Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The MacRumors Show: iPhone 17 Designs Revealed!
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
This is actually really simple. Aluminum dissipates heat better, and LLMs produce a lot of heat. If Apple is going to start doing more LLM processing on-device, that heat has to go somewhere.
The big LLMs won't run on the device, but I would bet money some smaller ones will the way Apple Intelligence is being pushed. You could use copper in the frame, but that isn't going to happen for a variety of reasons. Aluminum is the obvious choice.
The big LLMs won't run on the device, but I would bet money some smaller ones will the way Apple Intelligence is being pushed. You could use copper in the frame, but that isn't going to happen for a variety of reasons. Aluminum is the obvious choice.
Last edited:
Because it makes the customer experience a whole lot better with a lighter phone, but Tim wants cheaper parts for his stakeholders.
They have to cut costs because the models sold in the US are going to be hit with severe tariffs and the existing price structure is already at the point of pain for most consumers.
Lighter and weaker, we’ve had strong phones made out of steel or titanium for around 7 years now, going back to aluminum would be a huge downgrade, how can Apple spin this as a upgrade over steel or titanium???
Yeah but I mean, wasn't the sim ejector just a way to experiment with the metal? I wonder why they haven't moved forward with it.
“Liquid Metal”, like “Liquid Retina” are Apple marketing terms used by morons who also say “coming soon to iPhone” instead of “coming soon to the iPhone”.
These terms, in the greater term, don’t mean spit.
It will not matter if they can spin it or not. The vast majority of people who buy iPhones will always buy iPhones. They either foolishly believe everything Cook tells them or never listen to Cook but buy what their friends and family buy or are afraid to try Android.
Aluminum is a giant step backwards. Just like getting rid of the original Haptic Touch this is a cost cutting measure.
I hate it when Apple does stuff “on the cheap” with a $1200 device. But one thing they have learned in the last couple release cycles is they have reached the maximum price point before even small increases have a multi-digit percentage impact on sales. So I guess this is unavoidable. At least without taking a hit to profit margin per device.
I hate it when Apple does stuff “on the cheap” with a $1200 device. But one thing they have learned in the last couple release cycles is they have reached the maximum price point before even small increases have a multi-digit percentage impact on sales. So I guess this is unavoidable. At least without taking a hit to profit margin per device.
Going back to aluminum is a terrible step backwards. Welcome back to raggedy looking phones after a single drop.
Smartphones have kind of reached a plateau design wise. They can’t get bigger without becoming ridiculously large, and the foldable technology is still not there for Apple to come out with one yet. So renaming the iphone Plus the iPhone Air and making it super thin makes sense. The plus hasn’t sold well, so the thinner design should spark interest in it again. Even if it only has one camera, I think it will sell well. People who are really into photography will always go with the Pro models. But how to make them look different? I think this rumor of a half glass half aluminum back with a new camera layout will look different indeed. From the 12 pros to the 16 pros, the design has looked identical. This new design should spark interest as well.
Ok, now we soon have the 'bendgate' coming.
I want a new mini instead of thinner iPhones 😤
I want a new mini instead of thinner iPhones 😤
Have you followed the Liquidmetal rumors back then?
Apple was experimenting with a new alloy with higher resistance and light weight. Moreover, this name never got advertised, so it clearly wasn't a marketing thing.