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The lack of loophole was disorienting, but then I went and looked up how they want you to attach it, and the hangtag accessories look so pretty https://www.appl
by caturopath 5y ago
The lack of loophole was disorienting, but then I went and looked up how they want you to attach it, and the hangtag accessories look so pretty https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/04/apple-introduces-airtag/ https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/04/apple-introduces-airt... -- things like the appearance and the sound quality really show a commitment to making polished products rather than practical ones. I've been fairly negative on Apple for a few years and they still need to pull bigger rabbits out of their hat until I completely reverse that, but it's really impressive that they've turned a Tile into a status symbol.
It's hilarious to a certain extent that they built the thing smaller than all the competition and bulk it up with a wad of leather anyhow.
- Exmoor 5y ago> It's hilarious to a certain extent that they built the thing smaller than all the competition and bulk it up with a wad of leather anyhow. That's essentially how I feel when I see the "Our thinnest iPhone ever" slide knowing that 95% of iPhone owners put it in a bulky case. That said, that's not unique to Apple and the phone is at least usable without a case.
- caturopath 5y agoIt's not like the choice is "thick and doesn't need a case or thin and needs a case". Even if the phone was thicker, people would be using cases if they bought it, right?
- selykg 5y agoProbably not everyone. But for me, after spending $1400 I’m putting it in a case. My Xs Max is nearly two and a half years old now and I took it out of the case for it’s scheduled cleaning and after wiping it down and getting the built up pocket crud out of the crevices where the case and phone meet, its like brand new. I’m hoping I can get at least another year out of this thing. Battery is excellent. iOS doesn’t seem slow at all.
- perryizgr8 5y agoThe reason for putting it in a case is not the price tag. People buy 100k cars and don't cover the outer surfaces with protective plastic. The problem is Apple builds the phone in a fragile manner, prone to breaking and scratching. It's true of other phones too.
- dijit 5y agoI distinctly remember people at Nokia laughing at how the first iPhone didn’t stand up to any of their robustness tests. Obviously they were wrong and people bought them (due to the fit and finish of the software, not robustness or battery life) and the first iPhone feels like it was much more durable than the latest generations with their protruding cameras, glass on two sides and edge to edge screen.
- perryizgr8 5y agoYeah the new phones are laughably non-robust. Use an iPhone without a case or protective film for a year and I guarantee you there will be micro scratches on the back glass. They don't design the phone to be used without a case. People use cases because of that, not because of the price tag.
- dijit 5y agoSpeaking personally; I bought a iPhone 12 mini near launch, got a nice leather case for it because I dislike the camera bump but still managed to get a scratch (which I can feel) on the screen a mere week in. I’m pretty careful with my phone too, has its own pocket doesn’t mix with anything. I’m actually quite displeased; especially as scratch resistance was a touted feature. EDIT: never mind. It was drop resistance. Not scratch resistance.
- gumby 5y agoWho cares about micro (or even macro) scratches on the back? It’s the front you look at.
- 5y ago
- pcl 5y agoI put my phone in a case so that when I drop it, the corner of the case takes the brunt of the force instead of the phone itself. Unless the phone had a floating edge around it (essentially, a case), I would still need one. (Yes, it’s still possible to drop my phone face down on a rock or something, but most of the times I’ve broken a phone screen, it’s been a crack in the glass emanating from a corner. Which makes sense, given the physics of the things.)
- falcolas 5y agoMe? No. I get a case because of the fscking camera bump (though with the latest model, it's more tumor than bump). I just want my phone to lay flat.
- asdff 5y agoIt's like a wobbly table until you bend the knee and shell out a few bucks for a case. Same thing with removing the ports: can't charge your phone and listen to music at the same time if you are a wired charger user and wired headphone listener. That privilege previously enjoyed by default on every single cell phone ever made is now reserved to customers who purchase wireless charging or wireless headphone accessories. Shell out a few more bucks on junk you didn't need a generation ago, or deal with a sub par experience out of the box, as always with Apple these days.
- NathanielK 5y agoI disagree. With modern materials, the thinness is the root of durability compromises. I've used my Xperia XZ1 compact for several years without a case. I've dropped it on concrete floors, sat on it, and used it in the mud. There're some chips in the paint, but the fiberglass body underneath is fine. Any scratches on the Gorilla Glass 5 are barely visible. My old phones with cheap poly-carbonate backs(cracks easily) and thin GG3(cracks,scratches are apparent) were fragile in comparison. The material science has improved with modern phones, but manufacturers choose to make fragile phones. You don't need thick overmoulding and port covers to make a phome durable without a case. The materials are strong enough on the high end phones. The problem is that when you make the glass thinner and exposed at the corners, it will crack with much less impact. The overall thinness means less flexural rigidity (rigidity is proportional to thickness cubed), you can snap a modern phone with your hands. Cheap new phones get it even worse. They use flimsier materials to cram a better SoC in, and still are rarely waterproof.
- snotrockets 5y agoSome comments below suggests cases are for protection. I'd argue most cases are bought first & foremost a fashion accessory, then a safety device. Think wallets or watches.
- myself248 5y agoBack when phones were built to survive the outside world without a case, I never put cases on my phones. The whole Nextel and Nokia and Blackberry era, not a one. They looked a bit worn from a few years each in my pocket with my keys, but they all worked fine, and they'd all survive a drop to the floor. Today the only phone I'd trust to survive a naked drop would be a Unihertz Titan, but until there's an AOSP ROM for it, I'm not trusting it with my data. So, cases on everything.
- thatguy0900 5y agoThere's also a line of phones made by CAT, the construction company, that looks pretty durable. I've been thinking about getting one just to have fun with the thermal camera.
- WrtCdEvrydy 5y agoI like those phones and never had one (either CAT or third party) fail... the issue is that the processor / RAM setup is always a little on the weak side and OS updates are a problem. I'd probably buy my first ever iPhone if Apple came out with a ruggedized version of the current iPhone SE.
- thatguy0900 5y agoYeah, the os updates is why I've been holding off. Basically just have to accept you won't get any
- WrtCdEvrydy 5y agoI mean, to be honest, I didn't pay a lot of my original one (non-CAT) but it's on Android 8.0.1 forever... which isn't exactly a bad version. I wish Android would decouple the device drivers from the kernel space kinda like a desktop OS so your manufacturer could just supply their drivers and you could upgrade the OS at will... a man can dream.
- 5y ago
- adrr 5y agoIf the back wasn’t slick glass you’ll get more people without cases.
- yumraj 5y ago> Even if the phone was thicker, people would be using cases if they bought it, right? People started using cases for most part after the iPhone came out. Older phones were almost never used with a case, except perhaps for use case requiring a ruggedized enclosure.
- grishka 5y agoI remember some people, especially elderly, putting their (dumb) phones into those protective plastic cases. The kind where you'd push the buttons through the plastic. That was looong before the iPhone came out and when something was considered a smartphone if it ran Symbian.
- frosted-flakes 5y agoBlackBerry phones had those holster cases, and I remember my dad's first cell phone (a Nokia, around year 2000) had this fabric and clear plastic case that the antenna pokes out of (like the sibling comment describes). Even though that phone was indestructible, with big rubber buttons and a plastic screen.
- asdff 5y agoIt's the thinnest iphone ever that hasn't sat flat on a table for years. Touch the screen and it wobbles like a bar table needing some coasters under a leg. Apple purposely designs their cases to be flush with the camera bump, knowing that for most users, the phone will just live in a case. It's kind of ridiculous to build that baked in expectation for more accessory buying directly into your device, but I guess that's modern design principles. Extract more dollar, and leave you with the equivalent of a wobbly table if you don't buy in.
- pentae 5y agoI have an 11 pro without a case on it and just tried replicating what you're describing and I can't do it. It pivots at most 1-2mm laterally to the left when i'm tapping hard on the left side of the screen which is barely noticeable. When I tap normally (a bit softer) or swipe it doesn't even move. I'm no fanboy but i'm amazed that out of all the things you could critique about Apple it would be this one.
- noelherrick 5y agoI can't believe you're serious. Since the iPhone X, a screen replacement has been such a significant percentage of the cost it's not worth it. And if you damage the back glass, Apple will just replace the phone. Before the X, I was a bare phone user. After that, there is no way I would leave my phone exposed. The only way I could justify that danger would be if I could swallow a $1500 expense every other week. Why? Fully glass phones slide off of everything. I'm sure there are HNers who can do that but I can't.
- FDSGSG 5y agoWhy don't you just get applecare plus? Getting a case has never even crossed my mind, I can just go replace my phone for free whenever I want.
- jjeaff 5y agoWhat are you talking about? It's not free, there is a deductible. And it's not anytime you want. It's a maximum of 2 incidences per year. So you pay $200 a year plus $30 for cracking your screen. Or $150 for loss or theft. I'm guessing you could get a third party screen repair for less than $230.
- powersnail 5y ago> That's essentially how I feel when I see the "Our thinnest iPhone ever" slide knowing that 95% of iPhone owners put it in a bulky case I was in the same boat until and I dropped my phone and break the back, which is ridiculously expensive to fix. I use a case now, which only takes 10 bucks to replace if broken. It’s not as pretty as a naked phone, but it’s practical.
- cube2222 5y agoI've had this attitude before, but I must say, the recent iPhones at least (iPhone 11 in my case) are ridiculously resistant to damage. Mine is not in a case and regularly has scary-looking falls, but there's almost no-scratch. Only on the edges of the aluminum body you can see the paint scratched off in some places. I've found that the added bulk of a case makes me drop my phone much more frequently.
- agumonkey 5y agoyesterday i was holding my phone with protective glass, rubber case, all wired to an external battery and laughed at larger than a nokia 3310 monstrosity. Modern times.
- dpkonofa 5y agoI know it means nothing but I'm in the 5%. I've never had a case on my iPhone and I've owned every other generation since the original (I always skip generations for my devices since they started doing the incremental S versions). I prefer things without cases and the AirTags are going to be no exception. I'm going to throw them into a pocket or put them into an already existing spot so I like that it's thin.
- kevindong 5y agoWhat are you going to track without using some kind of holder? Personally, I only bought one AirTag (along with an Apple leather keychain, for my keys). I don't generally lose items large enough to have some kind of pocket/holder for an AirTag (e.g. I don't ever lose my backpack which has a zippered compartment to hold random junk).
- wincy 5y agoWow I didn’t believe this stat, but sure enough 87% of people use cases on their iPhones. I didn’t know people were so paranoid, I love my iPhone 12 Pro Max because it feels perfect in my hand despite being so large. I feel like a case would ruin that. I wonder if it’s paranoia or actual clumsiness or maybe just salespeople that get people to buy cases. I’ve owned an iPhone since the 3G and have dropped my naked phone exactly once, my 6 Plus, which was still usable for years after that.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- ngoldbaum 5y agoGlass is much more slippery than a plastic or leather case. I’ve cracked a caseless phone’s screen after it slipped off a slightly off-level table. I always use leather cases now and no longer have the problem of my phone randomly slipping off of surfaces or even falling out of my greasy hands.
- qqqwerty 5y agoIt boggles my mind that phone makers don't use a grippy surface on the phones. The sleek surfaces look great in marketing photos but make for horrible usability. I use Android and once a phone is nearing the 3/4 mark of it's useful life, I pull the cases off because at that point the smaller/sleeker form factor helps offset the annoying performance degradation. With my Nexus 5, which had a grippy back, the screen is still intact to this day. My Nexus 6p, which has a metallic back, slipped out of my hand the very first day I took the case off and the screen shattered. My new strategy is to just buy a mid-low range android at the end of the sales cycle for a steep discount. I got last years Moto G Power model for about 40 bucks. Once I get about half way through it's useful life (~2 years), I am going to take the case off and I am going to scuff it up with sand paper and then spray on some truck liner or other grippy surfacing agent.
- spoonjim 5y agoThe Tile is much more compact than the kitted out AirTag. Shame that Apple had to pander to the twin gods of accessories margin and fashion.
- caturopath 5y ago> Shame that Apple had to pander to the twin gods of accessories margin and fashion I feel like that's...what Apple is? If you don't like it, that's fine, and they have lots of more-utilitarian competitors in every space they operate. I personally don't currently use any Apple products; I'm not really the target market either.
- spoonjim 5y agoWell the Apple product is technologically superior since they browbeat their iPhone installed base into surveilling AirTags. This is what is so infuriating about Apple — they have excellent engineering and are often the best product in the market, but you then have to buy into their whole ethos as well.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- fastball 5y agoAre you criticizing the fact that Apple brought a tracking device to market utilizing the best tracking network? Wat.
- kemayo 5y agoIt... isn't, though? There's a side-by-side comparison photo of the naked devices in the linked article, and I'm fairly sure from eyeballing it that the AirTag + the smallest of the accessories (the Belkin one [1]) is still smaller than the Tile. [1]: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HNPR2ZM/A/belkin-secure-holder-with-key-ring-for-airtag-black https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HNPR2ZM/A/belkin-secure-h...
- 5y ago
- ryandrake 5y agoA little off-topic, but can an artistic person or graphic designer help me to understand why every airtag in Apple's literature with the Apple logo has that two-color (light gray, dark gray) scheme with a not-exactly-straight line dividing the colors [1]? It seems like an odd design choice. EDIT: Ha! Thanks for the push. I would have never seen it. My eyes are broken I guess. It truly looks to me like they are two-toned gray, even after the explanation. 1: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/images/product/accessories/standard/Apple_airtag-accessories-042021_big_carousel.jpg.large_2x.jpg https://www.apple.com/newsroom/images/product/accessories/st...
- panda88888 5y agoI think it’s a single color but shaded due to its dome shape.
- Guest19023892 5y agoThe tags with the icons are white. https://i.imgur.com/ZlvXsaR.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ZlvXsaR.jpg The tags with the Apple logo are a mirror finish. https://i.imgur.com/QaVobYc.jpg https://i.imgur.com/QaVobYc.jpg The sharp line isn't part of the design, it's just a minimalist way of showing a highly reflective material. The sharper the line, the sharper the reflections in the surface. The line is curved because the surface of the tag is curved (e.g. you can see how the straight window is curved in the above image). If the tag was a flat surface, then it would be a straight line.
- SebastianKra 5y agoThey have two sides. One silver, one white.
- solarkraft 5y ago> and the hangtag accessories look so pretty I'm going to buy AirTags and 100% disagree. I will likely print a complete enclosure because the accessories they sell are expensive, look stupid and will still scratch the tags up like mad (will I resell them? probably not, but still).
- tootie 5y agoPeople debate if Apple is about primarily hardware or software but I posit their forte is marketing. They make good products but also consistently beat out superior competition by engineering desirability.
- smichel17 5y agoThey're a fashion company, which happens to produce hardware and software. A bit like Riot Games is an art company which happens to produce League of Legends (like Valve / TF2 and hats/collectibles before them).
- brailsafe 5y agoSheesh, those are costly. $35 usd is more than two weeks worth of groceries, two months of a world of Warcraft subscription, and about the same price as any of Affinity's products. For the AirTag, I'd admit that it seems sophisticated enough to warrant it. But the loop to affix it!?
- bullfightonmars 5y agoKeeping your food budget at $2.50 a day is impressive. Do you do a lot of bulk food prep? I used to get by on $3-3.50 a day, but that was back in my lean years.
- brailsafe 5y agoIt's a rough average, but mostly oats, coffee, nuts for the oats, pasta, deli meat 1-3 times a week. Maybe if I dug into it a little more it would come out a bit higher, but for things I actually buy as groceries the number is relatively low, and I suppose that's how I've managed so far without work for over a year. Edit: Worth noting that USD is not my home currency, which would convert to a bit over $40. I imagine $35 USD would go very very far for many other people outside the U.S
- fastball 5y agoI mean, you can also buy a holder from Hermes for $350. The belkin one is only $13, and I'm sure there will be some from China on Amazon for $2-5 before long.