Design is all about tradeoffs. Mobile device manufacturers have to balance everything from cost and aesthetics to performance and durability―and then design a product that can both survive and thrive in today’s competitive consumer markets.

The demand for consumer electronics is higher than ever before. There are almost as many cell-phone subscriptions (6.8 billion) as there are people on this earth (7 billion). Research shows that people spend an average of 8 hrs, 21 min sleeping a day—but spend an average of 8 hrs, 41 min on media devices. Even more interesting is the finding that the majority (81%) of smartphone users have their phones switched on all the time, even in bed.