More subtle word differences. This is from an item on the iPod Nano’s tendency to scratch easily (or for some Nanos to scratch easily, depending on who you listen to). I had to read it twice to be sure:

I wonder if the whole thing is just a cock-up between the engineering dept and the design dept. If the designers told the engineers to pick a “strong” material, they’ll get polycarbonate. If they said to pick a “hard” material, they’d get something else, but it won’t be as strong. Lots of people don’t understand the difference, but from an engineering standpoint the difference is huge.

Strong resists breaking. Hard resists surface damage. I think. The item continues:

A great example is diamond, the hardest material known. It will scratch and cut anything, but hit it with a hammer and you’ll smash it into a million pieces.

So now you know.

Tags: words, meaning, strong, hard