I recently got to visit some Apple labs where they durability test...

I recently got to visit some Apple labs where they durability test new iPhones before they come out, and learned a few things (🧵THREAD)

#1: Have you actually seen how they water test phones for IP ratings? (video)

#2: There's an entire room of machines for water and ingress testing

Level 1: A drip tray simulating rain, no real pressure. IPX4

Level 2: A sustained, low-pressure jet spray from any angle. IPX5

Level 3: High pressure spray from a literal firehose. IPX6

Level 4: Locking the phone underwater + added pressure to simulate depth for an extended time. IPX8

#3: Apparently Apple has also bought and programmed and industrial robot to be their own drop test machine - to simulate hundreds of different drop angles onto different materials

Then they hit it with some ultra bright lights and a high speed camera to watch them back in incredibly slow motion. You can literally see the titanium frame wobble on ground impact

#4 Ok this one was hard to capture on camera - it's literally shaking everything at computer-controlled frequencies. They can program in the frequency of a certain motorcycle engine or subway car to simulate how well a device will hold up to sustained exposure to that frequency over time

$5 - Talked to John Ternus - Head of Hardware Engineering at Apple, and it was interesting hearing straight from the top why the iPhone is harder to repair. Take a listen

#6 Thankfully Apple is still softening their stance on repair - basically sliding slightly on that durability vs repairability spectrum

#7: Connecting the durability test machines the real world: They may test 10,000+ pre-release phones while testing before the phone comes out