Apple has just launched its first battery case for the iPhone 6/6s, which has sparked various reactions from reviewers because of its looks: You know, it’s hard to get over the hump. Overall, Apple has surprised the community with this design choice. Mashable had the chance to speak with Apple CEO Tim Cook when he visited Apple’s new Upper East Side store on Madison Avenue in New York City during the Hour of Code event, so they asked him about this new “feature”, as well.
He seemed to be excited about the hump.
“You know, I probably wouldn’t call it ‘the hump,’” said Cook, who added he was aware of the comments surrounding the Smart Battery Case. “As you probably know from being a user of this now,” said Cook as he grabbed my iPhone 6, which was sporting the new case, “one of the real insights here is, have you ever used other cases and tried to get them on?”
Cook compared the battery case with that of Mophie, and highlighted the effort you need to make to take it off.
“If you make this solid all the way across,” said Cook, indicating the spots where the Apple case’s embedded battery stops and you just have the soft fluoroelastomer casing, “in order to get it on, you’d find it very difficult to get it on and off. So the guys had this great insight to put the bend in along with making it a smart case,” Cook explained.
He also said that this isn’t a must-have accessory: For example, those who charge their iPhone every day, don’t need it. However, when “you go on overnight trips . . . it’s kind of nice to have.”
He summarized by laughing at Apple’s VP of software engineering Cheryl Thomas’ words: “When you need it, you need it. That’s right.” In that case it will cost you $129 . . . or less if you opt for a third-party alternative.
As mentioned above, Tim Cook visited the Hour of Code event in Apple’s new store in New York City, where he got excited about the engagement he saw on the faces of the children present at the session. He also talked about the need for fundamental changes in education. He wants coding to be “a required course like social studies, English, and mathematics in every public school curriculum.”
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
That case looks absolutely terrible. There are no excuses.
But the “Quasimodo” is just magical.
I actually just had a Mophie Space Pack stop charging with a 5s stuck shutting down at 40%.
Don’t know if I will use their cases again but with the look of the case and amount of protection with it I would pick up one of theirs over the Apple hump.
so much this…. it’s just plain bad.
Listen, “when you need it, you need it!” 😉
But without it…
“Well..my iDog ate my PDF last night and their was nothing I could do when that tiny 6S battery ran out of power and..um..ahh..”
So Mophie is very difficult to take off? Someone send Tim the instructions.
@ an Apple marketing meeting.
“Does anyone have any good ideas on how we could market this?”
“I do, it’s the only case that will get you through the week…we’ll call it the Hump Pack”
I like it. My hand fits perfectly around the hump (settle down boys I’m still talking about the Apple Smart Case) and it’s a lot easier to text with the case. It doesn’t feel like I’m going to drop my iPhone. I like it. I think Apple did a great job at it.
Glad you’re enjoying it
How would you feel if the phone had been thick enough to actually house that extra battery?
I like the case better than a thicker iphone.
You’re Apple’s dream customer. 🙂
So the case has a chin that sticks out the bottom, and the hump is not centred on the dimensions of the phone or the dimensions of the case, and in fact leaves more dead space at the top even though the bottom is where it has extra length. There’s also plenty of space below the camera they could have added more battery and still been bendy.
I don’t really care that much as I’m not in the market for this type of case, but if this much lack of attention to detail represents their design ethos these days, It’s a pretty big shame.
Steve says he wouldn’t call it a hump, but doesn’t go on to say what he would call it.
For a company that prides itself on aesthetics, to the point where it produces whole videos for no other purpose than to extol the virtues of its attention to detail, design and good looks, it is beyond shocking that Apple has dared put its logo on this monstrosity.