Tim Cook on New iPhone 6s Battery Case: 'I Wouldn't Call it the Hump'

Apple CEO Tim Cook attended one of Apple's Hour of Code events in New York this afternoon, where he spoke to Mashable's Lance Ulanoff about the new iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case, which debuted yesterday.

Ulanoff asked Cook if he was excited about the "hump," a mocking nickname people have given to the battery case due to its distinctive shape. In response, Tim Cook said he was aware of the comments people were making about the case. "You know, I probably wouldn't call it 'the hump,'" Cook said.

iphone smart battery case twitter
Cook went on to point out the malleability of the new Smart Battery Case in comparison to other battery cases. It's made of a soft silicone that makes it easy to put on and remove, unlike more rigid cases from third-party companies.

Cook was pointing out the issue with cases, like those from Mophie, that are so rigid it takes considerable strength and patience to put them on and take them off.

"If you make this solid all the way across," said Cook, indicating the spots where the Apple case's embedded battery stops and you just have the soft fluoroelastomer casing, "in order to get it on, you'd find it very difficult to get it on and off."

"So the guys had this great insight to put the bend in along with making it a smart case," Cook explained.

Cook also commented on the viewpoint that the case is an admission the iPhone 6s battery is too small, saying most people who charge their iPhones every day won't need the case. "But if you're out hiking and you go on overnight trips... it's kind of nice to have," he said.

Apple introduced its iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case yesterday morning, and its distinctive humped design quickly led to derision and negative comments from iPhone users. Reviews of the Smart Battery Case were also not overly positive as the case doesn't have enough capacity to fully recharge an iPhone and it's missing some features that are found in third-party battery cases.

Apple's Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 6s is priced at $99 and is available from the online Apple Store and Apple retail locations.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...

Top Rated Comments

trifid Avatar
122 months ago
I vote this as ugliest product Apple has released in the past decade or so.
Score: 101 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mysterydate Avatar
122 months ago
No one thought to ask, "why not make the iPhone a bit thicker with extra battery in the first place & make the camera flush".

EDIT: I feel so popular. :) Use "THEHUMP" discount code for 20% off any of our not humpy cases.
Score: 93 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sirious Avatar
122 months ago
Well, this is embarrassing.
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
logicstudiouser Avatar
122 months ago
Steve would be shaking his head right now!
Battery cases should be obsolete. They are clunky and ugly.
Score: 55 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tonezorz Avatar
122 months ago
I actually agree. I've owned MANY battery cases, for many models of iPhone, and I'm excited to receive my Apple battery case. A soft case like the silicone apple case I've had on my iPhone 6 for over a year.

Most cases are rigid, tough plastic that typically snaps together in two or more pieces. Bright LED lights that you can't disable while it's charging, and on/off switches that I've never understood the point of. This case fixes all of these issues, and is only thick where it has to be. It's not thick at the top and bottom where the battery isn't. Yes it's weird looking, but actually looks like it will be comfortable to hold.

The only drawbacks are it's less mAh than most of these cases, and it's expensive. Considering the smart features, partially slim profile, antennas, and lightning port, I'd say those things are easily ignored.

People need to get off their high horse about "design" and "Steven Jobs wouldn't have allowed this". This is a mostly elegant way of providing additional power and doing a decent job of it.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThatTechGuy Avatar
122 months ago
"It doesn't look bad. Trust me. It's bendy."

Nice attempt at reality distortion, Tim.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)