The success of Apple’s new foldable iPhone Duo rested on its hinge.
But unfortunately for the multibillion-dollar company, some of the larger internal displays on its $2,000-plus devices are already cracking, and early post-mortem scans are pointing to their faulty hinge design.
In light of this fiasco, it seems like a good time to talk about how the hinge was designed: with the help of AI.
Here’s what Johny Srouji, the company’s director of hardware, said at an event last month.
By from TechCrunch blanket: “During manufacturing, we use AI algorithms to precisely match each individual hinge with its best-matched housing to ensure perfect alignment,” explained Srouji, “and a confocal laser progressively scans the topology of each unit and 3D prints up to 25 microlayers of a custom photopolymer to eliminate residual ripples.”
To be clear, “AI algorithms” can mean many things. A machine learning design tool is not the same thing as Claude or ChatGPT, and these algorithms have had a place in industrial applications for years. Apple itself has long boasted about using machine learning to help it design and improve its software and devices. For example, machine learning, or “AI” if you prefer, powers the iPad’s palm rejection technology that lets you rest your hand on the screen while using a stylus.
Yet Srouji made a conscious decision to conflate machine learning algorithms — if that’s what’s going on here — with what people mean by “AI” today: a catch-all term for chatbots, autonomous agents, and other systems powered by large language models that appear intelligent. Perhaps he thought it would look more impressive to investors and the general public.
Whether the hinge was designed for ambiance or not, it clearly poses notable problems, with a small but significant minority of customers complaining about their screens cracking just hours after unboxing.
Shahram Mokhtari, the lead teardown technician at iFixit, explained to The edge this part of the “extremely sensitive” flexible inner screen pushes against the hinge. It appears that a center support bar that allows room for the hinge to fold without a crease is not retracting enough and creating stress on the screen.
Apple, at least, acknowledged there was a “problem” on Monday and said it was replacing the damaged units.
Learn more about AI: Nike’s AI-designed World Cup jerseys are a disaster
Gn tech
