“In a 2015 9to5Mac review of the iPhone 7 battery case Jeremy Horwitz stated that ‘apparently hidden within the case is some sort of passive wireless antenna, though Apple provides no documentation on the feature,'” Jack Purcher reports for 9to5Mac.
“Today, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple,” Purcher reports, “that reveals every geeky detail you’ll ever want to know about the supplementary antenna hidden in their battery case.”
Purcher reports, “Apple’s patent application 20170069955 titled ‘Battery Case with Supplemental Antenna Features for Cellular Telephone’ was filed back in Q3 2015.”
Read more, and see Apple’s patent application illustrations, in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Make fun of its “bump,” bulge,” “plateau,” or whatever you want to call it, but Apple’s iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case [$89 via Amazon] is the best iPhone battery case on the market.
Where is the battery case for the iPhone 7 Plus?
I said it the moment I first saw it, “That is the ugliest case I have ever seen” – by ANY company.
But it’s more comfortable in your hand, which is vastly more important than how it looks, especially for a device that you mainly hold in your hand to use and is covered by said hand anyway.
You actually look at the rest? Mostly cheap looking clunkers. The “bulge” is form following function, providing super battery life without interfering with camera, reception, or charging functions.
Possibly for the FM radio chip?
Nope, not stated as such.
I’m looking forward to the arrival of iPhone nano.
By the looks of it, it’s due soon.
Jack Purcher reports for 9to5mac? I don’t think so.
The case may have a supplemental antenna that compensates for variations in performance in the antenna when the device is received within the case. The supplemental antenna may be a parasitic antenna resonating element that is formed from metal traces on a flexible printed circuit. The flexible printed circuit, a metal trim structure, and a plastic support structure may form portions of a connector support structure in the case. . . .
It can be challenging to ensure that an electronic device antenna operates properly in the presence of an external case. The materials of the case may affect antenna operation. For example, metal structures associated with a battery of other components may interfere with the normal operation of an electronic device antenna and dielectric materials may load an antenna. If care is not taken, wireless performance for an electronic device may be degraded in the presence of a removable case or undesired amounts of radiated spurious emissions may arise. . . .
The electronic device may have an antenna. Due to the presence of external structures such as portions of the case, there is a potential for the antenna of the electronic device to become detuned when the electronic device is received within the body of the case. A supplemental antenna in the case may be used to restore antenna performance to the electronic device, so that the electronic device antenna performs satisfactorily, even when the electronic device is received within the body of the case. The supplemental antenna and other features in the case may be configured to help reduce or eliminate radiated spurious emissions.