“A new Apple patent has been published, which could provide a hint about how a future version of the iPhone may not have to include those plastic strips on the rear panel,” Andy Boxall reports for Digital Trends. “Apple is forced to use the plastic inserts to ensure the phone’s antennas operate correctly, because the anodized aluminum body doesn’t let radio signals pass through it.”
“The patent is for a ‘non-capacitive or radio frequency-transparent material with anodized metal appearance,’ a very descriptive title that tells us almost all we need to know,” Boxall reports. “Apple’s idea is to make a composite material that looks and feels like the metal covering an iPhone today, but which doesn’t need any plastic strips running across it to make the phone part work normally.”
“Apple calls the creation of devices that require radio wave transparency a ‘design challenge,’ and at the moment the visible plastic in metal or glass surfaces ‘can detract from the smooth and continuous look of the metallic housing,'” Boxall reports. “In other words. Apple hates the fact it can’t make the already pretty sleek iPhone completely free of ugly design compromises.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Those plastic strips don’t really bother us. They’re rather ingenious, hardy, and well-applied, actually, but at this point, whatever floats Jony Ive’s boat when it comes to hardware design is okay with us – especially if a more seamless design can lead to better water resistance for iPhones.