Apple’s new Smart Battery Case is the ugliest product to come out of Cupertino since apps with leather stiching.
The new case came as a surprise this morning, offering iPhone 6s owners some extra juice and protection, but its weird hump has drawn the attention and ire of fans, leading many to wonder, ‘did Jony Ive really approve this thing?’
Not only is the case so ugly it looks like Quasimodo had sex with a camel. It’s not even that functional. It can’t recharge the iPhone 6s from 0 to 100 percent. The only LED indicator is on the inside of the case. And you can’t decide when to have the case charge your iPhone.
It’s so awful I’d almost swear Scott Forstall snuck into the design lab and is pranking us. It’s ironic Apple’s obsession with sacrificing battery life to make the iPhone thinner has put the company in a corner, causing it to innovate its way into making a big bulky battery case.
We’re not the only ones that hate the new case. Apple fans went crazy on Twitter in disbelief over the Smart Battery Case. Check out some of the best reactions:
Apple’s new $99 battery case for iPhone. They have to be messing with us at this point… pic.twitter.com/DhVzy0Lqfq
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) December 8, 2015
Apple’s iPhone battery case is distinctly different from others in that it is tone deaf to a problem they’re able to fix:
— Louie Mantia (@mantia) December 8, 2015
Apple’s new battery case looks like an orthopedic shoe for your iPhone: https://t.co/vx9PQuWYu1 pic.twitter.com/dDSV6JgZ2D
— Fast Company (@FastCompany) December 8, 2015
I am affectionately referring to the bulge on the back of the apple iphone battery case as “the love hump”
— Chris Ziegler (@zpower) December 8, 2015
Apple’s new battery enhancing case for iPhone 6S looks like an iPhone that’s pregnant with baby iPhone 4S pic.twitter.com/fDmsf5gy0G
— Ridwan (@Ridwan_Patel) December 8, 2015
All my kingdom to know if that *horrific* new iPhone battery case was codenamed “Igor” internally?
— Kory Westerhold (@iamkory) December 8, 2015
“Junk in the trunk: The new Apple iPhone 6S Battery Case is Magical, reviewers say.”
— Paul Thurrott (@thurrott) December 8, 2015
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
12 responses to “Internet questions Jony Ive’s sanity with new iPhone battery case”
Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes all the way through. It doesn’t even work well!
What are they smokin’? I want to stay away from THAT!
Jony Ive has left the building.
Nah, he’s a twit. Jobs has left the building and it starts to show.
Sorry, Serban, but Steve Jobs died more than 4 years ago. Apple has been doing just fine. Do you enjoy an iPhone 6, Macbook, AppleTV or Apple Watch (and many other products)? Thank Cook, Ive and others for those.
I don’t think Apple is doing fine imo… Some of these “innovative” products is coming out with lacking/unnecessary content in comparison to its counterparts, such as AppleTV against Ruko/Chromecast, iPen (really, Apple? I can understand, if it can be modular, but a stylus that is 8/9$ in price is ridicoulus). And not to mention one of their MacBook’s (I know there are other variants, don’t worry) but no standard USB ports, only one USB Type-C, and no DVD drive. I can understand it’s built to be mobile as ever, but USB Type-C is not commercially to be used yet, almost all of our memory sticks/external HDD is used on USB 2.0/3.0, and the adapters are quite expensive. They are selling products that are half useless today, and they will release products that will eventually be useful in the near future, but putting them out today is just stupid and waste of resources. Apple has to step up more to satisfact the customers to Apple users AND outside of them.
Interesting comments by what seems to be a relatively new Apple user, if at all. That first sentence, difficult as it was to parse, makes not much sense: “…coming out with lacking/unnecessary content…?” There is as much content available on Apple TV as any of the products you mentioned. The price you quote for the “iPen” is wrong, but likely, if you had used one, you might be impressed with the things it does that no other stylus can do. Besides, no one is making your buy these products you think are unnecessary.
As far as designing computers you don’t approve of or seem much use for, you stated, but still seem to miss the point. You correctly say the Macbook is a variant, and you “understand it is built for the mobile user…”, but those are •exactly• the reasons it lacks the connectivity of other Apple models. You seem to be making Apple’s case, but deriding it at the same time. A mobile user these days simply does not need a CD/DVD player, nor an SD slot, nor really any of the ports except charging. This is not 1984, nor 1993, nor 2004 or 2008. Things change, needs change, and interestingly, Apple is usually driving that change… for the good. You say, “USB Type-C is not commercially to be used yet”, which I imagine means you feel it is not widely accepted yet. I’d remind you that neither was USB when Apple first included it. Nor Firewire. Nor SCSI for that matter. Until the SCSI protocol, all those years ago, hard drives used a much slower serial or parallel interface, the choice at the time. I could list a hundred things Apple invented or rebranded and pushed to market that have become a part of modern computing. Some have given way to other technologies, many more have lasted.
My point is Apple has steadily pointed the way by adopting new technologies. You might still be lamenting the loss of the 30-pin iDevice connector of several years ago (as many did, and loudly expressed their nearly hateful opposition), but there is little doubt that the reversible, more capable Lightening cable is far superior.
Change is not always good, but it is inevitable. At least the vast majority of Apple’s changes are for the better, even if users don’t immediately see it. Don’t want a Macbook? Don’t buy one? Wanna hang on to that seldom-used DVD capability, then certainly do. They’ll be around for a while, and even available on some Apple models.
My point was, when Steve Jobs died, Apple has lacked the initiative aspect on how Apple was created for, how Steve Jobs invisioned the products should evolve in their pace. He was harsh, and for a good reasons, because he dedicated his work on how they introduced the products. Now, mostly Apple just throws in whatever they like such as this example on the article, not only does it look ugly, it’s inpractical. And as for the iPen, the price range is actually 8/9$ retail price (iPen 2, going for the latest product, because we are talking about the latest devices), and finally as I mentioned about the MacBook mobility > does not equal > mobile. We have iPad’s, iPhones and many other mobile devices, and the price ranges do differ a lot, iPad Pro 799$ – MacBook Pro from 1299$ to 1999$. I do agree with you about change is inevitable, and it isn’t balanced on how good or bad they are, but Apple has fallen so low, that it needs a check on it. Steve Jobs wouldn’t have allowed so many flops out there, but people keep buying into their stuff. I am not an Apple hater, nor do I stick with any other brands, I do like some of their products, but lately, it could have gone much better.
It is singularly awful. I guess they got tired of Mophie taking all the money.
Ironically enough, Mophie is still probably going to take all of the money.
It reminds me of that ugly extra capacity battery you could get for the original grey plastic Motorola flip phone back in like 1990. Absolutely butt-ugly. At first I thought it was one of those joke slides Apple used at a Keynote (like the one Steve showed of an “iPhone” with a rotary dial. Oh, Lord, this thing is real though.
Hump, What hump ?
I’ve been questioning Jony Ive’s sanity since iOS 7.