You’ve probably never seen a QR code printed on your iPhone’s screen because it’s so microscopic that most people have no idea it exists. However, new information from The Information details how Apple has been putting microscopic codes into the iPhone since 2020 to help the company control production costs and “save hundreds of millions of dollars.”
attention! Your iPhone has a QR code hidden on the screen!
There are many QR codes printed on the internal components of the iPhone, and you can easily see them if you open your iPhone (which we of course do not recommend). These codes help Apple discover more details about the origin of these components. However, surprisingly, even the iPhone screen has a hidden barcode.
According to new information, symbols are engraved on iPhone glass at different manufacturing stages. Hey the information It states that the company developed this system in 2020, and that it helps Apple “track and reduce defects” in its production line. These symbols are described as being “the size of a grain of sand” and, unsurprisingly, can only be seen using special equipment.
But how exactly do barcodes help Apple?
In short, the codes allow the company to precisely control the number of cover glass units produced by its Chinese suppliers, Lens Technology and Biel Crystal, and how many defective units they discard during the manufacturing process.
“Lens and Biel have previously hampered Apple’s efforts to understand the true defect rate, which could increase production costs. Apple paid millions of dollars to install laser and scanning equipment at Lens and Biel factories to add microscopic QR code and cover glass scanning at the end of the production process,” the report says. .
Implementing the code was difficult
On some iPhone models, like the iPhone 12, there’s a QR code just above the front speaker. Newer iPhone models have this symbol laser-etched into the black bezel on the bottom edge of the screen.
Developing this type of barcode was very difficult for Apple. The first units were laser etched into the glass, but this eventually weakened the screen. In drop tests, cracks almost always appeared in the glass where the QR code was placed. Engineers had to invent new techniques, using microscopic lenses with circular lights.
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