Subj : This iPhone passed the ultimate drop test after falling from a pl
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Tue Jan 09 2024 13:00:05

This iPhone passed the ultimate drop test after falling from a plane  heres 
how it survived

Date:
Tue, 09 Jan 2024 12:44:08 +0000

Description:
An iPhone survived a 16,000 fall through the air, and it was all thanks to 
physics.

FULL STORY
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An iPhone survived a fall of 16,000 feet after it was thrown from the cabin 
of Alaska Airlines flight 1282 when a door plug blew out mid-flight  and the 
phone was miraculously found in near-perfect working condition. The incident 
brings a whole new meaning to the term AirDrop. 

The device was found by local resident Sean Bates by the side of a road in 
Portland, Oregon. According to Bates on X (formerly Twitter ), the phone was 
discovered Still in airplane mode with half a battery and open to a baggage 
claim for #AlaskaAirlines ASA1282. Amazingly, there wasnt a scratch on the 
display. 

Apple devices have been known to survive extraordinary tribulations. In 2021, 
an iPhone was found at the bottom of a lake in British Columbia after having 
been there for six months  remarkably, it could later be turned on. 

Various YouTubers and testing websites (including TechRadar) are known to 
conduct iPhone drop tests where an Apple phone is flung from a high vantage 
point, with the damage being assessed after it has landed. Judging by the 
case of the Alaska Airlines iPhone, these testers might be thinking of 
changing their methodology. How did it survive? (Image credit: Future | Alex 
Walker-Todd) 

You might be asking how an iPhone can possibly survive a fall of 16,000 feet. 
After all, its hardly a common occurrence, and not something Apple has 
designed its phones to come away from unscathed. 

Yet its not as unreasonable as you might assume, and it all comes down to 
physics. According to Duncan Watts of the Institute of Theoretical 
Astrophysics at the University of Oslo (via The Washington Post ), The basic 
answer is air resistance. After a period of time falling, the iPhone reaches 
terminal velocity, which means it cant accelerate any faster due to the 
effect of air resistance. 

For an iPhone, terminal velocity is about 30mph if its falling face-down, or 
around 100 mph if it falls perpendicular to the ground. In reality, it would 
be tumbling, so we dont know the exact speed it hit the ground. But its not 
unreasonable to think it was potentially closer to 30 mph than 100 mph. 

Of course, landing on a concrete road would have caused much more damage to 
the phone. But it seems to have been found either on a grass bank or in 
foliage, which would have cushioned its fall. If it fell on some damp ground, 
I could see it having about an inch of cushion, Watts added. Thats maybe what 
plopping down on a chair would feel like. 

So while crash landing from 16,000 feet and coming out unscathed might feel 
unlikely at first, it seems its absolutely possible for an iPhone to do. But 
whatever you do, please dont try launching your own iPhone out of a plane  it 
might not end so well. You might also like iPhone 15 Pro drop test suggests 
it's not as durable as iPhone 14 Pro Apple's AI upgrades for your iPhone are 
reportedly on track for 2024  here's what to expect The best phone 2024: top 
smartphones in the US right now



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/phones/this-iphone-passed-the-ultimate-drop-test-aft
er-falling-from-a-plane-heres-how-it-survived


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