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Apple Granted Protection For The iPhone's Embarrassing Mistake

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Apple has been granted two design patents for its iPhone Smart Battery Case (reports Patently Apple). The patent will protect the styling and look of the Smart Battery Case. If you were thinking of copying the horrible and ugly design of Apple's first battery extending product, think again.

The smart battery case still has many positives to it. The microfibre lining helps prevent scratching the iPhone when it is placed into the case, the elastomer material allows for a snug fit and a good tactile experience that offers more friction to hold onto the iPhone. The integration with iOS is also masterful, with the iPhone automatically managing when to draw power from the case and when to rely on the internal battery.

But there's no getting away from just how ugly the bulbous appearance of the case is, and the realisation that more than one person inside Apple looked at this design and decided 'you know what, this looks really good, it screams Apple, let's release it to the public.' At which point the public looked at the case, laughed, and Apple's PR team had to react swiftly to a communication challenge that could have been easily avoided.

As part of the after-sales market, it was unlikely that the messy Smart Battery Case would damage Apple's brand name or the perception of the iPhone as a desirable or aspirational brand - you can't have an Edsel as an accessory. But the Battery Case did highlight the decision-making process at Apple was focusing more on function rather than form. At the time this was a worrying sign for me - part of the appeal of Apple lies in the design.

You can't talk about the exquisite nature of Apple and the efforts spent on design when a key product looks like a pregnant sunbathing heffalump.

Today there are a number of strong ideas coming out of Apple in terms of smartphone design and development, but the upcoming release of the iPhone 7 family is having to content with the attractive hardware features being held back for the iPhone 8 in 2017 (presumably to create a bigger splash with the tenth anniversary iPhone). The iPhone 7 is expected to follow the same two-year old design cues as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S family, and rely on the increased functionality provided by iOS 10 to tempt consumers to upgrade to the new device.

One more, TIm Cook's Apple is relying on functionality to overcome poor design. In the case the Smart Battery Cover it was the embarrassing design. In the case of the upcoming iPhone, it's about compromising on a tired design so that next year's device can be better and more desirable - but would you mind buying this year's identikit handset while you wait?

Now watch what we know about the new iPhone 7:

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