Apple's new Smart Battery Case displays remaining charge on lock screen, boasts integrated antenna

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 50
    This monstrosity would never get near my iPhone.
    jackansi
  • Reply 22 of 50
    dougddougd Posts: 292member
    Why none for the 6+ ?
  • Reply 23 of 50
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,273member
    Mixed on this one. How about making a thicker iPhone with a bigger battery?
    Not everybody needs more battery life. I would rather it fit in my pocket more easily.
  • Reply 24 of 50
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,273member
    This battery widget, of which they speak, is it available on iPhone 6 or just the 6s? I do not see it.
  • Reply 25 of 50
    metrixmetrix Posts: 256member
    Longtime Apple fan but this is the ugliest thing Apple has ever sold. iPod socks all over again. 
  • Reply 26 of 50
    I would love to see how a nice design of a thing with this function would look.
  • Reply 27 of 50
    Great... now Apple is going to feel free to put an even smaller battery in the next iPhone.

    It's odd that Apple would put this out though...  

    Maybe they are actually listening to the battery life complaints.  

    (Yes, the only group of iPhone users I can't commiserate with about abysmal battery life are, oddly, all on this forum.  Funny isn't it?  Out in the real world, everyone I know with an iPhone has this problem and solves it by always having a charger in their car or purse)

    ...or Apple wants to show the other battery case makers that if you put a lightning port in, people will be more likely to buy it.  But with the responses so far, it seems Apple fans would rather cut off their left arms than have this on their phone.  Apple has lost its' design mojo!

    I know I'll be buying 2, even as ugly as it is, if it works perfectly with the 6.

    edited December 2015
  • Reply 28 of 50
    I can't believe people are getting that worked up over an optional battery case. Yeah I know it's December and there's no tech news but still....it's a friggin battery case that none of us will ever have to buy. Cover your eyes and move on. Sheesh.
    anantksundaram
  • Reply 29 of 50
    evilutionevilution Posts: 1,399member
    Must have been designed by the same person who did the new Apple watch charging pillow.
    I don't understand the problem people are having with the old iPod socks. It was just a slip cover to stop it getting scratched.
  • Reply 30 of 50
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    Given it doesn't bulk the phone until needed I'm still little more attracted to the standalone small packs with a couple of extra charges in them. Light enough and cheap enough with just the issue of during charging that style is awkwardly attached unlike this case.

    As to "ugly"? Gotta say if your constantly distracted by the BACK, well, you ARE holding it wrong!
    edited December 2015
  • Reply 31 of 50
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    Mixed on this one. How about making a thicker iPhone with a bigger battery?
    how about not and making them even thinner?

    seriously, we can't get to the future of scifi-like, paper-thin devices if they dont learn how to make these devices thinner and thinner. you're free to add a battery case. as a bonus, the iPhones have gotten better battery despite getting thinner.
  • Reply 32 of 50
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member


    I do wonder though if there are things Apple designers really don't care about but are pushed by marketing or retail and so their heart isn't in it. ... But this seems like something they were told to do rather than something they wanted to do.

    no. this isn't high school PE -- designers are the gods of apple and they dont get to slack off when theyre feeling mopey.
  • Reply 33 of 50
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member

    You may well be right about this, but do you agree this is one of their ugliest products ever?
    personally id prefer the back was curved in a such a way to mimic the iPhone 3G, which i enjoyed the most in the hand.

    but i suspect theyre doing their Braun thing -- form following function. ironic, since most haters claim theyre too much form *over* function.
  • Reply 34 of 50
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    jackansi said:
    Great... now Apple is going to feel free to put an even smaller battery in the next iPhone. [...]

    Apple has lost its' design mojo!

    1) iPhone battery life has gotten better, not worse, despite the thinning handsets.

    2) a common troll-trope. let me guess, they lost it when Jobs died?
    alexkhan2000anantksundaram
  • Reply 35 of 50


    I do wonder though if there are things Apple designers really don't care about but are pushed by marketing or retail and so their heart isn't in it. ... But this seems like something they were told to do rather than something they wanted to do.

    no. this isn't high school PE -- designers are the gods of apple and they dont get to slack off when theyre feeling mopey.
    Maybe but I have a feeling none of them get excited about designing battery cases. Perhaps in these instances they let engineering do most of the work. Let's not forget that PR piece on Mac accessories featured two Apple hardware engineers and someone from marketing, not any designers.
  • Reply 36 of 50
    jackansi said:
    Great... now Apple is going to feel free to put an even smaller battery in the next iPhone. [...]

    Apple has lost its' design mojo!

    1) iPhone battery life has gotten better, not worse, despite the thinning handsets.

    2) a common troll-trope. let me guess, they lost it when Jobs died?
    People obviously have forgotten about the hockey puck mouse, the cube where the plastic cracked, iPod socks which were whimsical but not that functional the laptops where the logo faced upside down when the lid was open (looked real great on all those sex and the city episodes). Imagine the butt of jokes Apple would be if they announced something like iPod socks on stage today.
  • Reply 37 of 50
    Apple: "you don't need more battery life" Consumer: "but sometimes i like to go outside for the whole day" Apple: "ok, we have built you this silicone sleeve with a built in battery" Consumer: "but now my beautiful phone looks like it's pregnant with another phone" Apple: "this is the best we could come up with for weirdos like you who like to be wireless for as long as possible" Wasn't the object to get away from corded phone especially for something mobile. I have been with Apple since the beginning, but isn't the adage "form follows function" in design. I love the hardware/software integration, but Apple we carry phones in the real world, they need last for a day or more, and withstand drops--yet we have to wrap your beautiful phone in a ugly case. Design around the function of works well in the field, surprise us with that.
  • Reply 38 of 50
    linkmanlinkman Posts: 1,035member

    You may well be right about this, but do you agree this is one of their ugliest products ever?
    personally id prefer the back was curved in a such a way to mimic the iPhone 3G, which i enjoyed the most in the hand.

    but i suspect theyre doing their Braun thing -- form following function. ironic, since most haters claim theyre too much form *over* function.
    The iPod Mini was a perfect fit in my hand. Felt great.
  • Reply 39 of 50
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    non_sense said:
    Apple: "you don't need more battery life" Consumer: "but sometimes i like to go outside for the whole day" Apple: "ok, we have built you this silicone sleeve with a built in battery" Consumer: "but now my beautiful phone looks like it's pregnant with another phone" Apple: "this is the best we could come up with for weirdos like you who like to be wireless for as long as possible" Wasn't the object to get away from corded phone especially for something mobile. I have been with Apple since the beginning, but isn't the adage "form follows function" in design. I love the hardware/software integration, but Apple we carry phones in the real world, they need last for a day or more, and withstand drops--yet we have to wrap your beautiful phone in a ugly case. Design around the function of works well in the field, surprise us with that.
    what? this is a prime example of form following function, yet you still hate it.

    and my iPhone 6 gets good battery use -- i charge once a day, like clockwork. 
  • Reply 40 of 50
    mac_128 said:
    You may well be right about this, but do you agree this is one of their ugliest products ever?
    Have you seen it in black? ;-)


    Looks a bit like the Motorola Razr flip phone in profile view.
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