Are our fears about magnets erasing hard drives also based on old tech?
Walter White infamously used a massive electromagnet to try and wipe evidence off a hard drive in Breaking Bad, for example. The idea that magnets can erase hard drives is pretty popular, especially in the world of entertainment. It seems as though magnets aren't likely to kill your smartphone, but there's definitely a possibility they'll mess some pretty important aspects up, so why take the risk? There's also specific mention of the iPhone 6 Plus, because of potential problems magnets can cause for the autofocus rear camera with optical image stabilization. Manufacturers have to ensure that the built-in magnetic compass is not affected by their cases. In Apple's Case Design Guidelines, there are sections on Sensor Considerations and Magnetic Interference, including the line, "Apple recommends avoiding the use of magnets and metal components in cases." This is something that Apple ( AAPL) considers in case and accessory design. Google ( GOOGL) Maps, for example, uses the sensor to detect which way the phone is facing, and a number of games also rely on it to work out your orientation.
You might think it's unimportant because you never use the compass app, but that doesn't mean other apps aren't relying on the same sensor. This can make it difficult to properly calibrate the compass." The compass won't read correctly," explained Michael Paul, an engineer at K&J, "What's worse, if you stick a strong magnet to the phone, you could slightly magnetize some steel components inside, making them act like weak magnets. "The problem we found is that a nearby magnet will affect the internal magnetic sensors inside the phone. The engineers over at K&J Magnetics actually experimented with an iPhone to show how the sensors inside can be affected by a magnet. Matt warned that magnetic fields can temporarily interfere with the digital compass and magnetometer inside your smartphone, and that's more serious than you may think. However, before you get carried away and start rubbing magnets all over your smartphone, there is something else to consider.
For example, the new Apple Watch uses a magnetic inductive wireless charging system." "The vast majority of magnets that you come across day to day, even many of the super-strong ones on the market, will have no adverse effect on your smartphone," says Matt, "In fact, within the device there will be a number of very small magnets which perform important functions. Most modern electronics, like our smartphones, are not going to be adversely affected by small magnets but is that all there is to it?
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