I have memories of a time where Apple was praised for their polycarbonate quality. You know, those expensive devices they called MacBook and iPod. They even released the iPhone 5C which, ironically, only made consensus on its good design.
Really nothing is forbidding them to release nice plastic phones.
The only reason they won’t is that they want this shiny aspect in their App Store because the consumer will hide this under a mandatory case if they intend to keep it for years.
Well It’s a shame thinking of all those nice things we could have if we actually decided to break corporate monopolies. But now we are stuck between stupid glass phones without default applications and Google spy phones.
I feel a little better knowing this is necessary, but it's hard to believe they couldn't figure out how to charge through metal (like ever other "put it on the charger thing I own like handheld radios). I guess the radios are more "put it on the charger in the right position" whereas I can slop the phone on the wireless charger wherever I want.
Of course I don't have a wireless charger but hey, progress.
The options are basically just plastic or glass. At least with the current phones it's now possible to replace this glass if it breaks.