Rumor: 'iPhone 6s' to be stronger with Series 7000 aluminum, slightly thicker for Force Touch
Apple's next-generation iPhone will take a few design cues from the Apple Watch, not only gaining the new Force Touch input method, but also utilizing the company's custom Series 7000 aluminum for a casing that will be up to 60 percent harder than the iPhone 6.
Information on the materials that will be used to build Apple's so-called "iPhone 6s" was detailed by well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, in a research note summarized by Macotakara.
According to Kuo, the next iPhone will be slightly wider and taller by about 0.15 millimeters, while it will be thicker by 0.2 millimeters --?changes that could be due to the new Force Touch display expected in the device. For perspective, the current iPhone 6 measures 6.9 millimeters thick, while the iPhone 6 Plus is 7.1 millimeters.
AppleInsider's own sources confirmed in February that Apple plans on bringing its new Force Touch input method to the "iPhone 6s" this year, affirming earlier rumblings. Force Touch debuted in April on the Apple Watch and the company's latest MacBooks, allowing users to press harder on a display or trackpad to gain new contextual options.
Kuo said in April that he expects Force Touch on the "iPhone 6s" to bring about the most significant change to date for the iOS user interface. At the time, he said he believed Apple will implement Force Touch on the next iPhone by using capacitive technology.
As for the 7000 Series aluminum, Apple introduced it in the Apple Watch, touting that it had created an entirely new alloy that's 60 percent stronger than most aluminum, while just one-third the density of stainless steel.
Along with a revised casing material, Kuo also believes the colors on the next iPhone will be slightly tweaked, with the current gold model to become closer to yellow gold, while space gray will become darker than on the current iPhone 6.
Finally, Kuo is also said to have again reiterated that Apple plans to introduce a rose gold colored iPhone this year. The insider first revealed that information in May, but it remains unclear whether Apple plans to introduce simply a rose gold color, or release a premium iPhone made of actual 18-karat gold.
Apple first introduced the "gold" color with the iPhone 5s beginning in 2013. However, iPhone models to date have not been made of actual gold, unlike the luxury Apple Watch Edition which is made of 18-karat gold and starts at $10,000.
Information on the materials that will be used to build Apple's so-called "iPhone 6s" was detailed by well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, in a research note summarized by Macotakara.
According to Kuo, the next iPhone will be slightly wider and taller by about 0.15 millimeters, while it will be thicker by 0.2 millimeters --?changes that could be due to the new Force Touch display expected in the device. For perspective, the current iPhone 6 measures 6.9 millimeters thick, while the iPhone 6 Plus is 7.1 millimeters.
AppleInsider's own sources confirmed in February that Apple plans on bringing its new Force Touch input method to the "iPhone 6s" this year, affirming earlier rumblings. Force Touch debuted in April on the Apple Watch and the company's latest MacBooks, allowing users to press harder on a display or trackpad to gain new contextual options.
Kuo said in April that he expects Force Touch on the "iPhone 6s" to bring about the most significant change to date for the iOS user interface. At the time, he said he believed Apple will implement Force Touch on the next iPhone by using capacitive technology.
As for the 7000 Series aluminum, Apple introduced it in the Apple Watch, touting that it had created an entirely new alloy that's 60 percent stronger than most aluminum, while just one-third the density of stainless steel.
Along with a revised casing material, Kuo also believes the colors on the next iPhone will be slightly tweaked, with the current gold model to become closer to yellow gold, while space gray will become darker than on the current iPhone 6.
Finally, Kuo is also said to have again reiterated that Apple plans to introduce a rose gold colored iPhone this year. The insider first revealed that information in May, but it remains unclear whether Apple plans to introduce simply a rose gold color, or release a premium iPhone made of actual 18-karat gold.
Apple first introduced the "gold" color with the iPhone 5s beginning in 2013. However, iPhone models to date have not been made of actual gold, unlike the luxury Apple Watch Edition which is made of 18-karat gold and starts at $10,000.
Comments
Complaining about a mild thickness change in the body of the iPhone itself is going to be a little silly unless it requires a new protective case.
What Apple needs is a new line of products much like the white MacBooks and (until recently) the Mac mini. Deliberately indifferent to fads and styles, they're intelligently designed for practicality. Schools can buy them because upgrading them or fixing them takes just a few minutes. Parents with limited budgets will love them.
My aging white MacBook illustrates that perfectly. Even a total klutz can add more RAM and swap out the hard drive in under ten minutes. Try doing that will any of Apple's current products.
Apple doesn't have to advertise them. All it needs to do is make and sell them. Smart consumers will find and buy them, making more money. And the silly twits can go on thinking that thin matters.
(No kidding, I ready a "paging Inkling to the thread" post, and he beats me to it by a minute!)
This guy gets more mulligans than the people at Chaimbers Bay will this weekend.
It almost sounds contractual, doesn't it?
Claiming to have created an "entirely new [7000 series] alloy" is essentially a meaningless statement. Aluminum alloys contain varying amounts of silicon, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, chromium, zinc and sometimes other metals to get the desired physical properties. Altering the proportions of one or more of those constituents may result in a new alloy, but given their number there's an extremely large number of possible variations. Anyone could specify a third decimal place change and claim a new alloy.
That said, 7000 series aluminum alloys are very high strength and for that reason can be somewhat slower to machine, so if Apple does adopt them for the next iPhone it's not without manufacturing significance. There's a good deal more metal to be machined out of an iPhone case than that of an Apple Watch.
Apple is not Dell. They do not need to produce a machine for every segment of the market.
And the Mac Mini no longer has a quad-core option because Intel doesn't make a suitable chip for it. The i5 4570 from the iMac is $200 by itself.
Apple doesn't need anything. The majority of users don't need to add RAM or replace their hard drives.
Budget folks and schools can get the mini. Although I agree the memory should be replaceable. So max it out or double the default when you order it.
Claiming to have created an "entirely new [7000 series] alloy" is essentially a meaningless statement. Aluminum alloys contain varying amounts of silicon, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, chromium, zinc and sometimes other metals to get the desired physical properties. Altering the proportions of one or more of those constituents may result in a new alloy, but given their number there's an extremely large number of possible variations. Anyone could specify a third decimal place change and claim a new alloy.
That said, 7000 series aluminum alloys are very high strength and for that reason can be somewhat slower to machine, so if Apple does adopt them for the next iPhone it's not without manufacturing significance. There's a good deal more metal to be machined out of an iPhone case than that of an Apple Watch.
Getting a mill to crank out million of pounds of your "entirely new alloy" really is pretty impressive all the same.
Next up, lithium aluminum alloys, primarily used in aircraft skins and launch vehicles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium-lithium_alloy
And I'd like to see the total klutz swap ultra-low-voltage RAM that is so power sensitive that it cannot be socketed.
The 13" MacBook Pro is still available.
All of these alloys have slight variations in composition. To call something a variation of the same alloy number is permissible, as long as the composition falls within the generally accepted numbers.
So, if Apple is using a series 6000 alloy now, it's like a variation of 6061. The most widely use aluminum alloy because of its combination of good strength, workability and cost. It has a psi rating of 35,000, with a temper of T5, which is pretty standard. That pretty good, and is strong for a 6000 series alloy.
But if they are going to a7000 series, things are different.
7075 has a psi of 56,000 and is pretty hard for aluminum. It's not as easy to work.
7050 has a psi of 68,000, and is harder. It's also not as easy to work, but both are workable enough for CNC, and anodizing.
As an example, the most widely used steel is low carbon. It's strong enough for most purposes and is fairly hard—harder than aluminum. But its psi is just 54,000.
I work with these material, and if Apple is moving to 7000 series, that's interesting, as these alloys are significantly more expensive than 6000 series. In addition, Apple work hardens the alloys for the watch, but I don't know if they do so for the phone and iPad. If so, I haven't heard of it. They have improved the phone anodizing though. The 5 series was noted for poor anodize coat. My 5 even had small digs in a case. But I haven't put my 6+ in a case, and so far, nada! Anodizing, if don't well, results in an aluminum surface considerably harder than hardened steel.
Most of this was believable until he mentioned that the gold iPhone would be more yellow gold than champagne. I find that highly doubtful. The new iPhones will most likely be the same colors as the new MacBooks. Didn't this guy also say there would be a pink iPhone? What happened to that rumor?
0.2 mm
Yes, that's what happens when I comment before reading the whole story...
All of these alloys have slight variations in composition. To call something a variation of the same alloy number is permissible, as long as the composition falls within the generally accepted numbers.
So, if Apple is using a series 6000 alloy now, it's like a variation of 6061. The most widely use aluminum alloy because of its combination of good strength, workability and cost. It has a psi rating of 35,000, with a temper of T5, which is pretty standard. That pretty good, and is strong for a 6000 series alloy.
But if they are going to a7000 series, things are different.
7075 has a psi of 56,000 and is pretty hard for aluminum. It's not as easy to work.
7050 has a psi of 68,000, and is harder. It's also not as easy to work, but both are workable enough for CNC, and anodizing.
As an example, the most widely used steel is low carbon. It's strong enough for most purposes and is fairly hard—harder than aluminum. But its psi is just 54,000.
I work with these material, and if Apple is moving to 7000 series, that's interesting, as these alloys are significantly more expensive than 6000 series. In addition, Apple work hardens the alloys for the watch, but I don't know if they do so for the phone and iPad. If so, I haven't heard of it. They have improved the phone anodizing though. The 5 series was noted for poor anodize coat. My 5 even had small digs in a case. But I haven't put my 6+ in a case, and so far, nada! Anodizing, if don't well, results in an aluminum surface considerably harder than hardened steel.
I machine 6061-t6 daily, and as both extruded bar and rolled plate. Plate generally has better characteristics, and is more stable during and after the machining process. Almost certainly, Apple is specifying plate for its processes. Using a 7000 series will also give Apple many more appearance options including mirrored if you are into that sort of thing, and it will be less prone to damage.
I don't care about the increase in thickness, but was hoping for less bezel--the increased width and height might be a problem for me. The 6 is already too big for several of my shirt pockets.