The bowels of Cupertino, Apple’s headquarters in California, hide some of the most sophisticated laboratories that exist on the planet. It is not usually realized how companies like the one mentioned test their devices to the inclemencies of our daily lives. Dust, rainwater, the vibrations of a motorcycle… any element puts our iPhone, iPad, etc. to the test, but until now we had not been able to know how this process is carried out.
This is the tough iPhone testing process
Marques Brownlee, one of the most popular technology content creators of the moment, has been one of the lucky ones to experience it firsthand. Things as common as dropping your phone on the ground or into a puddle. are emulated by a complex system of prepared machines specifically for these challenges.
In the videos that Brownlee shares, processes such as IP protection certificates stand out, which depending on the level (4, 5, 6 or 8) convey to consumers the degree of water resistance. The lowest allows the device to be resistant to a water source that does not exert pressure, while the IPX6 indicates that it is resistant to a fairly strong jet.. The highest grade is tested by placing the mobile phone under water, with a certain pressure and running content for a long period of time.
John Ternus, head of hardware engineering at Apple, explains that one of the reasons iPhones are difficult to repair is because of the complex architecture inside. They have a multitude of seals and solutions that protect the vital organs of the mobile.l. During one of the examples he presents he relates that a client’s iPhone was left deep in a lake for two weeks, and when he was able to recover it it was still working.
They estimate that before the launch of a new iPhone they test more than 10,000 reproductions in all types of situations, from those mentioned with water to falls with different impact points on surfaces of all types. Almost nothing.
