Nilay Patel, writing for The Verge:
The biggest name in battery cases is Mophie, and Mophie has tons of patents on the design and functionality of these things. Reading through a few, it’s hard not to see Apple’s case as being deliberately designed around Mophie’s patents — including that unsightly bulge.
Interesting premise.
His premise is interesting but, hopefully for Apple’s sake, not the real story. He’s basically saying this is the only way Apple can come up with to get around Mophie’s patent. Apple’s design history suggests they would not release a product if the solution is unsightly. There is no urgent need to release a battery case when Mophie meets that demand. And I assure you it is possible to design a single piece case that snaps off relatively easily. Apple simply didn’t put their A team on this. We have seen this before.
According to iMore, It seems Apple was also going for better antenna signal (the iPhone antennas are only covered by elastomer not battery/thick material).
Given that batt life has been a known irritant generations ago…I’m surprised not more “innovation” is coming from AAPL to solve this challenge.
According to a quick search, Mophie is worth around $300M, given that Apple could buy the entire company with about 7 days of last quarters profits, licensing the patents doesn’t seem like much of a hurdle.
Yes. My Anker case destroys Apple Pay on my 6. Might have contributed to some Bluetooth flakiness. Plus, improved signal strength to cellular means less energy use.
Why does this Apple case even exist? Have iPhone sales crashed? Has Mophie stopped making decent cases?
This is just another example of ZERO EDITORIAL in Apple’s management. Tim Cook replaced the CEO part of Steve Jobs’ work, but the editor-in-chief position that was Mr. Jobs’ real genius is simply empty since his tragic death. Having a tech company managed like a publication was Mr. Jobs’ major management innovation and it died with him. Now, customers are responsible for editing their own setup, just like with all the other terrible tech companies and their shitty, shitty products. My friends routinely go to Apple Store and come back with something that doesn’t fucking work with their other gear, even though it is also all from Apple Store.
Yesterday I saw Tim Cook complaining that schools are buying Web-only Chromebooks and just testing students instead of teaching them. If that is the case, why does iOS 7–9 look and feel like the shitty free Web? How does he expect customers to know that his generic glyphs and primary colors are somehow better than Google’s generic glyphs and primary colors? Why did he let iOS sink to Web-like levels of unreliability and lack of user interface design?
Apple’s design history is irrelevant. They have different designers now than before, and their management is not design-savvy. A team of specially trained monkeys designed iOS, for example. And Tim Cook thinks the bulge case is perfect, he has defended it like it was the first MacBook Air.
For what purpose? How does this Apple case improve the iOS ecosystem when there have been better Mophie cases forever?
Apple could buy Google or Facebook also. But why?
I think everyone is way overthinking this, just as with the camera “bulge” that got some people’s underwear in a bind; there was no way to make the iPhone thinner and have the best camera they could put in it without the bulge. No way to add a battery to the iPhone without bulking it up.. in the hand however, it still feels thin. Apple’s just meeting a need some people have for better battery life.
Why is the bulge unsightly?
Good point Paul. Weak wifi signal (or not as strong because of a metallic case) is one of the main causes of battery drain
I didn’t suggest that they should buy Mophie, just that the cost of licensing the patents would be nearly insignificant. Certainly small enough that Apple wouldn’t have to compromise their design, which was the assertion of the article.
I don’t understand the fuss over this product. This is clearly a very specialized thing, not an attempt at a general product. If you need it, you need it. If it’s not your best option, buy something else.
This is not a product that Apple is betting their existence on.
It’s not.
^ Random sentence generator at work
The premise is ridiculous — how can the shape covering the entire back be patented? All the protective cases in the aftermarket clearly suggest otherwise.
Gruber’s contact at Apple affirms that the design was NOT influenced by anything Mophie made. Nothing to see here…
No, because the Wii U focuses on the GamePad. And you say I can’t be taken seriously. Do you even think before you say things?