Apple Watch and the story of ceramicsGorilla Glass, Liquidmetal, sapphire, and now ceramic, Apple continues to push the boundaries of materials science through design.
Apple's product line has evolved through a number of significant material advancements over the decades. Early Apple I computers were cased in wood. German designer, Hartmut Essligner ushered in the iconic, 'Snow White' design language of the original Mac with the Apple IIc. That off-white, injection moulded plastic look endured in the Mac line for nearly two-decades, until it was supplanted by the candy-coloured iMac that was inspired, in part, by the success of Swatch watches. The company then started to dabble in metals like steel, titanium, and aluminum for the enclosures of its iPods, PowerBooks, and the venerable Mac Pro.
Parts of a Swatch watch. Its economic layout was inspired by the unibody design of the Concord Delirium.
The breakthrough product that laid the foundation for the aluminum dominated era of Apple products we are presently in was ...
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Apple Watch and the story of ceramics