AppleInsider Staff
A video posted to the Web on Tuesday demonstrates the durability of Apple's alleged champagne colored "iPhone 5S" shell, which shrugs off light coin scrapes, but unsurprisingly reveals nicks and scratches after being assaulted with a pocket knife.
While a bit extreme, the video from Jailbreak Nation (via CNET) is in the same vein as a recent durability test that illustrated the scratch resistance of a purported low-cost "iPhone 5C" plastic shell. The supposed iPhone 5S aluminum casing, however, undergoes a substantially more rigorous assessment.
It should be noted that the authenticity of the supposed gold iPhone 5S frame cannot be confirmed by AppleInsider, and the following is offered for purposes of discussion only.
Tuesday's video compares a gold, or "champagne," colored version of an alleged iPhone 5S shell with a black version of the current generation iPhone 5. The purported part looks to be the same component pictured in images that surfaced last week.
Some owners of the latest iPhone have seen small nicks and scuffs appear on the chassis, with the occurrence more evident on black models as scraping away the anodized top layer exposes the silver aluminum beneath.
In the test, a quarter is first used to mar the bottom right corner of the black and gold casings. Both fare well and, after being wiped down with a paper towel, show minimal scuffing. Next, the coin is taken to the chassis' sharp chamfered edges. The gold model appears to show less damage in this test, possibly because the shine produced from polishing process hides any bare aluminum.
Finally, the bottom left corner of both versions are subjected to stabbing and scratching with a pocketknife. Neither frame withstood the rough treatment, an unsurprising outcome.
While the knifing is rather extreme, the coin tests suggest Apple is using the same method of anodization to color the iPhone's aluminum chassis, a process seen in the iPhone 5, iPad mini and various iPod models.
Apple received a fair share of flak last year when some customers complained of nicks and scratches on their brand new handsets. Dubbed "scuffgate," the minor controversy caused Apple to clamp down on partner supplier Foxconn, which in turn caused a worker strike over demanding quality control measures.
Apple is expected to announce a next-generation iPhone, as well as a lower-cost model, at a media event on Sept. 10.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
47 Comments
What consumer product of ANY kind can resist this kind of abuse? Why isn't there an uproar because Porsche sunglasses and Rolex watches scratch if you STAB THEM WITH A HUNTING KNIFE? Lol what is the solution? Make every product out of DIAMONDS from now on? Or make a 12 pound Kevlar iPhone? That's some serious iAssault on that iPhone dude.
What remotely useful info is this? Is Apple somehow held to some higher standard in that they should have perfected invulnerable aluminum that is impervious to scratches with a hunting knife and dents within 175 feet of a nuclear explosion? Why is this even reported?
I'll be testing it out with my carborundum tipped dental drill and if there's the slightest mark it's off to consumer affairs and I'll be expecting a replacement, plus a new iPad for the inconvenience.
What kind of nonsense is that? Seriously, it would be interesting how an iPhone fares when dropped on concrete, so DROP it on concrete and don't stab it with a knife! However, it seems an iPhone will probably protect you when someone stabs you, but you have your iPhone in the pocket of your shirt.
This is why I'm waiting for the iPhone 6, which will be made out of an alloy of adamantium and mithril according to my top secret informant at Apple.