Anyone who follows the legion of Apple-oriented websites, or the various and sundry news websites that decree anything Apple does as the next step toward doom and gloom already know what’s coming in iPhone 7.

Thinner, lighter, faster, better camera, improved graphics, better antenna reception, and lots of eye candy in iOS 10. What we won’t get in iPhone 7 is what customers truly, madly, deeply want. Longer battery life? Alright, that, too. But even 50-percent more battery life isn’t enough. A week would do. But iPhone 7 needs this more than anything.

Oops!

Way back in the day, suitcase company Samsonite ran a bunch of American Tourister TV commercials wherein a gorilla would throw a suitcase around a cage, stomp up and down on it, give it plenty of animalistic abuse, just to show us that even airline baggage employees couldn’t damage the suitcase.

Today we have Gorilla Glass which is used in many of the top smartphone brands to cover the screen. Here’s the problem with Gorilla Glass. It might be tough to the touch of fingers, but it’s not so tough when dropping to the floor from selfie-height.

For whatever the scientific reason, an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy-whatever, or most smartphones that fall and drop onto a hard surface– especially when dropped on a corner– shatter the glass. So much for Gorilla Glass, huh?

Maybe the science of glass and what the iPhone or any smartphone needs to keep the touch screen working goes beyond my ability to understand, but it seems to me that customers would appreciate a device that is, 1) shatterproof, and, 2) waterproof.

Caveat Alert Ahead!

For what it’s worth, I can see why a cell phone manufacturer would be reluctant to put both into a smartphone. Samsung claims waterproof but independent tests not tied to a TV commercial prove– once again– that Samsung is like a politician and willing to say anything to get elected. Waterproof? Meh.

Motorola sells a Droid model that claims to be shatterproof. Moto who? Exactly.

You deserve a phone that won’t crack when gravity wins. Moto ShatterShield™ is the world’s first smartphone display guaranteed not to crack or shatter*.

Uh oh. Caveat Alert!

The phone comes with five layers, including the case, AMOLED display, the touch layer, and interior lens layer, and the exterior protective lens, all of which combine to make the Moto Droid 2 shatterproof.

Shatterproof?

*The display and embedded lens are warranted against shattering and cracking for four (4) years from the original date of purchase; scratches or other damage to the protective lens is not covered by this warranty, but should always be in place to prevent scratches and other damage to the underlying components. This phone is not shockproof or designed to withstand all damage from dropping. All other warranty exclusions, including scratches and other cosmetic damage, intentional damage or abuse, normal wear and tear and other limitations apply.

That’s the fine print, which then begs the question, ‘What the hell does shatterproof mean?‘ Well, apparently, shatterproof means whatever the fine print legalese defines it to mean.

I’ve analyzed nine years of iPhone usage and I’ve studied the market. Apple sells iPhone cases and screen protectors for a variety of reasons.

• Screens and cases protect the iPhone’s case and screen, but not too much (duh)
• Cases are personalization and customization options ( for which Apple makes plenty of additional profits
• Cases are not enough and a shattered iPhone screen or broken case or waterlogged iPhone means you get to buy a new one from Apple
• That helps to make the company’s already ridiculously high profits go higher

So, why would Apple want to make an iPhone completely waterproof or fully shatterproof? That might be what customers want, but it’s not what Apple wants.