On: Why Your Next iPhone Won't Be Ceramic

[Animats]

additionally some of the structural tradeoffs involved in ceramics may be unacceptable for general survivability in a phone-sized form factor.

Um, yes. Look how much trouble Apple has with bending. Remember "bendgate". A ceramic will crack, not bend.

The other direction, flexible phones, has promise. Flexible printed circuits already exist. Flexible displays exist. Flexible batteries are probably possible. Flexible front transparent cover should be possible. Samsung has tried some things in this space, and has shipped a slightly curved phone. So far, no really flexible phones. The main problem is making it flexible while limiting the amount of bend. Maybe a stiff flat spring...

[draw_down → Animats]

Ah yes, bendgate, the thing that was definitely real and actually caused problems for many actual people in real life.

[achompas → draw_down]

You're being facetious, but: yes, bendgate has caused problems for many actual people in real life.

Read more about touch disease:

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/iphone-6-plus-touch-disease...

[duaneb → Animats]

While a flexible battery would be really cool, I thought flexibility was a major problem for lithium ion.

[odbol_ → duaneb]

I've seen bendable batteries that can even be cut in half without danger (and they still work!) I even have some samples in my closet somewhere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx08CGcyuAE

[vegabook → Animats]

I doubt anybody wants a bendy battery in their phone anytime soon, given heightening consumer awareness of how dangerous high energy Lithium Ion can be, and how sensitive they are to damage.

[Declanomous → vegabook]

That sounds like a marketing opportunity to me.

"Normal lithium ion batteries are rigid, making them susceptible to damage. When bent, they catch fire."

(Graphic of phone catching on fire)

"The new bendy battery bends, rather than breaks. This keeps you and your loved ones safe!"

[wolfgke → Declanomous]

> "Normal lithium ion batteries are rigid, making them susceptible to damage. When bent, they catch fire."

This together with a bendable iPhone is marketing the iPhone to people that the TSA rather does not want to let into planes. :-)

[Splines → vegabook]

> given heightening consumer awareness of how dangerous high energy Lithium Ion can be, and how sensitive they are to damage.

I assume you're talking about the Note 7? To be honest, I think the details about the why and how of the Note 7 fires are lost on the general populace. Most people don't particularly care why (and they shouldn't need to), they just care that it happens.