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AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

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Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#61

Post by dijit »

fnord123 wrote: post #42
rand_r wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple’s unique ethos is technology as a means for creative expression. That’s why they’ve excelled in font rendering, colour accuracy, sound fidelity, and input-lag. I think this value came from Steve Jobs, and I hope they never lose it because it imbues Apple with real human spirit. They’re more than just another profit-seeking company.

> That’s why they’ve excelled in font rendering, colour accuracy, sound fidelity, and input-lag. That'll be why mac laptops connect to bluetooth speakers using the worst default settings for sound fidelity so it sounds like a dying frog. And the input lag is quite terrible when the machine is under any load.

Input lag on an iPhone or an iPad is best in class. The Mac leaves much to be desired.

I have never had an issue with Bluetooth on the Mac. Maybe there’s issues if you’re doing audio recording on the headset, but that’s a limitation of bluetooth 4 and would be similar on Linux or Windows.

My Linux laptop likes to negotiate HSP (low quality but with audio recording) over HSDP (high quality) with my Bose QC35s, but the Mac is quite happy to dynamically switch as needed.

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#62

Post by crazygringo »

fblp wrote: post #3

I wonder what the internal discussion at Apple was about whether or not to include a loophole in the product. The fact that fixit has gone out and shown how you can add a loophole rather than wasting $13 on an accessory is a bit of a facepalm moment.

Because it's not going to be $13, you'll surely be able to buy 5 for $6 off Amazon soon for whatever kind of holder-with-loophole you want.

People love customizing their things. Some people will need large holes, other tiny ones, depending on what they're attaching it to. Some will want to make their AirTag bigger and bulkier, others not.

In this case I think Apple made the absolutely right decision.

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#63

Post by fastball »

elliekelly wrote: post #19
culturestate wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ll go out on a limb here and guess that their guiding principle with this was as it is with every other portable device they have now - make it as small as practically possible and let people extend it if and how they want[1] to. Saves a little bit of material, makes manufacturing a little less complicated, and makes the accessory ecosystem a whole lot more appealing. 1. I don’t carry a keychain, for example, but I…

> I’ll go out on a limb here and guess that their guiding principle with this was as it is with every other portable device they have now - make it as small as possible and let people extend it if they want Here I am, desperately clutching my nearly-obsolete iPhone in my small hands, waiting for Apple to return to this principle and make an iPhone that I can comfortably use one-handed again.

Which iPhone do you have that is much smaller than the 12 Mini?

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#64

Post by ryandrake »

caturopath wrote: post #18

The lack of loophole was disorienting, but then I went and looked up how they want you to attach it, and the hangtag accessories look so pretty https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/04/apple-introduces-airt... -- things like the appearance and the sound quality really show a commitment to making polished products rather than practical ones. I've been fairly negative on Apple for a few years and they still need to pull…

A little off-topic, but can an artistic person or graphic designer help me to understand why every airtag in Apple's literature with the Apple logo has that two-color (light gray, dark gray) scheme with a not-exactly-straight line dividing the colors [1]? It seems like an odd design choice.

EDIT: Ha! Thanks for the push. I would have never seen it. My eyes are broken I guess. It truly looks to me like they are two-toned gray, even after the explanation.

1: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/images/product/accessories/st...

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#65

Post by davidmurdoch »

perryizgr8 wrote: post #43
selykg wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably not everyone. But for me, after spending $1400 I’m putting it in a case. My Xs Max is nearly two and a half years old now and I took it out of the case for it’s scheduled cleaning and after wiping it down and getting the built up pocket crud out of the crevices where the case and phone meet, its like brand new. I’m hoping I can get at least another year out of this thing. Battery is excellent. iOS doesn’t se…

The reason for putting it in a case is not the price tag. People buy 100k cars and don't cover the outer surfaces with protective plastic. The problem is Apple builds the phone in a fragile manner, prone to breaking and scratching. It's true of other phones too.

> People buy 100k cars and don't cover the outer surfaces with protective plastic

Yes, they do. Look up Paint Protection Film. Ceramic coating is also very commonly used to protect the car's paint, plastics, and glass.

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#66

Post by dijit »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #22
elliekelly wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I’ll go out on a limb here and guess that their guiding principle with this was as it is with every other portable device they have now - make it as small as possible and let people extend it if they want Here I am, desperately clutching my nearly-obsolete iPhone in my small hands, waiting for Apple to return to this principle and make an iPhone that I can comfortably use one-handed again.

> Here I am, desperately clutching my nearly-obsolete iPhone in my small hands, waiting for Apple to return to this principle and make an iPhone that I can comfortably use one-handed again. I've been using the iPhone12 Mini for months. It works great, one-handed. I have heard that it has not sold well, and may be discontinued. That would make me sad.

I upgraded from an iPhone SE (5 body) to an iPhone 12 mini.

Here’s the thing: the 12 mini has the same dimensions as the iPhone 6 that I deemed too big originally. I picked up my old phone the other day and holy shit did it feel nice in comparison.

If you were holding out for an iPhone 5 sized phone then this wasn’t it; no wonder it didn’t sell so good in that demographic. I only bought it because I wanted to support smaller phones- but realistically it’s not small enough.

EDIT: I think I’m wrong but it’s closer to the 6 than the 5:

5: H 123.8mm (4.87 inches) W 58.6mm (2.31 inches) D 7.6mm (0.3 inches)

6: H 138.1 mm (5.44 in) W 67.0 mm (2.64 in) D 6.9 mm (0.27 in) (inc. lens, 7.5 mm, 0.30 in)

12 Mini: H 131.5 (5.18 in) W 64.2 (2.53 in) D 7.4 mm (0.29 in)

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#67

Post by falcolas »

caturopath wrote: post #31
Exmoor wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's hilarious to a certain extent that they built the thing smaller than all the competition and bulk it up with a wad of leather anyhow. That's essentially how I feel when I see the "Our thinnest iPhone ever" slide knowing that 95% of iPhone owners put it in a bulky case. That said, that's not unique to Apple and the phone is at least usable without a case.

It's not like the choice is "thick and doesn't need a case or thin and needs a case". Even if the phone was thicker, people would be using cases if they bought it, right?

Me? No. I get a case because of the fscking camera bump (though with the latest model, it's more tumor than bump). I just want my phone to lay flat.

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#68

Post by panda88888 »

ryandrake wrote: post #64
caturopath wrote: post #18

The lack of loophole was disorienting, but then I went and looked up how they want you to attach it, and the hangtag accessories look so pretty https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/04/apple-introduces-airt... -- things like the appearance and the sound quality really show a commitment to making polished products rather than practical ones. I've been fairly negative on Apple for a few years and they still need to pull…

A little off-topic, but can an artistic person or graphic designer help me to understand why every airtag in Apple's literature with the Apple logo has that two-color (light gray, dark gray) scheme with a not-exactly-straight line dividing the colors [1]? It seems like an odd design choice. EDIT: Ha! Thanks for the push. I would have never seen it. My eyes are broken I guess. It truly looks to me like they are two-to…

I think it’s a single color but shaded due to its dome shape.

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#69

Post by Guest19023892 »

ryandrake wrote: post #64
caturopath wrote: post #18

The lack of loophole was disorienting, but then I went and looked up how they want you to attach it, and the hangtag accessories look so pretty https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/04/apple-introduces-airt... -- things like the appearance and the sound quality really show a commitment to making polished products rather than practical ones. I've been fairly negative on Apple for a few years and they still need to pull…

A little off-topic, but can an artistic person or graphic designer help me to understand why every airtag in Apple's literature with the Apple logo has that two-color (light gray, dark gray) scheme with a not-exactly-straight line dividing the colors [1]? It seems like an odd design choice. EDIT: Ha! Thanks for the push. I would have never seen it. My eyes are broken I guess. It truly looks to me like they are two-to…

The tags with the icons are white.

https://i.imgur.com/ZlvXsaR.jpg

The tags with the Apple logo are a mirror finish.

https://i.imgur.com/QaVobYc.jpg

The sharp line isn't part of the design, it's just a minimalist way of showing a highly reflective material. The sharper the line, the sharper the reflections in the surface. The line is curved because the surface of the tag is curved (e.g. you can see how the straight window is curved in the above image). If the tag was a flat surface, then it would be a straight line.

Re: AirTag Teardown Part One: Yeah, This Tracks

#70

Post by NathanielK »

caturopath wrote: post #31
Exmoor wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's hilarious to a certain extent that they built the thing smaller than all the competition and bulk it up with a wad of leather anyhow. That's essentially how I feel when I see the "Our thinnest iPhone ever" slide knowing that 95% of iPhone owners put it in a bulky case. That said, that's not unique to Apple and the phone is at least usable without a case.

It's not like the choice is "thick and doesn't need a case or thin and needs a case". Even if the phone was thicker, people would be using cases if they bought it, right?

I disagree. With modern materials, the thinness is the root of durability compromises. I've used my Xperia XZ1 compact for several years without a case. I've dropped it on concrete floors, sat on it, and used it in the mud. There're some chips in the paint, but the fiberglass body underneath is fine. Any scratches on the Gorilla Glass 5 are barely visible.

My old phones with cheap poly-carbonate backs(cracks easily) and thin GG3(cracks,scratches are apparent) were fragile in comparison. The material science has improved with modern phones, but manufacturers choose to make fragile phones.

You don't need thick overmoulding and port covers to make a phome durable without a case. The materials are strong enough on the high end phones. The problem is that when you make the glass thinner and exposed at the corners, it will crack with much less impact. The overall thinness means less flexural rigidity (rigidity is proportional to thickness cubed), you can snap a modern phone with your hands. Cheap new phones get it even worse. They use flimsier materials to cram a better SoC in, and still are rarely waterproof.

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