4 ms·

This is basically the reason I got a 6+ over a normal 6. Previous iPhones have been great, except they saved a few mm and made me carry a cable around with a pl

This is basically the reason I got a 6+ over a normal 6. Previous iPhones have been great, except they saved a few mm and made me carry a cable around with a playing-deck-sized external battery. Real stylish. I think many people would want something like an iPhone 6S with the option of having a bigger battery and built-in case at the expense of a few mm of thickness. Basically, make the back removable (even if just when ordering or at Apple stores) and make a more rugged version which also contains a second battery. The fronts and guts can all be exactly the same for manufacturing efficiency, then the wrap-around back can be swapped out to change color / if it gets smashed or bent / if the user wants to replace the battery etc. I really think this could work while retaining their fit and finish + manufacturing efficiency, and it's surely make consumers happy. And again, I'm not talking about a user-replaceable part, just an ordering option or possibly a paid in-store swap.

STRML 12y ago
I wish most phone manufacturers would start to pay attention to this. I don't need to save the last few mm. My pocket can handle it. But there are times when I definitely do need the extra battery life. Marketing wins, actual practical use of the product loses.
- csmattryder 12y ago
  You'll want to check out the Moto G/X line then, I'm a happy Moto G owner, and that thing lasts a good 36-48 hours without a charge (admittedly, mine is a year old now, and can only take 24h without a charge) and the hardware isn't completely low-spec. Not to mention it's about the same size as the iPhone 4. Great battery life, packed into a small handset.
- gambiting 12y ago
  Except that this line "I don't care about thickness, give me better battery life!" is repeated over and over by geeks like us, yet people pretty much always pick form over function - ie pick thinner phones over the ones working longer. So companies keep catering to the needs of those people, because that's what sells.
- swombat 12y ago
  In my experience, those days when I need the extra bit of battery life are almost always at events, or while travelling. I can spot those days in advance, they're not surprises. So I found a remarkably simple and obvious solution: I spent £50 and bought an external battery pack, something like http://www.amazon.co.uk/RAVPower-15000mAh-External-Generation-Portable-Black/dp/B00OJXVDAU/ref=sr_1_14 http://www.amazon.co.uk/RAVPower-15000mAh-External-Generatio... . It charges overnight, weighs not all that much at the bottom of a shoulder bag, but on those crucial days when battery is getting slim, I can just pull a cable out, plug it into my phone, and bingo: the phone is charged. It's capable of charging an iPhone several times over so easily solves the problem for you and even some of your friends.
  - moe 12y ago
    and bingo: the phone is charged. Isn't it more like "Bingo: now I have a battery pack dangling from my phone for the next few hours"?
    - swombat 12y ago
      Nope. iPhones tend to charge most of the battery in about an hour with a decent charger, so you sit down for a presentation or two, while still tweeting/etc, and by the time the presentations are done your phone is charged again.
  - Someone1234 12y ago
    I was recently at the airport and the airport was nice enough to provide power plugs. I happen to be sitting next to them for about 1.5 hours and counted six phones, one Samsung Galaxy S3, and a 3DS. I used to own a battery pack too, back when I had an iPhone, it was a required accessory unfortunately. Since then I've owned a Samsung Note (1), LG G2, and Sony Z3, and all three of them last 2-3 days, and I have no need for a battery pack. Even if size was a concern I could purchase a Sony Z3 Compact which is "iPhone 6 sized" but has twice the battery life or more. Back in the iPhone 4 (ish) day the iPhone had "impressive" battery life. However Apple has stood still while everyone else has continuously improved. Now most non-Apple phones (Galaxy S5, LG G3, Sony Z3, Note 4, Windows Phone, etc) last substantially longer than Apple unless you're buying an unbranded piece of junk.
- digi_owl 12y ago
  Samsung is interesting here. they still make their phones with removable backs. Thus third parties can offer larger batteries and replaceable backs. And I seem to recall a claim that in SK Samsung sell their phones with two batteries in the box. One small for "style" and one large for endurance.
  - marcosdumay 12y ago
    > they still make their phones with removable backs Only Apple makes phones without removable backs. Anybody else wouldn't be able to sell their phones if they removed that feature.
hyp0 12y ago
When Apple acquired Beats, it was thought they wanted their efficient manufacturing techniques for different combinations of styles/materials. The customization of the Apple Watch bears this out. It seems reasonable they might next apply this to the iPhone - and it seems the different battery sizes you suggest would be easily accommodated. (Unless there's another reason they want to constrain battery sizes). EDIT just thinking of Christiansen's ideas on evolution of products, basically from "integrated for performance" to "componentized for customization", it does seem that iPhones are now overpowered for... well... phones (they are pretty much last-gen console/low end PC level now, or will be soon). Therefore, people might soon stop being willing to pay for even more performance (maybe). This is a problem for Apple, because they don't like commoditized products, not from a margin point of view, not from a building cool new stuff point of view. A way out of this is cool designed customization - it's something that Apple likes, and has great margins (like Beats).
- marcosdumay 12y ago
  > it does seem that iPhones are now overpowered for... well... phones (they are pretty much last-gen console/low end PC level now, or will be soon) The race to idle means that we still have room for more powerfull mobile CPUs. It's just that the extra power will appear as extended batttery life at the marketing material. Anyway, I think the current generation is very near "good enough", people may switch once more, but the fast replacement of phones are getting to an end.
chroma 12y ago
While it sounds clever at first, giving the iPhone variable thickness would ruin compatibility with countless accessories. Cases, docks, armbands, wallets, etc. Everything would either fit poorly or come with caveats: "Fits iPhone 6s 6.5-8.5mm thick." Along with hurting economies of scale, this would confuse and annoy users. It really seems like your usage style is rare. I've never had an issue with my iPhone's battery life. It easily lasts two days without worry. On the other hand, I've never thought, "This phone is too thin." Apparently, Apple thinks that the best compromise is to keep the same dimensions and let others manufacture charger cases.
- Already__Taken 12y ago
  This seems like someone Apple can address themselves and if you're not buying Apple accessories do Apple even care?
  - kalleboo 12y ago
    They get royalties from the MFi program (that "Made for iPhone" logo)
- chroma 12y ago
  Since the edit deadline has long-passed, I'll reply with a note: I suspect my comment was downvoted by people trawling my history after seeing https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8879389 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8879389 and disagreeing strongly. It may just be confirmation bias, but this isn't the first time I've noticed my older comments getting downvoted after a comment of mine gets a lot of eyeballs. I realize karma means nothing, but this behavior harms the quality of HN. The mods may want to consider writing a detection/mitigation feature to ignore such downvotes.
marknutter 12y ago
There are currently many 3rd party cases that provide exactly what you're asking for.

STRML 12y ago

I wish most phone manufacturers would start to pay attention to this. I don't need to save the last few mm. My pocket can handle it. But there are times when I definitely do need the extra battery life. Marketing wins, actual practical use of the product loses.

csmattryder 12y ago
You'll want to check out the Moto G/X line then, I'm a happy Moto G owner, and that thing lasts a good 36-48 hours without a charge (admittedly, mine is a year old now, and can only take 24h without a charge) and the hardware isn't completely low-spec. Not to mention it's about the same size as the iPhone 4. Great battery life, packed into a small handset.
gambiting 12y ago
Except that this line "I don't care about thickness, give me better battery life!" is repeated over and over by geeks like us, yet people pretty much always pick form over function - ie pick thinner phones over the ones working longer. So companies keep catering to the needs of those people, because that's what sells.
swombat 12y ago
In my experience, those days when I need the extra bit of battery life are almost always at events, or while travelling. I can spot those days in advance, they're not surprises. So I found a remarkably simple and obvious solution: I spent £50 and bought an external battery pack, something like http://www.amazon.co.uk/RAVPower-15000mAh-External-Generation-Portable-Black/dp/B00OJXVDAU/ref=sr_1_14 http://www.amazon.co.uk/RAVPower-15000mAh-External-Generatio... . It charges overnight, weighs not all that much at the bottom of a shoulder bag, but on those crucial days when battery is getting slim, I can just pull a cable out, plug it into my phone, and bingo: the phone is charged. It's capable of charging an iPhone several times over so easily solves the problem for you and even some of your friends.
- moe 12y ago
  and bingo: the phone is charged. Isn't it more like "Bingo: now I have a battery pack dangling from my phone for the next few hours"?
  - swombat 12y ago
    Nope. iPhones tend to charge most of the battery in about an hour with a decent charger, so you sit down for a presentation or two, while still tweeting/etc, and by the time the presentations are done your phone is charged again.
- Someone1234 12y ago
  I was recently at the airport and the airport was nice enough to provide power plugs. I happen to be sitting next to them for about 1.5 hours and counted six phones, one Samsung Galaxy S3, and a 3DS. I used to own a battery pack too, back when I had an iPhone, it was a required accessory unfortunately. Since then I've owned a Samsung Note (1), LG G2, and Sony Z3, and all three of them last 2-3 days, and I have no need for a battery pack. Even if size was a concern I could purchase a Sony Z3 Compact which is "iPhone 6 sized" but has twice the battery life or more. Back in the iPhone 4 (ish) day the iPhone had "impressive" battery life. However Apple has stood still while everyone else has continuously improved. Now most non-Apple phones (Galaxy S5, LG G3, Sony Z3, Note 4, Windows Phone, etc) last substantially longer than Apple unless you're buying an unbranded piece of junk.
digi_owl 12y ago
Samsung is interesting here. they still make their phones with removable backs. Thus third parties can offer larger batteries and replaceable backs. And I seem to recall a claim that in SK Samsung sell their phones with two batteries in the box. One small for "style" and one large for endurance.
- marcosdumay 12y ago
  > they still make their phones with removable backs Only Apple makes phones without removable backs. Anybody else wouldn't be able to sell their phones if they removed that feature.

hyp0 12y ago

When Apple acquired Beats, it was thought they wanted their efficient manufacturing techniques for different combinations of styles/materials. The customization of the Apple Watch bears this out. It seems reasonable they might next apply this to the iPhone - and it seems the different battery sizes you suggest would be easily accommodated. (Unless there's another reason they want to constrain battery sizes). EDIT just thinking of Christiansen's ideas on evolution of products, basically from "integrated for performance" to "componentized for customization", it does seem that iPhones are now overpowered for... well... phones (they are pretty much last-gen console/low end PC level now, or will be soon). Therefore, people might soon stop being willing to pay for even more performance (maybe). This is a problem for Apple, because they don't like commoditized products, not from a margin point of view, not from a building cool new stuff point of view. A way out of this is cool designed customization - it's something that Apple likes, and has great margins (like Beats).

marcosdumay 12y ago
> it does seem that iPhones are now overpowered for... well... phones (they are pretty much last-gen console/low end PC level now, or will be soon) The race to idle means that we still have room for more powerfull mobile CPUs. It's just that the extra power will appear as extended batttery life at the marketing material. Anyway, I think the current generation is very near "good enough", people may switch once more, but the fast replacement of phones are getting to an end.

chroma 12y ago

While it sounds clever at first, giving the iPhone variable thickness would ruin compatibility with countless accessories. Cases, docks, armbands, wallets, etc. Everything would either fit poorly or come with caveats: "Fits iPhone 6s 6.5-8.5mm thick." Along with hurting economies of scale, this would confuse and annoy users. It really seems like your usage style is rare. I've never had an issue with my iPhone's battery life. It easily lasts two days without worry. On the other hand, I've never thought, "This phone is too thin." Apparently, Apple thinks that the best compromise is to keep the same dimensions and let others manufacture charger cases.

Already__Taken 12y ago
This seems like someone Apple can address themselves and if you're not buying Apple accessories do Apple even care?
- kalleboo 12y ago
  They get royalties from the MFi program (that "Made for iPhone" logo)
chroma 12y ago
Since the edit deadline has long-passed, I'll reply with a note: I suspect my comment was downvoted by people trawling my history after seeing https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8879389 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8879389 and disagreeing strongly. It may just be confirmation bias, but this isn't the first time I've noticed my older comments getting downvoted after a comment of mine gets a lot of eyeballs. I realize karma means nothing, but this behavior harms the quality of HN. The mods may want to consider writing a detection/mitigation feature to ignore such downvotes.

marknutter 12y ago

There are currently many 3rd party cases that provide exactly what you're asking for.