Vapor Chamber Tech Keeps iPhone 17 Pro Cool

If you want to do a trade in every 1, 2, or 3 years then scratches or damage to the phone can decrease the value on the old phone.

I tried rocking no case and broke the screen which isn’t a huge deal but required attention, downtime, and the phone didn’t work the same way after repair.

The titanium iPhones at least are nearly impervious to scratches when dropped on concrete or asphalt from a reasonable height. I “scientifically” test it pretty often.

The iPhone 15 pro was significantly lighter than previous pro models, and a case would negate that improvement. However, I wouldn’t have even experimented with not using a case if it weren’t for the applecare plans that are that expensive. I’ve been pretty surprised by the durability to the extent that I should probably discontinue the applecare plans.

The aluminum models might not be as durable. Compared to phones 20 or even 30 years ago that didn’t need a case, I suppose a significant difference is the density as much as the total weight or the hardness of the materials.

How do you propose making a device that people wouldn't feel the need to put a case on? You could make the whole thing out of rubber but that's still going to take cosmetic damage that people want to protect the device from. You could make it easy to replace that rubber... but at what point is that not just functionally the same as a case?

> I'm guessing phone cases are still pretty much required if you drop your phone once or twice a month onto cement/asphalt/marble/etc from pocket height.

I mean... yeah? What consumer tech is that resilient? Maybe put a lanyard on the your phone and attach it to your belt, I mean..

They could make a toughbook style phone for people with such habits, but engineering a mainstream device for such resiliency is going to be overkill for most users and cause a lot of tradeoffs in size/cost/features.

> I still need to buy a phone case with my new phone?

…you don’t. I don’t. My phone is scratched here and there, but not in a way that I notice. I used to defend this with my purchasing of insurance, but frankly, I crack the screen now maybe once every 2+ years.

> Apple is assuming the average person will have a case on their phone

I think it is fair to assume that irrespective of the design, most people will case their phones. Leaning into that is fine as long as the phone is still functional without a case. (Which, again, every iPhone in the last decade has been.)

The ads for ReMarkable 2 and Apple’s Don’t Blink are quite captivating and entertaining in a way that I can’t claim about typical advertising.

Usually it is sign for stability and usefulness if Apple adapts it. They rarely add something very new for mass production.

I think you are exaggerating how much people care about apple outside US. Apple is popular but Samsung, Xiaomi etc are also very dominant in other markets.

Any passive phase change thermal solution is doing the same thing - take thermal energy from one place, and distribute it for dissipation. My point is that the geometric configuration isn't that important, it's doing the same work the same way. Not really worth arguing about, I just suspect that the branding people love that they had a new buzzword in "vapor chamber" to bandy about.

I liked this article from 10 years ago that actually goes into detail about how Fujitsu actually constructed a super-thin heat pipe (really just a very long vapor chamber) https://spectrum.ieee.org/superslim-liquid-loop-will-keep-fu...

Lots of reasons. The most obvious ones that come to mind:

1. People like a variety of custom cases that themselves have features (eg wallet cases random designs etc). If it’s built into the phone that customization capability is worse because you now have two layers of protection making for a very thick and heat-insulating design.

2. It’s valuable to have partners that make accessories for your device. If you kill that line of business for them, other things may go away and those partners will want to work with you less.

3. An integrated case will still suffer cosmetic damage. But now without the option to replace, you’re stuck with that damage.

Got my air yesterday and it definitely gets hot. Will see how it does after a few days as I expected the heat due to the initial sync and transfer, and iOS indexes everything for a day or two.

I have one, too, and you're right that the heating is just what happens while it restores its data and settings and whatnot.

I believe it also re-scans your entire photo library to re-identify dogs, cars, people, etc. with whatever improved algorithm comes with the new chip/OS.

This happens every time you get a new iPhone. Depending on how much it has to sort through, it can take a couple of hours to a week.

I always leave the case off for the first few days.

Heat pumps are way better if you have to manage a lot of heat anyway.

Yes, state actors will be able to breach into your iOS device if you're deemed important enough.

Edit: Meanwhile your average Android device has multiple publicly known remote execution issues.

Easier to slide into the back pocket of my jeans and it doesn’t bulge as much. It also just feels really good in your hands, great ergonomics.

Back when I had the iPhone 5S (7.6 mm vs the 5.6 mm of the iPhone 17 Air): It provided value in terms of feel. It felt like a piece of art meeting cutting edge technology. It wasn't about showing off.