Taiwan's Apple Daily has posted a new video [Google translation, via iPhone Hacks] showing a hands-on overview of the plastic rear shell of Apple's "iPhone 5C". While the shell has been seen a number of times in photos and a few videos, Apple Daily highlights the durability of the shell while also taking measurements of the part with a digital caliper. Assuming the part is a legitimate back shell sourced from Apple's supply chain, the report offers a few additional details about what to expect from the iPhone 5C.
In the durability tests, Apple Daily placed the shell in a plastic bag with a key and some coins before shaking the bag vigorously, then removing the items and attempting to directly scratch the shell with the key. While the video is somewhat blurry at times, the accompanying article notes that there were no visible scratches on the shell. According to sources, the shell scores a high "8H" rating on the pencil hardness test.
Based on caliper measurements, the iPhone 5C measures 124.55 mm tall x 59.13 mm wide, in line with case makers' design drawings showing it slightly larger than the iPhone 5/5S due to the thicker plastic shell. Apple Daily measure the thickness of the device at 8.98 mm compared to 8.50 mm in the design drawings, but Apple Daily has paired the shell with a front panel that sticks out somewhat from the rear shell and it is unclear if that panel is seated correctly to provide accurate measurements.
The report also includes an image of an iPhone 5S rear shell showing the pill-shaped window for the rear camera's dual-LED flash. The shell is blue in color, but appears to have some sort of coating applied to it. Another blue iPhone 5S shell also appeared in photos today, although its authenticity is also very questionable.
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why.
In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup.
If you skipped the iPhone...
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro.
The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence.
The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles.
iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by Juli Clover
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look.
Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March.
As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta.
Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device.
The revised beta addresses an...
I honestly think most people don't mind plastic; it's just the posters who have taken such a hardline "OMG Samesung uses plastic lolllllllllllllllllllll" stance that convincing them that there are benefits, which include reduced cost and increased durability, is virtually impossible.
