Other Thoughts on switch to titanium

[Rnd-chars]

I’m looking forward to it from a novelty perspective, but I’ve never been bothered by the weight of my iPhone 12 Pro Max. And while I liked using my phone sans case and enjoyed the natural stainless steel’s reflective qualities, it didn’t hold up quite as well as the stainless on my Apple Watch.

I’m curious to see what other design differentiators Apple has up its sleeve. For example, will Apple also change the camera lens rings to match the colored frame? Will the device feel more rounded and organic like some of the earlier iPhones? Iconic orange action button?

 

[jz0309]

This is true. Perhaps Apple should stop wasting money on purchasing premium metals and glass and simply go back to the premium plastic of the iPhone 5c. They can still charge the price they would normally charge and pocket the additional profit.

I mean, no one is going to care anyway because it goes in a case and everyone forgets.

What would be interesting would be for Apple to release such a phone and see how it sells… but that’s just not going to happen, I think.

 

[eyoungren]

Apple should hire this man haha. It’s totally true though, people who don’t use a case are just accelerating the inevitable when the phone drops and screen shatters. No amount of apple marketing is going to get me to believe the iPhone 15 is impervious, I’ve been burned too many times on this

Here I diverge a bit.

I don't use cases and while I have dropped two phones sufficiently to require repair or replacement, this is not a common theme for me. Currently my 11 Pro Max and 6s+ are both in very good condition. I don't sell my phones and I don't worry about scratches so price value is not a concern to me.

Apple going back to a premium plastic would drive me off, but probably not those who use cases.

That would be interesting to see though. Just how many case users who slap cases on their phones would object to this. I mean, why would it matter to them? Many of them already admit that aside from unboxing the phone they rarely or never see the actual phone itself. I'd buy popcorn for that!

 

[sjperformance]

Do folks still put cases on new iPhones? The phones have not needed cases for years.

Yes millions do. It’s a huge business.

 

[sjperformance]

Not if you do like me, and get a clear case.

Still a case. You will think how nice it looks not what it’s made out of.

 

[jz0309]

Apple going back to a premium plastic would drive me off, but probably not those who use cases.

That would be interesting to see though. Just how many case users who slap cases on their phones would object to this. I mean, why would it matter to them? Many of them already admit that aside from unboxing the phone they rarely or never see the actual phone itself. I'd buy popcorn for that!

well, is there such a thing as "premium plastic"?

I use a case as bare iPhone is way to slippery for me

all things from a technical perspective equal - would I care plastic vs metal/glass? no. But also, the difference in price would be negligible imho as I said, equal from a technical perspective.
But, if such a phone were offered as an entry level phone - the story would be different I think, but Apple is not interested in that kind of market ...

 

[eyoungren]

well, is there such a thing as "premium plastic"?

I use a case as bare iPhone is way to slippery for me

all things from a technical perspective equal - would I care plastic vs metal/glass? no. But also, the difference in price would be negligible imho as I said, equal from a technical perspective.
But, if such a phone were offered as an entry level phone - the story would be different I think, but Apple is not interested in that kind of market ...

Jony Ive remarked on the iPhone 5c as being 'unapologetically plastic'. Somewhere in Apple's marketing for the 5c was the statement of the 5c being 'premium plastic'.

I guess because Apple doesn't do 'cheap plastic'?!

 

[vinegarshots]

Apple should hire this man haha. It’s totally true though, people who don’t use a case are just accelerating the inevitable when the phone drops and screen shatters. No amount of apple marketing is going to get me to believe the iPhone 15 is impervious, I’ve been burned too many times on this

Hate to be bearer of bad news, but cases don't always protect phones from breakage. My brother recently dropped his, in a case, and a piece of gravel shattered the lens of the camera. Same thing can happen with the screen.

That's why I have AppleCare-- don't have to worry about a case and dont have to worry about breaking the glass.

 

[Hazmat401]

Do folks still put cases on new iPhones? The phones have not needed cases for years.

Some of us work blue collar jobs... I drop my phone 2-3 times a day

 

[Realityck]

Hate to be bearer of bad news, but cases don't always protect phones from breakage. My brother recently dropped his, in a case, and a piece of gravel shattered the lens of the camera. Same thing can happen with the screen.

That's why I have AppleCare-- don't have to worry about a case and dont have to worry about breaking the glass.

There is always examples of dropping it into gravel for example and lens gets damaged, but normal drops with a case usually survive nicely. Why would someone rely solely on AppleCare using no case at all, unless you are just tempting fate and the inconvenience of switching to another iPhone that might not be in stock.

 

[bhall110]

As far as Usig a case is concerned. I will still be using a case with the Ti phone but only sometimes. I use a case when i am at a higher risk of dropping the phone or more likely it slipping out of my pocket.

 

[sjperformance]

41. I got kids. I run a business. I’m on AUP with apple care +. I still use a case. Prefer thin profile looks of spigen/caseology with MagSafe option.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Pros and cons of switching to a Ti frame on the new iPhone pros? Personally I like the way that the iPhones look with the polished stainless frame. I like the idea of the phone being lighter and potentially stronger. Other thoughts?

Its probably CP (commercially pure) grade, like golf clubs and suitcases, which isnt any stronger or stiffer than a mid grade aluminum alloy, but twice as heavy, and prone to short fatigue life & crumbling like a cookie when it fails. It’d make the most sense, considering the short lifespan phones are expected to have. No point in making a frame to last 100,000 years when the phones getting binned in 2.

if Appke spent the $ to somehow forge & machine 6/4 titanium for phone enclosures 1, the unit cost of a phone would increase by an extra thousand dollars, 2, they could finally give up any claims about being environmentally responsible that may still be lurking around their hallways yet, & 3, it’d be a hot time to invest in endmill companies bc Apple will cause a global shortage breaking cutters on that stuff.

 

[eyoungren]

41. I got kids. I run a business. I’m on AUP with apple care +. I still use a case. Prefer thin profile looks of spigen/caseology with MagSafe option.

When I was 41 my two kids were 9 and 4. That would have been 2012 and the iPhone 5 (I'm 52 now, about to turn 53). I bought the 5 with AC+.

Fortunately, both my kids had long ago learned by this point to leave our (my wife and I) stuff alone. I started taking my son to Starbucks with me when he was 5, so…2008. He had an iBook G3 then and I think around 2012 he probably had his TiBook. His sister would have had access to the family iPhone 3GS and quite possible that junky LG G-Pad that my dad gifted me for Christmas one year. So, both had their own stuff and no reason to bother MY stuff.

No case for the iPhone 5. No case for the phone before that (HTC Touch Pro) and no case for the phone after that (iPhone 6+). Although the 6+ didn't come along until 2015.

Everyone is different, every situation is different. For myself, I just never felt I needed a case around my kids. I spent a lot of time redirecting them.

 

[sjperformance]

When I was 41 my two kids were 9 and 4. That would have been 2012 and the iPhone 5 (I'm 52 now, about to turn 53). I bought the 5 with AC+.

Fortunately, both my kids had long ago learned by this point to leave our (my wife and I) stuff alone. I started taking my son to Starbucks with me when he was 5, so…2008. He had an iBook G3 then and I think around 2012 he probably had his TiBook. His sister would have had access to the family iPhone 3GS and quite possible that junky LG G-Pad that my dad gifted me for Christmas one year. So, both had their own stuff and no reason to bother MY stuff.

No case for the iPhone 5. No case for the phone before that (HTC Touch Pro) and no case for the phone after that (iPhone 6+). Although the 6+ didn't come along until 2015.

Everyone is different, every situation is different. For myself, I just never felt I needed a case around my kids. I spent a lot of time redirecting them.

My oldest kids don’t touch my any of my stuff. It’s the 2 year old I gotta watch out for LoL. My 3 oldest kids have their iPhones with cases BTW.

 

[eyoungren]

My oldest kids don’t touch my any of my stuff. It’s the 2 year old I gotta watch out for LoL. My 3 oldest kids have their iPhones with cases BTW.

I have a video I took of my daughter when she was first starting to walk. You know how they hold on to the furniture and kind of side walk around? Well, she'd gravitate towards my phone. Right before she got to it, I'd pick her up and set then set her down by the couch on the far side of the living room. I knew at that point I had about another five minutes of peace before she managed to get close to my phone again, LOL!!!!

 

[vinegarshots]

There is always examples of dropping it into gravel for example and lens gets damaged, but normal drops with a case usually survive nicely. Why would someone rely solely on AppleCare using no case at all, unless you are just tempting fate and the inconvenience of switching to another iPhone that might not be in stock.

Do you put your car in a case before you drive it to get groceries? Or do you just use it as intended and rely on your insurance coverage to fix it if someone runs into you? 🧐

 

[jouster]

Most people it seems had issues with that PowerBook's hinges. I did not. The hinges I had could have survived a nuclear blast and kept working.

My problem with the TiBook was that around 2011 or so, use of the Mac began to cause cracking in the top case. By the second logicboard replacement these cracks had gotten deeper and bigger. At the end, I started sending other MacRumors users parts off the Mac to replace parts on their TiBooks. At some point during disassembly, the top case just began to crumble away in my hands. The only parts not really affected were the screen (and hinges), the bottom pan and the frame.

I keep my old phones and my oldest iPhone is a 3GS. So, that's what, 15 years old? The TiBook started cracking and crumbling around 10 years in. I'd hate to have an iPhone 15 that started to crack and crumble at some point in 2033.

I'm hoping Apple does this differently.

Yikes. My TiBook had no issues at all, at least with its case and hinges. It was as solid the day the motherboard died as it was the day I had bought it, many years before. Maybe a very slight discoloration.

I wonder why yours was so weak. Titanium is pretty strong stuff.

 

[Realityck]

Do you put your car in a case before you drive it to get groceries? Or do you just use it as intended and rely on your insurance coverage to fix it if someone runs into you? 🧐

You can’t put a car somewhere it can drop accidentally to the ground can you?

 

[blairh]

Hated the weight of the 14 Pro Max. I am fully embracing titanium. It will be lighter and less of a fingerprint magnet. Love the look of titanium on my AWU. Excited to own an iPhone that follows suit for sure.

 

[eyoungren]

I wonder why yours was so weak. Titanium is pretty strong stuff.

No idea. It was the original though, a 400mhz and constructed before the actual launch of the TiBook itself. My sister's boyfriend at the time got it at launch and for whatever reason, he gave it to my mom. My mom gave it to me for Christmas 2001. Until Christmas 2009 it was my ONLY computer and I did a lot with it. It also spent a year at work as a production computer for my coworker until my boss bought a new Mac.

So…I don't want to say abuse, but it was used a lot every day. Opening the lid a lot can add up I guess. All the cracking started around the hinges and spread out from there.

 

[jz0309]

Do you put your car in a case before you drive it to get groceries? Or do you just use it as intended and rely on your insurance coverage to fix it if someone runs into you? 🧐

When I put my car in my pocket, I sure put it in a case so it doesn’t slip when I pull it out again…
Jeez, your comparison isn’t even is like apples to broccoli at best

 

[HouseLannister]

9to5 has some guesses about the weights, but didn't take into their consideration that the batteries are supposed to get bigger too. Not a big difference, but I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing ends up being a wash.

iPhone 15 Pro: How much lighter will titanium be versus stainless steel? - 9to5Mac

iPhone 15 Pro will rely on a titanium frame instead of stainless steel, and that should make for a noticeably...

9to5mac.com

 

[sunapple]

9to5 has some guesses about the weights, but didn't take into their consideration that the batteries are supposed to get bigger too. Not a big difference, but I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing ends up being a wash.

The prediction does not seem to be super significant and you are probably right about battery or other component changes like camera.

Currently there is a 30 gram weight difference between 14 and 14 Pro, that would be reduced to 20 grams. For reference, there is a 30 gram weight difference between 13 Mini and 14...

 

[Nozuka]

I’m so happy to see the glossy, scratch-magnet stainless steel chassis to make way for a much more premium titanium chassis.

Can you imagine how the natural titanium will look with a light shade of frosted grey back glass? Can’t wait for the keynote already.

This. The glossy finish always looked cheap and "bling bling" to me. And finger prints were so annoying.
One of the reasons i returned the 12 Pro.