Apple has technology for seamless metal iPhone case
There would be a lot of advantages, both for Apple and the user, for an iPhone with a seamless, one-piece case. Apple has the technology in place to build that iPhone today.
Thanks to the never-ending watch on Apple patents, we now know that Apple may well be thinking of this sort of iPhone / iPod Touch case. Patent number 7,515,431, titled Handheld computing device has been granted, describing the process by which such a case could be made, according to a BNET article. The abstract for this patent reads as follows:
A handheld computing device is disclosed. The handheld computing device includes a seamless enclosure formed from an extruded tube. The extruded tube includes open ends and internal rails which serve as a guide for slidably assembling an operational assembly through the open ends of the extruded tube, a reference surface for positioning the operational assembly relative to an access opening in the seamless enclosure, and a support structure for supporting the operational assembly during use.
What that means in layman’s terms is that Apple has figured out how to extrude a rectangular tube of metal, similar to the metal used for the MacBook Pro computers, in a continuous manner. The “tube” is not round, but a flat rectangle with a cross section of, for example, an iPhone. The flat tube is then cut into sections that are, for example, the length of an iPhone, although that is an arbitrary process decision.
This leaves a solid metal case with both ends open. Most of one of the flat sides is cut out to leave room for the screen. Part of the extrusion process leaves rails inside the case edges, forming a base into which prebuilt computer and/or telephone components may be slid, yielding the support needed for use. After the components are secured in place, metal end caps are used to plug the holes in the end of the device, through which any needed cable or power connectors may extend.
The result would be a seamless metal case with a flush touchscreen. There would be no screws or other mechanical attachments showing on the surface of the phone. The case could be left metallic, as the MacBook Pros are, or could be anodized in colors. It would be a beautiful case, aesthetically attractive, extremely practical and rugged, and less expensive to produce for Apple. That is quite a package for an iPhone, or any sort of similar future device.
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