When we first designed our iPhone dock, the one handed operation was a huge selling point. The hefty weight felt great to interact with, and we loved the product. Among our competitors, we were the only ones willing to go all in on weight to make the product truly one-hand operational.

Unfortunately, this weight came at a cost. The margins on the product proved unsustainable for a business like ours. We went with it for years because of how much we liked the product, but unfortunately the costs for machining the base continued to rise, forcing our hand to get creative about the design and cost.

As always when we jump into a design problem, we have functionality and aesthetics working together in our mind, hoping to find the point where the Grovemade aesthetic and Grovemade functionality come together. Then we figure out how to make it work from a business and manufacturing company standpoint. We love having that vertical integration, but it means that we have to be sensitive to every step of the process.

So we decided to switch from stainless steel to anodized aluminum. By switching, we were able to shave the cost, preserve sustainable margins, and get the dock to you for $20 cheaper. It still weighs in at a solid 1 lb 8 oz, but we’ve lost the one handed functionality that we all loved. Still, the design process marches on. We’ll continue to tweak and improve.