iPhone 5 Scratches
Sebastian Anthony (via Hacker News):
Anodization can significantly add to aluminium’s durability, but only if it’s done properly — and it would seem that Apple either forgot to seal the anodized coating, or it simply didn’t make the anodized layer thick enough to prevent scratching.
I thought Apple had figured out how to make scratch-proof anodized aluminum with the iPod mini and iPod nano. How much extra size and weight would that have added to the iPhone 5?
Update (2012-10-16): AnandTech:
The oxide is even thinner on the bands, particularly the chamfers, which are just painted metal. So while the entire thing is easy to nick, it seems easiest to scratch off lots of paint on the bands, as well as the various metal edges. The soft-anodized surface is just a magnet. And the thing is, I'm not even sure they have the material thickness to oxidize more of the surface to get a more durable finish. The entire phone is so thin, and especially on the bands, I can't see a way for them to corrode any more of the aluminum than they already have without it raising questions about structural integrity.
