O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: alloy

  • Rumored iPhone 15 model dimensions and weights published

    Rumored iPhone 15 model dimensions and weights published

    A series of pre-production dimensions and weights of the new iPhone 15 models have been obtained by the mighty Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, who has stated that the iPhone 15 Pro could be up to 10 percent lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro.

    The dimensions and weights appear to be as follows:

    iPhone 15 dimensions and weight:

    • Thickness: 7.8mm
    • Length: 147.6mm
    • Width: 71.6mm
    • Weight: 171 grams

    iPhone 14 dimensions and weight:

    • Thickness: 7.8mm
    • Length: 146.7mm
    • Width: 71.5mm
    • Weight: 172 grams

    According to industry sources, the iPhone 15 is said to continue to use the exact same chassis material as the iPhone 14 — 6013 T6 Aluminum. With no significant differences in materials and no noteworthy structural changes, it’s easy to see why the weight of the standard iPhone 15 is close to that of the iPhone 14.

    It’s also thought that the size difference between the iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 14 Plus is minimal at best. No major design changes, structural changes, or changes in materials are expected, and the iPhone 15 Plus will also likely have a weight similar to that of its predecessor.

    iPhone 15 Pro dimensions and weight:

    • Thickness: 8.25mm
    • Length: 146.6mm
    • Width: 70.6mm
    • Weight: 188 grams

    iPhone 14 Pro dimensions and weight:

    • Thickness: 7.85mm
    • Length: 147.5mm
    • Width: 71.5mm
    • Weight: 206 grams

    The iPhone 15 Pro is rumored to be up to 18 grams lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro given a change in materials. Industry sources were able to verify that Apple is using Grade 5 Titanium for the iPhone 15 Pro, which represents a notable departure from the stainless steel used on every Pro iPhone thus far. Grade 5 Titanium, also known as Ti-6Al-4V, is a titanium alloy used in a variety of industries and is widely known for its excellent corrosion resistance.

    The iPhone 15 Pro is expected to have thinner bezels due to the use of advanced display technology known as LIPO, an acronym for “low-injection pressure over-molding”. First mentioned by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, and since independently confirmed by MacRumors, the use of LIPO technology for iPhone 15 Pro displays is expected to reduce the bezel size from the current 2.2mm to approximately 1.55mm.

    iPhone 15 Pro Max dimensions and weight:

    • Thickness: 8.25mm
    • Length: 159.9mm
    • Width: 76.7mm
    • Weight: 221 grams

    iPhone 14 Pro Max dimensions and weight:

    • Thickness: 7.85mm
    • Length: 160.7mm
    • Width: 77.6mm
    • Weight: 240 grams

    At present, this is all pre-production information, and may not reflect units seen in the mass-production process. Slight differences may occur between this and the final result.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Bloomberg

  • iFixit publishes teardown of 2019 MacBook Pro, updated “butterfly” keyboard

    Following up on Apple’s refresh of its MacBook Pro lineup, complete with updated Intel processors, and a new version of its “butterfly” keyboard, the cool cats at iFixit have published a full teardown of the new notebooks.

    The update keyboard, it turns out, uses new materials to help improve reliability. In addition, Apple extended the keyboard repair and replacement program to include virtually any Mac notebook with the butterfly keyboard (including the new ones), offering free repair for up to four years.

    While the guys at iFixit discovered that the new keyboard is almost identical to previous models, along with being as difficult to repair as its predecessors, they noted the following major changes:

    First, the transparent switch cover is now clearer and smooth to the touch. It’s definitely made of a different material, as confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy.

    Second, the metal dome that compresses and bounces back as you press the key may be slightly revised. This metal dome is like pressing in on a bottle cap, and if it cracks or bends or the contacts wear out, the key will stop working properly. 

    Finally, a different finish on the dome caps could imply that Apple is using a revised heat treatment, alloy, or both.

    It’s unknown as to whether these changes will help fix the butterfly keyboard’s infamous reliability issues, or what long term effect this will have.

    Stay tuned for additional changes as they become available.

    Via Macworld and iFixit

  • Opinion: Flexibility Under Stress

    By Bob Snow

    The new iPhone 6 Plus appears to have a problem. There have been a number of reports of the Plus deforming under a relatively normal mode of use. The phone, when placed in a front pocket for a length of time and stressed, can bend and not return to its original flat form. This is not a problem that can be simply dismissed, nor is it the end of the world. Apple knows how to benefit from the emotion and hype in the lead up to such an important introduction. The downside is that any negative publicity about the product gets similarly amplified. Take a deep breath and let’s look at the ramifications.

    beny6

    Apple relies on profits from phone sales more than any other product line, and the Plus is a costly and very personal product from the perspective of the consumer. There is a lot riding on this, but it could be much worse. I don’t think the problem will effect the 4.7-inch phone, which should represent the bulk of iPhone 6 sales. Keep in mind that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are still available. What remains to be seen is how many of the iPhone 6 Plus phones get bent and how Apple addresses the problem with customers. Phones with glass screens break all the time. I suspect many, many more of the Plus screens will break in the course of use than phones bending. Apple needs to treat customers with bent phones well. Give them a replacement phone, even credit towards a rival phone through their carrier, if the customer wants to keep a large screened phone in their pocket. For obvious reasons, this is going to be an almost exclusively male problem.

    Why is this happening? The phone is made of aluminum. Aluminum, at least initially, bends elastically and springs back. Beyond that, it will deform plastically and not return to its original shape. The sides are critical to the strength of the phone in bending and they may not be strong enough, especially around the button holes. A plastic phone like the 5c remains elastic in bending to a far greater degree. It is more likely to crack or bend far enough to break the screen, before becoming permanently deformed. Plastic has a lot going for it and nothing to apologize for, but the aluminum phones feel great in your hand and there is an aesthetic to them that is very elegant.

    (more…)

  • Rumor: Next-gen iPhone’s glass could be replaced with Liquidmetal component

    Your next iPhone could be part Robert Patrick from “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”.

    Which, to be honest, was sort of the high point of Robert Patrick’s career.

    Per Korea IT News, a new, questionable rumor from Korea claims that Apple’s next-generation iPhone will replace its glass back with the super-durable Liquidmetal alloy.

    The claim stated that Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone will be made of zirconium, titanium, nickel, copper “and so forth.” It also said it will have a “surface smooth like liquid.”

    Though the report includes references to a general “liquid metal,” the proper noun Liquidmetal refers to an amorphous metal that Apple purchased the exclusive rights to use in 2010. The company behind the material, Liquidmetal Technologies, revealed in March that it was paid US$20 million by Apple in that deal.

    Casting some doubt on Wednesday’s report out of Korea, it goes on to say that the new iPhone is expected to debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco in June. Last year, Apple opted to hold off on unveiling the iPhone 4S until well after WWDC, and launched its fifth-generation handset in October.

    This year, most rumors have suggested that Apple plans to hold to a similar timeframe for the launch of a sixth-generation iPhone. It has been rumored that Apple will unveil its next handset in the months of September or October.

    While the WWDC launch reported by Korea IT News is questionable, claims of a metal back for the next iPhone are not new. As far back as last year, there were indications that Apple was working on an all-new iPhone design with a metal back akin to the iPad.

    As for the potential use of Liquidmetal, the company that owns the material announced in March that it had begun shipping commercial parts to “several” unnamed customers. Apple’s Liquidmetal gives it the right to exclusively use the material in electronic products, though it is free to be used in other industries like defense contractors, sports equipment manufacturers and medical suppliers.

    The first product Apple created out of Liquidmetal’s material was an iPhone SIM card ejector tool, but since then there has been no indication that any other products have been crafted from the Liquidmetal alloy.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.