cup holder after taking numerous 40mph+ sharp turns then there is no issue here. If your phone really does scratch stupidly easily, you have a defective product and should get it replaced.

Uhhh, that's because you treat your phone like ****, I don't have it with me but will toss up a pic of my 2G that's been used for ~6 years by three different people, never in a case and in perfect condition.
 
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