Apple hardware VP discusses iPhone Duo durability and hinge design
Apple's Vice President of Hardware Engineering explained the durability measures, hinge torque profile, and matte display finish planned for the upcoming iPhone Duo.
Apple's new Vice President of Hardware Engineering, Tom Marieb, told TechRadar that the iPhone Duo incorporates several hardware refinements aimed at durability and user experience. He said the device uses a matte nano-texture finish on the folding display to reduce the visibility of any crease and to lessen glare, noting that the finish also helps mask minor changes in the hinge over time.
"Hold us accountable to that, please. The choice of a matte finish — apart from it being beautiful — is part of that equation. When you look at glossy displays, their specularity makes it very easy to pick up topology differences. That’s part of the reason we picked the matte finish — it’s not only beautiful in terms of preventing glare, but it’s also more forgiving of [hinge] changes over time."
Marieb described the hinge as having a carefully engineered torque profile intended to feel solid and stable, comparable to a high-end automobile door. He said the design aims to prevent a floppy feel both when fully opened, fully closed, and in intermediate positions.
"We really worked on the torque profile very heavily, and that means changing a lot of the mechanical properties of the hinge to have it feel solid, like a high-end automobile’s car door, when you shut it. ... we also had to think, ‘Can people interact with this [device] and not have it feel floppy?’ So getting those torque profiles right at both those ends, as well as in the middle — not having it feel like you’re pulling something open, and not feeling as if it’s floppy — we spent a lot of time optimizing that."
He also highlighted the use of Ceramic Shield 2, stating that the technology is intended to make third-party screen protectors unnecessary.
"Personally, when I see someone put a screen protector on their iPhone, it makes my skin crawl, because we work so hard to make beautiful front screens."
The iPhone Duo is scheduled for launch next month, featuring a new software experience alongside these hardware updates.