Happy iPhone Day!
Well, it’s official! After years of rumors about an iPhone with an edge-to-edge display, months of part leaks and renders, and days of exploring leaked software….
We have new iPhones!!!
8 is Great
In a move surprising some (but not all), Apple has skipped the 7s naming convention and gone straight to 8, announcing the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus to take the place of their bestselling 7 and 7 Plus line. Starting at an all-new price point of $699, the latest iPhone features wireless Qi charging, a superpowered camera, and an exciting focus on Augmented Reality.
We’ve been paying attention to the rumor mill here at Kerf, and we've done some research on some of the rumored features. And because our cases do not contain metallic substances, the new Qi wireless charging feature will work no problem as well!
Given that the major new design feature (and the biggest reason that this is the iPhone 8 and not the iPhone 7s) is the wireless charging capability, made possible by the Qi-powered glass back. As we learned in the days of the iPhone 4, twice the glass means twice the surface area of the phone prone to cracks and shatters, so having a protective case for your phone becomes that much more important! Our cases offer protection against all the usual culprits of phone damage, and our lifetime repair policy means you can always send your case to us to get it fixed back to 100%.
Apple seems to have found their sweet spot for the physical dimensions of the iPhone. Since 2014, their 4.7" and 5.5" Plus models have undergone a few cosmetic changes, but the overall shape and size of their enclosures have remained roughly the same. We're talking dimensional differences you can measure in tenths of a millimeter. As case manufacturers, we're thrilled because it'll be relatively easy to adapt our existing design for the latest models of iPhone.
Which is not exactly to say that we’re making the same cases that we were a year ago.
Innovation Every Day
Unlike Apple, who release a major new revision of their products every year, we are constantly improving our products in little ways. A KerfCase from 2016 and one from 2017 both hold the same size phone, but changes in things like acceptable tolerances, materials, CNC pathing, and optimization all add up so that you’re getting a case that is an improvement over previous cases in every metric. The case displays its natural beauty better, it protects your phone better, and works better with your adapters and accessories, plus due to improvements in our supply chain management, it gets to your door a lot quicker.
The new phones have a release date of 9/22, but you can buy your KerfCase for iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus today, and thanks to the minimal design tweaks needed to make our cases compatible, and your case will ship within 5 business days! If you don't see the wood type you want, let us know and we'll make one for you special.
X Marks the Spot
But Apple isn’t quite done with us yet. Unlike the 8 and 8 Plus, the iPhone X (pronounced "iPhone ten" in a nod to the old name for the Mac operating system) is a radical design departure. The bezel-less OLED Super Retina display, Face ID biometric unlocking, and a radical home-buttonless user interface all add up to be a tempting prize for i-enthusiasts who want the best of the best. How many are deterred by the flagship’s $999 price tag remains to be seen. Not us! We’ll be in line along with the rest of the Apple diehards on November 3, rain or shine.
What does a case maker like us do when presented with a new form factor to adapt to? Fortunately, we have some practice at this.
We knew we wanted to support the Google Pixel when it came out, and we received a lot of support from Pixel owners when the latest from Mountain View was released to the public. Once we got our hands on the phone, it was a few weeks of prototyping, modeling, making minute adjustments to our machine files, and practice as we inched toward a perfectly-fitting case.
We don’t want to ship anything we aren’t proud of, which is why we are accepting pre-orders for iPhone X cases but not shipping them right away. A new shape and size means a new opportunity for us to make something brand new, which doesn’t happen overnight. By pre-ordering your case, you’re securing your spot in our queue, and you’ll be one of the first to adorn Apple’s most beautiful phone with Kerf’s most beautiful cases.
We’re aiming to start shipping KerfCase for iPhone X on 11/17, and know that the wait will be worth it.
Update: Our cases are ready to sell! Order a plain or custom wood iPhone X Case today and it will ship within 5 business days.
In the meantime, happy iPhone Day, and we’ll see you in line!
Phil Giammattei likes to wear lots of different hats. Formerly employed at Apple, Google and Oracle, he loves applying his technical knowledge to making the best possible custom wood phone cases. In addition to writing the Kerf Blog, Phil’s duties at KerfCase include customer service, sales, production, shipping and fulfillment, and anywhere else he can be helpful. Reach out to say hi and find out what choice cuts we have in stock!
