Joe's Field Notes
Why I'm keeping a case notebook
An opening note from Joe about the questions, objects and people this journal will follow.
Read the storyThe stories behind the object
Product history, everyday details and a personal project built around the things we carry.
Image: Apple / Official press materialComparisons
Apple iPhone Duo Case vs Folio with Kickstand
Two approaches to the same folding phone: compare the documented differences, then the questions that need a sample.
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Compatibility
Can an iPhone 17 Pro case fit iPhone 18 Pro?
Start with the exact case SKU. Three Belkin listings show why a product-specific answer matters.
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Image: Apple / Official press materialBrand Stories
Apple's next case story folds.
Two new iPhone Duo cases, two different ways to approach a folding phone.
Read the storyImage: Apple / Official press materialReview Notes
Apple iPhone Duo Folio with Kickstand: design and review notes
TechWoven, a folding cover and a stand, with the practical questions that deserve a closer look.
Read the storyImage: Apple / Official press materialReview Notes
Apple iPhone Duo Case: design and review notes
The two-part polycarbonate case, documented first, with the hands-on questions kept open.
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Nomad: a closer look at leather
How material choice becomes the starting point for a case collection.
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Peak Design: the case as a system
A mounting interface changes the questions you ask of a phone case.
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Design Notes
Materik: surface, color, character
A design story about what catches the light, and what you touch.
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From iPod sleeves to iPhone cases
A short, documented beginning to the objects we have carried around our devices.
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The details you touch every day
Edges, controls and surfaces, a close look at the parts between a phone and your hand.
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In the Making
How an iPhone case is made
Tooling, materials, finishing and the small decisions that end up in your hand.
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TPU, polycarbonate and silicone: what changes?
Three familiar labels, several very different jobs inside a phone case.
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Case 101
Will this case fit your iPhone?
The model name is the beginning. The camera, controls and revision decide the rest.
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Case 101
MagSafe, Qi2 and the magnets in between
A magnet ring, a charging standard and a mounting system answer different questions.
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