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why cant other companies use better materials for thier phones like apple?

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Red Storm said:
Plastic also makes more sense when you offer extras like removable batteries and mSD slots, two things Apple does not and so does not have to factor into design.

I absolutely did not like how my iPhone 4 would slide on even the slightest uneven surface. Not everyone believes glass and metal is the way to go, but I'm glad Apple gives people that option for those who desire it.
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That bothers me too, and it's the reason I had a case on mine.
 
I'd like to add that for durability, my old iPhone 3GS took a tumble down diamond-plated metal stairs. Took a few chunks out of the plastic, but that's only minor cosmetic issues.
 
Skurge said:
I'm sorry, but any phone with a glass front is going to shatter if dropped face 1st. The One X is is built like a tank. will get shattered glass if dropped face 1st. You can do whatever you like to the body and you won't even nick it. Can't say the same for any other phone.
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It's built like a tank in what way? Even the slightest pressure on the bottom of my One X produces a creaking noise. This is another thing that irks me so much, why do Android phones creak and make stupid noises when press on them even a little bit?
WelshBloke said:
Nice looking phone as well.
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I agree, I think it's the best looking phone in 2012, I just hate the way HTC handles software updates and their relationship to the open source community.
 
WelshBloke said:
It would have been better if they'd used a harder anodizing process though, although it would still have been a bit susceptible to chipping.
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I agree. I believe the harder anodizing takes twice as long too. If I were Apple I would have gone that route anyway.
 
WelshBloke said:
Don't keep your phone in your back pocket when you sit down?

I'm pretty dubious that that sort of damage happens without undue force being applied.
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One of the guys commenting said he kept his phone in his front pocket and it bent. Seems strange but i guess anything is possible
 
ITHURTSWHENIP said:
One of the guys commenting said he kept his phone in his front pocket and it bent. Seems strange but i guess anything is possible
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Be interesting if some website with the resources finds out how much force is needed to bend an iPhone. 😛

Its taller, made of a more 'bendable' material and very thin so its possible that this is an issue. I'm guessing that it takes a fair bit of force though.
 
ITHURTSWHENIP said:
One of the guys commenting said he kept his phone in his front pocket and it bent. Seems strange but i guess anything is possible
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It's aluminum. It doesn't flex, it bends. And when metals bend, it is predispositioned to keep bending that way. So basically, after the first incident that slightly shifted the strength of the aluminum, every iteration of force being applied kept bending it.
 
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NikolaeVarius said:
It's aluminum. It doesn't flex, it bends. And when metals bend, it is predispositioned to keep bending that way. So basically, after the first incident that slightly shifted the strength of the aluminum, every iteration of force being applied kept bending it.
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Just had a look at a couple of tear downs and the case does look pretty thin with minimal brackets/bracing inside so maybe they are a bit bendy. 😱
 
cheezy321 said:
That is pretty crazy. If the iPhone 5 is prone to bending and breaking then it isn't durable.

I also find it hard to believe this is affecting a large portion of iPhone 5 owners...
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Give it time. I predict tons of returns/replacements in a couple of months.
 
NikolaeVarius said:
It's aluminum. It doesn't flex, it bends. And when metals bend, it is predispositioned to keep bending that way. So basically, after the first incident that slightly shifted the strength of the aluminum, every iteration of force being applied kept bending it.
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maybe you need a basic course in materials but aluminum does flex why would it not flex? ever heard of yield strength? elastic deformation?
 
DLeRium said:
maybe you need a basic course in materials but aluminum does flex why would it not flex? ever heard of yield strength? elastic deformation?
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My wording was off. Sue me. Elastic structures was one of my least favorite classes.

Yes, thin aluminum bends slightly, but the margin for deformation is extremely low.
 
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badb0y said:
It's built like a tank in what way? Even the slightest pressure on the bottom of my One X produces a creaking noise. This is another thing that irks me so much, why do Android phones creak and make stupid noises when press on them even a little bit?
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Is the One X that bad? I thought it was supposed to be well built.... Especially with a nonremovable battery you think they'd do better....
 
Apple may use premium materials but that doesn't result in a long lasting phone. From the easily shattered 4/4S to the scratchy/bendy 5. I would rather have a more durable but quality built plastic phone than high end materials that don't last. Poor choice to me.

**I own a 4S with a 5 on order so I'm not bashing, just the way I feel.
 
You know, I don't really get the 4/4S design hate. I understand the back glass wasn't reinforced like the back glass, but for me it was always a trade off of a good looking phone where the most breakable part was easily replaceable. Two screws and it comes off. $30 at the Apple store gets you a brand new back installed. I rolled my 4 naked for two years and didn't break it until early this year. Made the poor choice of buying some knock off back covers before deciding to do it at the Apple store. At least it wasn't a glass back and a total PITA to replace.
 
Personally I think the 5 looks good, and I thought the 4/4S looked good too. I will be getting a 5, I currently have a 3GS, and before that I had 2 RAZRs (flip phones not smartphones) and before that a Motorola StarTAC. That thing was made out of plastic, but it was nice, durable plastic that felt "premium" somehow. The RAZRs were metal, of course, and that was one of the things that I loved about those phones.

I have gone case-less with my 3GS, and it's looking kinda crappy now, although the glass has never cracked it has a few scratches, and the plastic on the sides and back is in bad shape (1 small crack near the Dock connector). I am looking forward to getting a 5, and I think that the extreme slimness will make me more likely to put some kind of protective case over it. With a reasonably protective yet still minimal case (e.g. Magpul) it will still probably be dimensionally comparable to many Android phones.
 
IMHO, Apple and its fan are seeing a dead end and the decline of Apple, hence they are clinging onto the notion that Apple products are more aesthetic and is more durable due to its product materials.

A similar argument once waged between the Nikon and Canon camera camps for couple of decades, where Nikon claimed superior strength of titanium body and a more pleasing camera body and lens vs. Canon, while they lost market share to the fugly plastic and rubber body Canons.
 
Young Grasshopper said:
thier
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At first I was hoping it was a mistake, then I saw you seem to consistently spell their thier.
Young Grasshopper said:
do they really have that much of a stronghold on components/suppliers?
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Yep, they put a fortress, maybe even a castle on them.
ponyo said:
maybe the metal aluminum would feel better in hand.
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Hopefully Apple can source some of that fancy nonmetallic aluminum for their next phone.
 
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iGas said:
IMHO, Apple and its fan are seeing a dead end and the decline of Apple, hence they are clinging onto the notion that Apple products are more aesthetic and is more durable due to its product materials.

A similar argument once waged between the Nikon and Canon camera camps for couple of decades, where Nikon claimed superior strength of titanium body and a more pleasing camera body and lens vs. Canon, while they lost market share to the fugly plastic and rubber body Canons.
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ummm what decline? Apple had a record sales quarter and the iPad Mini is going to trounce other tablets it's up against. Explain to me how Apple can be on a decline when they're doing better than ever. And prior to the iPhone 5 they were already doing better than any other company. I bet every other company out there wishes they could be on an Apple like decline.
 
QueBert said:
ummm what decline? Apple had a record sales quarter and the iPad Mini is going to trounce other tablets it's up against. Explain to me how Apple can be on a decline when they're doing better than ever. And prior to the iPhone 5 they were already doing better than any other company. I bet every other company out there wishes they could be on an Apple like decline.
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Android grab the lion share of the mobile phone market from Nokia and RIMM, while AAPL pick up the crumbs as shown on pretty much every website and news source that you care to look at, and AAPL stock dropped from it perch of $700 pre iPhone 5 to $604 days after the released of iPhone 5.

Op-Ed: Apple Losing Market Share With iPhone 5 and iPad Mini Launch
 
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