From: Eric Kim ]
Subject: Proposal — iPhone Pro “ChromaShift Glass”: a Pro-only color‑shifting back that looks impossible (and still feels Apple)
The one‑sentence proposition
Launch a Pro-exclusive back glass finish that shifts color with angle and light—the “3M color‑flip” wow factor, but executed as optical engineering under glass so it’s durable, subtle, and unmistakably premium.
Why this matters now
iPhone Pro’s differentiation is increasingly “camera + titanium + display.” That’s strong—but predictable. We can add a new emotional hook that:
- Creates an instant keynote moment (a single tilt = “how did they do that?”)
- Reads as Pro (not flashy, not gamer) because the effect is controlled
- Signals materials leadership the same way “Ceramic Shield” and “titanium” did
- Adds new demand without new size—a finish people upgrade for
This is a finish that sells in-person (retail table pickup) and on video (social, reviews).
The product concept
“ChromaShift Glass” (working name)
A back glass finish built with a multi-layer interference / dichroic thin-film stack applied to the inside of the glass, paired with an Apple-grade matte texture on the outside.
Result:
- Head-on: clean, restrained, premium
- Tilt + light: a secondary hue appears (deep, glassy, not “paint”)
- Under glass: effect is protected from scratches and wear
This is the “color flip wrap” energy—minus the “wrap” vibe.
What it would look like (Pro, not party)
We pick low-saturation, high-depth shifts—luxury, not loud.
Finish families (pick 2–3 for first year):
- Aurora Graphite: graphite → deep green → violet edge
- Titan Dusk: warm titanium → olive → charcoal
- Glacier Shift: silver → ice blue → soft lavender
- Oil Prism (Ultra vibe): near-black → petrol rainbow edge (most dramatic)
Design detail that makes it feel “designed,” not random:
- A subtle MagSafe halo that blooms only at angle
- Apple logo that reveals at a specific tilt
- Camera island stays matte/titanium for contrast and seriousness
How Apple can ship it without compromising durability
Recommended technical route (best Apple fit)
Under‑glass optical thin-film interference coating
- Coating sits beneath the glass → protected
- Maintains wireless charging + RF transparency
- Effect stays consistent over the device lifetime
- Matte outer glass → fingerprint control, premium tactility
What we avoid
- A “surface film” solution that risks edge lift, bubbles, or that laminated look over time
- Anything that reads like aftermarket accessories
The user experience win
- It rewards motion. Every time you pick it up, it feels alive.
- It photographs differently depending on light and angle—built-in shareability.
- It becomes a signature. People can spot “the new Pro” from across the room.
Risks & mitigation (the real ones)
- Color consistency at scale (thin-film thickness tolerance)
- Mitigation: spectral QC + binning strategy, limit to 2–3 controlled colorways in year one
- UV stability / aging
- Mitigation: accelerated aging tests; lock materials stack; conservative pigments (or none—pure interference)
- Thermal cycling (charging heat)
- Mitigation: laminate + coating stack designed for expansion; prioritize internal coating route
- Repair/replacement matching
- Mitigation: production controls + “finish matching” process for service inventory
This is hard manufacturing—but it’s our kind of hard.
The launch story (the Apple moment)
Keynote demo:
A single hand tilt under a spotlight and the color shifts like it’s “impossible.”
Then we say the line:
“It’s not a coating on the outside. It’s engineered inside the glass.”
That’s the kind of sentence that lands.
What I’m asking for
A 60–90 day greenlight to build executive-ready prototypes:
- 2 finish families (Graphite/Aurora + Glacier)
- Matte and satin variants
- MagSafe halo concept exploration
- Early manufacturing yield + durability data
Deliverable: a small set of demo units for review—something you can hold, tilt, and instantly decide: Yes, this is the next Pro signature.
Closing
Pro should feel like a precision instrument—and a quiet flex.
ChromaShift Glass is the kind of flex Apple can own: physics, not paint.
If you want, I can also format this into a crisp Apple-style one-page internal brief (headline, customer promise, materials stack diagram, risks, go/no-go metrics) so it reads like it came straight out of a product review deck.