Case Design Guidelines for Apple DevicesRelease R2

2011-03-11

Apple Inc.© 2011 Apple Inc.All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, inany form or by any means, mechanical,electronic, photocopying, recording, orotherwise, without prior written permission ofApple Inc., with the following exceptions: Anyperson is hereby authorized to storedocumentation on a single computer forpersonal use only and to print copies ofdocumentation for personal use provided thatthe documentation contains Apple’s copyrightnotice.

No licenses, express or implied, are grantedwith respect to any of the technology describedin this document. Apple retains all intellectualproperty rights associated with the technologydescribed in this document.

The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Inc.

Apple, the Apple logo, FaceTime, and iPhoneare trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in theUnited States and other countries.

iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc.

Simultaneously published in the United Statesand Canada.

EVEN THOUGH APPLE HAS REVIEWED THISDOCUMENT, APPLE MAKES NO WARRANTY ORREPRESENTATION, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,WITH RESPECT TO THIS DOCUMENT, ITS QUALITY,ACCURACY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULARPURPOSE. THESE IPHONE CASE DESIGN GUIDELINES(THE “GUIDELINES”) ARE PROVIDED BY APPLE TOYOU “AS IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY,REPRESENTATION, OR GUARANTEE OF ANY KIND.THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE GUIDELINESMAY BE OUT-OF-DATE, INACCURATE, ORINCOMPLETE. ANY USE OF OR RELIANCE UPON THEGUIDELINES IS AT YOUR SOLE AND ENTIRE RISK.YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR DESIGNING,MANUFACTURING, AND/OR DISTRIBUTINGPRODUCTS THAT ARE SAFE, FREE OF DEFECTS INDESIGN, MATERIALS, AND WORKMANSHIP, ANDCOMPLY WITH APPLICABLE LAWS ANDREGULATIONS, AND FOR TESTING, LABELING,DISTRIBUTING, PROMOTING, SELLING, SERVICING,AND IF NECESSARY, RECALLING OR REPLACING ANYPRODUCT YOU DESIGN, MANUFACTURE, ORDISTRIBUTE. IN NO EVENT WILL APPLE BE LIABLEFOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL,CONSEQUENTIAL, OR ANY OTHER DAMAGESRESULTING FROM ANY DEFECT OR INACCURACY INTHESE GUIDELINES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THEPOSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THE GUIDELINESDO NOT CONFER UPON YOU ANY RIGHT IN ORLICENSE TO ANY APPLE CONFIDENTIALINFORMATION OR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY,INCLUDING APPLE’S TRADE SECRETS, COPYRIGHTS,PATENTS, OR TRADEMARKS.

Apple Inc.1 Infinite LoopCupertino, CA 95014408-996-1010

Contents

Chapter 1 General Case Design Guidelines 7

Mechanical Considerations 7Device Layouts and Dimensions 7Access to Controls 8Access to the Headphone Jack and Dock Connector 9

Acoustical Considerations 8Speaker and Microphone Openings 9Speaker to Microphone Coupling 9

Call Quality 9Sensor Considerations 9

Ambient Light and Proximity Sensor Interference 9Magnetic Interference 9

Camera Considerations 10Lens and Flash Occlusion 10Image Degradation 10

Reliability Testing 12Device Insertion and Removal 12Colorfastness 12

Environmental Substance Restrictions 12RF Absorbing Materials 13Touchscreen Overlays 13

Document Revision History 15

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CONTENTS

Figures

Chapter 1 General Case Design Guidelines 7

Figure 1-1 iPhone 4 sensors, controls, and connectors 7Figure 1-2 iPad 2 sensors, controls, and connectors 8Figure 1-3 Image degradation by decrease of contrast 10Figure 1-4 Image degradation by color shifting 11Figure 1-5 Image degradation by blocking 11Figure 1-6 Image degradation by flash interference 12

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FIGURES

The guidelines in this chapter apply to all Apple devices.

Mechanical Considerations

A well-designed case will securely house an Apple device while not interfering with the device’s operation.Significant factors in mechanical design include access to the device’s sensors, controls, and connectors.

Device Layouts and Dimensions

Cases should be designed to accommodate the full range of Apple device sizes within each product’sdimensional variation. Dimensional drawings with tolerances can be downloaded from developer.apple.com/re-sources/cases/. The locations of the sensors, controls, and connectors in Apple’s current iPhone and iPad areshown in Figure 1-1 and Figure 1-2 (page 8).

Figure 1-1 iPhone 4 sensors, controls, and connectors

Volume control

Sleep/wake controlHeadphone jack

Home button

Ring/silent control

Dock connector

Bottommicrophone

Top microphone

Back camera

Front camera

LED flash

Proximity sensor/ambient lightsensor

Speaker

Receiver

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Figure 1-2 iPad 2 sensors, controls, and connectors

Proximity sensor/ambient lightsensor Volume up/down

control

Side switch

Front camera

Home button

Sleep/wake control

Speaker

Dock connector

Microphone

Headphone jack

Back camera

Access to Controls

The case should readily permit the user to access and manipulate the device’s mechanical controls, includingvolume and ring/silent controls, sleep/wake control, and the home button.

Access to the Headphone Jack and Dock Connector

The case should provide ready access to the headphone jack. The case should be tested with a range ofheadphones, including studio monitor types that have large plugs.

The case should also provide unobstructed access to the 30-pin dock connector. Some accessories, such asfactory-installed automotive sound systems, have cables with large dock connector housings.

In addition, the headphone and dock connector openings should be designed with enough margin tocompensate for shifting or dimensional changes of the case material.

Acoustical Considerations

The case should not impair or degrade the acoustical performance of an Apple device.

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Speaker and Microphone Openings

When Apple devices have speakers or microphones, their locations may vary from model to model. Refer tothe dimensional drawings for various Apple devices cited in "Device Layouts and Dimensions" (page 7).The case should not obstruct the speaker or microphone ports.

Speaker to Microphone Coupling

The case should not facilitate the conduction of sound from the speaker to any microphone. Such soundconduction can cause echoing in phone calls.

Call Quality

The case should not impair or degrade the user’s experience making and receiving both audio calls over acellular network or video calls using Apple’s FaceTime software. User testing should be conducted in handset,speakerphone, and headset modes of operation, to confirm that the case does not change the loudness orfrequency response of the speakers or microphones. In addition, the user should not be able to detect anysound distortion resulting from enclosing the Apple device in the case.

Sensor Considerations

Various Apple devices contain several environmental sensors, including an ambient light sensor, a magneticcompass, a proximity sensor, an accelerometer, and a three-axis gyroscope. Cases should be designed sothey do not interfere with the operation of these sensors.

Ambient Light and Proximity Sensor Interference

The ambient light and proximity sensor locations for various Apple devices are shown in the dimensionaldrawings cited in "Device Layouts and Dimensions" (page 7). Some of the dimensional drawings specify arecommended keepout area around these sensors. No material should be allowed to cover either thesesensors or their keepout areas.

Magnetic Interference

Case designs for Apple devices should avoid the use of magnets (for example, as closure devices) and magneticmaterials. Cases with parts made of any metal should be tested to verify that they do not affect an Appledevice’s built-in magnetic compass, if any.

Besides their effect on a built-in magnetic compass, magnets in cases can affect other sensors and electroniccomponents. Cases should not include magnets unless there is no other practical design solution and onlyif they do not affect the operation of the Apple device in any way.

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Camera Considerations

Pictures taken by the device’s built-in camera when the device is in the case should appear identical to thosetaken without the case. This applies also to pictures taken using a built-in LED flash, if one is present. Thissection describes some common picture differences that may occur. The camera test image used here canbe downloaded from developer.apple.com/resources/cases/.

Lens and Flash Occlusion

Various Apple devices have camera lenses on the back and/or the front. Some of the dimensional drawingscited in "Device Layouts and Dimensions" (page 7) specify a recommended keepout area around theselenses. No material should be allowed to cover any lenses or their keepout areas. The case openings for lensesshould also be large enough to eliminate any of the image degradation problems described below.

Some devices feature an LED flash to illuminate picture taking. The case should not cover or obstruct theflash with any material.

Image Degradation

A case that encroaches too closely on the perimeter of any camera lens may produce image degradation,even without obstructing the lens. The case should not cause contrast decrease, color shift, image blocking,or flash interference through any camera lens.

Contrast Decrease

If the case opening is too close to a camera lens, it may decrease the contrast of pictures taken through thatlens, as illustrated in Figure 1-3.

Figure 1-3 Image degradation by decrease of contrast

Reference Degraded

Color Shift

If the material of a colored case encroaches too closely on a camera lens or LED flash, it may impart a colorshift to the picture. This effect for various colors is illustrated in Figure 1-4 (page 11).

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Figure 1-4 Image degradation by color shifting

Reference

Degraded (blue)Degraded (green)Degraded (red)

Note: A matte black ring around the interior of the lens opening of a case can reduce the incidence and/orseverity of color shift.

Image Blocking

If a camera opening in a case is too close to a lens, it may block part of the image, as illustrated in Figure 1-5.

Figure 1-5 Image degradation by blocking

Reference Degraded

Flash Interference

The case should not reflect any light from the LED flash into its camera lens. Doing so produces the effectillustrated in Figure 1-6 (page 12).

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Figure 1-6 Image degradation by flash interference

Reference Degraded

Reliability Testing

Cases for Apple devices should be tested to verify that they will withstand long-term use under typical useconditions, and that they do not impair or degrade the functionality of the device, damage it or its immediatesurroundings, or adversely affect the user.

Device Insertion and Removal

The case should hold the Apple device securely while permitting its easy insertion and removal. The caseand the enclosed device should not be damaged by the repeated insertion and removal of the device fromthe case under conditions representative of long-term use in a variety of environments.

Colorfastness

Any dyes, inks, or coatings in or on the case should not bleed color onto either the device or its user, particularlywhile the case is in contact with common substances such as water or sunscreen.

Environmental Substance Restrictions

Cases for Apple devices should comply with applicable environmental regulations in the regions in whichsuch cases are to be sold, and any applicable substance or material restrictions, including applicable restrictionson the following substances:

Lead (Pb)Cadmium (Cd)Mercury (Hg)Hexavalent Chromium (Cr(VI))Hexavalent Chromium (Cr(VI)) in leatherNickel (Ni) plating on user-accessible surfacesAzo-based dyes that release the aromatic amines specified in European Directive 2002/61/ECNatural rubber latex

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RF Absorbing Materials

Cases for Apple devices should not contain materials or coatings that absorb radio frequency energy. Suchmaterials can impair or degrade the performance of cellular communication antennas or GPS, WiFi, orBluetooth antennas. Examples include (but are not limited to) the following:

Metals (e.g. steel, aluminum, magnesium, titanium, etc.)Plastics with any carbon contentPlastics with any glass contentPlastics with metallic platingMetallic paintsBlack paints with high carbon loadingWhite paints with high titanium dioxide loadingMetallic Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coatings

Touchscreen Overlays

The touch interface in an Apple device senses the presence of one or more fingers on its surface. Any materialbetween the surface and the user’s hand, even a very thin sheet of plastic, can affect the performance of thetouch interface. If a case design requires a touchscreen to be overlaid with another material, the materialshould be thinner than 0.3 mm and should be designed so that there are no air gaps between it and thetouchscreen surface. Such an overlay should not be electrically conductive.

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This table describes the changes to Case Design Guidelines for Apple Devices.

NotesDate

Revision R2: Updated guidelines to cover cases for iPads.2011-03-11

Changed document title from “iPhone Case Design Guidelines” to “Case DesignGuidelines for Apple Devices.”

Revision R1: First release of “iPhone Case Design Guidelines.”2011-02-28

152011-03-11 | © 2011 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved.

REVISION HISTORY

Document Revision History

162011-03-11 | © 2011 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved.

REVISION HISTORY

Document Revision History