The front of the iPhone 5 is not flush with the frame (opens in new tab)

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17 pointsfxm413913y ago36 comments

36 comments

Neither side is flush on the 4/4S. By making only one side flush on the 5 it's easier to tell which side you grabbed as you pull it out of your pocket/purse/bag so you know to flip it the correct orientation before you ready the device in front of your chest/face.

Every Android phone I've owned is similar in this respect (as are the 3GS and below) but my 4S not so much. This move is for the best.

fxm4139OP13y ago

I never had an issue figuring out the front or back. Usually my fingers run over the home button or the ear piece which is what tells me what the front is. Honestly, I didn't even feel the edge till I repeatedly turned the phone around quite a few times, which is when I looked at it. Not sure this would let me determine what the front was, but that might be my personal opinion, or my insensitive fingers.

runjake13y ago

I have calloused hands. I always have a hard time telling front from back, top from bottom on the 4/4S.

1 more reply

rhizome13y ago

That's what I was thinking too, the asymmetry is ergonomic.

lucisferre13y ago

Sigh, a nickel for everyone who owns an Apple product suddenly thinks they are a world class designer.

smashing13y ago

He never claimed to be a world class designer. In fact if you just clicked on the About Me link at the top you would find his background.

> I am currently a Product Manager at Bigdoor. ... I am responsible for the consumer experience on over 20 Million Monthly Active Users among several clients with the primary objective of improving loyalty and engagement.

dmix13y ago

think != claim

1 more reply

fxm4139OP13y ago

In fact, I did say in my blog that "I’m no industrial designer and I’m not saying that both sides must be flush, because of some kind of design philosophy that I might not know." The purpose of writing something like this is to spur a discussion, in which I express a personal opinion, hear counter points, and maybe learn something along the way. Your "sigh" does neither, and I don't need your judging skills to tell me whether I think or am a designer.

lucisferre13y ago

Your making the nit-pick of all nit-picks and then vigorously defend it by ending with the outlandish claim that this wouldn't have happend if Jobs was there, which would be the part where you do in fact claim to know more than the people who did actually design the iPhone. People who in fact are world class designers.

amadeus13y ago

Also note, it's the guy using a fucking generic blog template.

Gotta love and hate Hacker News sometimes. Idiots.

Edit: Bury me all you want, but by booting this post off the front page you've essentially agreed with me ;)

1 more reply

kamechan13y ago

> Kind of like when you see a fake Rolex from 20 inches away and it looks pretty good, but then you look up close and suddenly one little flaw makes the whole thing fall apart.

The crystal on a Rolex sticks up above the bezel as well.

fxm4139OP13y ago

Maybe they do, but I wasn't literally comparing the glass sticking up above the bezel when it came to the Rolex.

jblock13y ago

Blaming issues (which most would consider a non-issue) like this on Steve Jobs not being around is insulting to all of the hard-working designers and engineers at Apple that worked 80-hour weeks to get this thing into your hands. They didn't do something wrong--you just don't like a decision they made.

LnxPrgr313y ago

Besides, if I could ask anyone today what Steve Jobs would've thought of a design, it'd be the people who worked with him for years.

…and I'd still take their answers with a grain of salt.

fxm4139OP13y ago

Blame is a strong word, which is not what I did. I just said I didn't like it, which is a personal opinion and that doesn't demean anyones working on these things at Apple. You are just repeating what my blog said, which is that they made a decision that I didn't like :)

dj2stein913y ago

That's there to make sure the screen completely shatters if you bump it against anything.

ricardobeat13y ago

Not this time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M5q5TRuAsY

dave161913y ago

I was at the Apple Store yesterday and also noticed the front glass isn't flush. Was a bit disappointed but reasoned that it's still a beautiful phone. I think it's a stretch to say Steve Jobs would have not allowed it. There could be other factors doing into the design.

On another note, the four iPhone 5 commercials Apple just released were horrible IMO. I definitely think Steve Jobs would have been pissed off at those commercials. The just don't communicate clearly and border on tastelessness.

hop13y ago

I can't help but envision Jeff Daniels talk in a dog suit from Dumb and Dumber when I hear him voice the ads.

LnxPrgr313y ago

"Now I know everyone must be tired of people asking 'Would this have happened if Jobs was around' …"

Personally, I hate hearing things like this because "my concept of Steve Jobs wouldn't have allowed this" isn't an argument. It's an attempt to use a dead man to bolster an argument's credibility. But how are we to know what Jobs would and wouldn't have allowed?

Besides, the iPhone 4 came out on his watch, didn't it? Is the iPhone 5's design a step backwards somehow?

fxm4139OP13y ago

"But how are we to know what Jobs would and wouldn't have allowed?". Thanks for pointing out the obvious. My statement of what Jobs would have done was purely hypothetical. I could have ended that with "Hell yes!" and that would be an equally plausible scenario. When did I say it was a step backwards? I just pointed out one thing on the phone that bothered me (and clearly isn't bothering many people), and that I didn't like it. That's all!

LnxPrgr313y ago

Fair enough.

I think I (and many others) latched onto the Steve Jobs thing because it's a bold statement and because it's your concluding paragraph.

I asked if you thought it was a step backwards because you said you liked the iPhone 4, but not the 5 (and of course also because Steve Jobs was around for the earlier launch). Neither side of the iPhone 4 is flush with the frame—it's literally a bit rough around the edges.

1 more reply

pdenya13y ago

This isn't a problem for me. It's still built with extreme precision and not liking a minor design decision doesn't make it any less finely crafted. And it's still a big improvement over the previous version.

iPhone 4S side: http://www.iphone4sreview.org/wp-content/gallery/iphone-4s-r...

adpirz13y ago

Regarding the Jobs would-have-wouldn't-have done this, there's actually a decent chance that he DID this.

http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-worked-closely-on-...

herval13y ago

That's one of those things we'll only know if/when Ive or Cook get an equally informative bio, I guess. Jobs might have decided a lot on upcoming projects, but it's hard to tell if his decisions held after the new CEO or were altered/ditched/etc. So I'd say it's a 50/50 chance there :)

Anechoic13y ago

What's the problem with the front not being flush? I noticed this from the first time I saw the iPhone 5 and immediately thought it was an aesthetic decision that ties the iPhone 5 back to the iPhone 4/4S. FWIW, I like the design (ftr I'm a Nokia E6 owner).

glenra13y ago

There are two problems with it. (1) Functional: if the glass sticks up a bit, it's more likely to shatter when you drop the phone face-down, than it would be if the glass face were flush or even inset. (2) visual: It destroys the symmetry when looking at the phone from the side.

Evbn13y ago

SJ was certainly right about one thing: if you don't like the asymmetry of the look of the phone from the side, you are looking at it wrong.

ronaldj13y ago

It's a fucking phone.

chris_wot13y ago

iPhones are pretty amazing, but I don't think procreation is a built in feature. Perhaps with the iPhone 6?

Evbn13y ago

In France, certainly.

niels_olson13y ago

My fine swiss watch has damn near the same profile.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

36 comments

structAnkit13y ago

Every Android phone I've owned is similar in this respect (as are the 3GS and below) but my 4S not so much. This move is for the best.

fxm4139OP13y ago

runjake13y ago

I have calloused hands. I always have a hard time telling front from back, top from bottom on the 4/4S.

1 more reply

rhizome13y ago

That's what I was thinking too, the asymmetry is ergonomic.

lucisferre13y ago

Sigh, a nickel for everyone who owns an Apple product suddenly thinks they are a world class designer.

smashing13y ago

He never claimed to be a world class designer. In fact if you just clicked on the About Me link at the top you would find his background.

dmix13y ago

think != claim

1 more reply

fxm4139OP13y ago

lucisferre13y ago

amadeus13y ago

Also note, it's the guy using a fucking generic blog template.

Gotta love and hate Hacker News sometimes. Idiots.

Edit: Bury me all you want, but by booting this post off the front page you've essentially agreed with me ;)

1 more reply

kamechan13y ago

> Kind of like when you see a fake Rolex from 20 inches away and it looks pretty good, but then you look up close and suddenly one little flaw makes the whole thing fall apart.

The crystal on a Rolex sticks up above the bezel as well.

fxm4139OP13y ago

Maybe they do, but I wasn't literally comparing the glass sticking up above the bezel when it came to the Rolex.

jblock13y ago

LnxPrgr313y ago

Besides, if I could ask anyone today what Steve Jobs would've thought of a design, it'd be the people who worked with him for years.

…and I'd still take their answers with a grain of salt.

fxm4139OP13y ago

dj2stein913y ago

That's there to make sure the screen completely shatters if you bump it against anything.

ricardobeat13y ago

Not this time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M5q5TRuAsY

dave161913y ago

hop13y ago

I can't help but envision Jeff Daniels talk in a dog suit from Dumb and Dumber when I hear him voice the ads.

LnxPrgr313y ago

"Now I know everyone must be tired of people asking 'Would this have happened if Jobs was around' …"

Besides, the iPhone 4 came out on his watch, didn't it? Is the iPhone 5's design a step backwards somehow?

fxm4139OP13y ago

LnxPrgr313y ago

Fair enough.

I think I (and many others) latched onto the Steve Jobs thing because it's a bold statement and because it's your concluding paragraph.

1 more reply

pdenya13y ago

iPhone 4S side: http://www.iphone4sreview.org/wp-content/gallery/iphone-4s-r...

adpirz13y ago

Regarding the Jobs would-have-wouldn't-have done this, there's actually a decent chance that he DID this.

http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-worked-closely-on-...

herval13y ago

Anechoic13y ago

glenra13y ago

Evbn13y ago

SJ was certainly right about one thing: if you don't like the asymmetry of the look of the phone from the side, you are looking at it wrong.

ronaldj13y ago

It's a fucking phone.

chris_wot13y ago

iPhones are pretty amazing, but I don't think procreation is a built in feature. Perhaps with the iPhone 6?

Evbn13y ago

In France, certainly.

niels_olson13y ago

My fine swiss watch has damn near the same profile.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse