How Apple achieves the high-gloss 'jet black' color on the iPhone 7 & 7 Plus
Apple made something of a fuss about the iPhone 7's new "jet black" color during this week's press event in San Francisco, going into depth about the nine-step process needed to achieve that look. Here's how it's accomplished.
Perhaps the most unique part of the process is actually the first, something Apple designer Jony Ive referred to as "rotational 3D polishing."
A machine drags the aluminum housing through a specialized powder, which buffs out imperfections and helps to produce a mirror-like effect. Typically in the industry, such housing would be buffed using a chemical wash or electrochemical method instead.
The housing is then dipped into an anodization tank, where electricity jolts the surface of the aluminum into aluminum oxide, making it more corrosion-resistant.
The surface is made porous so it can absorb the black dye, which Ive described as a "single-component" material "absorbed through a capillary effect to ensure maximum saturation." This apparently explains how Apple manages to achieve such a dark shade of black.
In the last step, the housing is spun through a bath of magnetized "ultra-fine" iron particles, used to polish the anodized layer for extra sheen. Apple in fact warns that this layer is more prone to showing scratching and scuffing, and hence people should use a case if they want to keep a device untarnished.
Preorders for the iPhone 7 are already underway, in advance of a Sept. 16 launch date. The jet black glossy finish is limited to iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus capacities of 128 and 256 gigabytes.
Perhaps the most unique part of the process is actually the first, something Apple designer Jony Ive referred to as "rotational 3D polishing."
A machine drags the aluminum housing through a specialized powder, which buffs out imperfections and helps to produce a mirror-like effect. Typically in the industry, such housing would be buffed using a chemical wash or electrochemical method instead.
The housing is then dipped into an anodization tank, where electricity jolts the surface of the aluminum into aluminum oxide, making it more corrosion-resistant.
The surface is made porous so it can absorb the black dye, which Ive described as a "single-component" material "absorbed through a capillary effect to ensure maximum saturation." This apparently explains how Apple manages to achieve such a dark shade of black.
In the last step, the housing is spun through a bath of magnetized "ultra-fine" iron particles, used to polish the anodized layer for extra sheen. Apple in fact warns that this layer is more prone to showing scratching and scuffing, and hence people should use a case if they want to keep a device untarnished.
Preorders for the iPhone 7 are already underway, in advance of a Sept. 16 launch date. The jet black glossy finish is limited to iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus capacities of 128 and 256 gigabytes.
Comments
1) Not produce such a finish in the first place?
- Consider though that reviewers who had access to the iPhone 7 on Sept. 7th said this was the best looking model.
- Apple gets more than its fair share of criticism that its devices are lacking "dazzle" or "wow factor". One way to do that is to have a really great looking finish.
- Lots of positive press for Samsung with the Edge, even though it makes the device more fragile and has no (real) benefits. But it is "cool"
2) Not recommend a case for those that want to maintain a pristine look for the phone. Wouldn't the complaint then be that Apple wasn't being honest?
3) Make a jet black material with a magic quality that is impervious to any scratches?
They have 4 other colours/finishes. No one is forced to buy this model. Apple is being upfront about the potential for scratches and so a case can reduce the risk. You are not forced to read this article and feel bothered by it.
Kind of like every black car ever made. Kinda like every Piano ever made.
Also, there is a limited edition One Plus phone made from ceramic (zirconia). You would have a tough time scratching that:
exactly, but you can not fix stupid and we have plenty of stupid in the wild.
Back in the day, if you order an Black car, car companies use to hand pick all the car panels to make sure they were perfect since any imperfection in the panel would show up when painted black.
I always a amaze with people who buy a black cars and are surprise when it looks like crap after a year of driving it under normal condition.
Lets be clear here, all surfaces are subject to scratch color makes no difference, there is no such things a more durable finish unless you are talking about a Diamond. The issue is this, Black surfaces no mater what the coloring material is or the material of the surface is made of will show scratch faster and more visible than any other color. It is visual issue and optical principle not that black scratch easier.
BTW, Apple is anodizing the aluminum, which is aluminum oxide which is nearly as hard as diamonds and it still subject to be scratch.
Some bozo rubs sandpaper to the back of iPhone jet black to show how easily it scratches.
I can't tell you the number of times I've seen someone using an iPhone without a case and I thought, "oh that new iPhone looks really nice" and then realized later that they had the exact model I have, but mine is in a case so I never really get to see the beautiful and thin design, except on the few occasions when I take it out of the case to clean out all the dust particles that accumulate.
The MacBook they released with just that one USB-C port is another example of form over function. I imagine Jony getting all excited that the rest of the case isn't broken up by ports and that he made this rose gold color, but does anyone there actually use these machines in the real world for real work? If they pull that crap with the next MacBook Pro, I will no longer be an Apple customer and I've been one for almost 40 years.
As for the Mac Book, it's primary market is for people that want light and thin, have need of few connected USB devices, and rely primarily on wireless. They adapt to the single USB Type C Port if they must. You, on the other hand, would likely benefit from a Mac Book Pro which I speculate will have in the next iteration, at least two USB Type C ports.
Even if you get the customers to sign in blood that they understand the risks they will sue.
I'd even go further and say that certain law offices are probably already drafting the class action suit papers this very day. All they will need to do is fill in the names when they sign up a customer.
As the song goes
"There is trouble ahead".