Apple Claims 'Exploding' iPhones Due to Screen Pressure, Not Battery Issues

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/08/28/apple-claims-exploding-iphones-due-to-screen-pressure-not-battery-issues/)

Last week, reports surfaced (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/08/18/apple-digging-into-accounts-of-iphone-explosions-in-europe/) that Apple was investigating reports of "exploding" iPhones, spurred by publicity surrounding the case of a French teenager who had reportedly received an eye injury when the screen of his iPhone shattered. French news agency AFP reported (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gSQo5Hd7uDu_UM1VPq87JuuqVnkQ) earlier this week that additional claims of exploding iPhones had surfaced and that France's official consumer affairs agency had launched an investigation into the reports.

Despite claims to the contrary from those affected by the device failures, Apple claims (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5icQWJ2mlc--irCjF-iJMQTGfcIIQ) that the incidents are not the result of any battery issues, but have instead been caused by excessive pressure on the iPhones' screens."To date, there are no confirmed battery overheating incidents for iPhone 3GS and the number of reports we are investigating is in the single digits," the firm said in a statement to AFP.

"The iPhones with broken glass that we have analysed to date show that in all cases the glass cracked due to an external force that was applied to the iPhone," the company added.Apple's sales director in France, Michel Coulomb, met with French consumer affairs minister Herve Novelli today to discuss the issue, and Novelli concurred with Apple's assessment regarding the cause of the failures."The first results show, according to Apple management, that the iPhones weren't damaged by a battery defect leading to an explosion, but that there had been a prior shock that cracked the screens," the minister said.Novelli noted, however, that it remains to be seen whether blame for the cracked screens should be pinned on unreasonable force applied by users or a design flaw on the part of Apple.

Article Link: Apple Claims 'Exploding' iPhones Due to Screen Pressure, Not Battery Issues (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/08/28/apple-claims-exploding-iphones-due-to-screen-pressure-not-battery-issues/)

[mobi]

It is common knowledge that faulty Li-Ions do in fact swell. Hmmm

[Scooterman1]

Now, no one really expects Apple to admit to this, do they? At least, not until the lawsuits get to amount to a lot more than a mass recall.

[iGod 2.0]

Yeah, I pretty much knew it wasn't the battery, even though it is possible of a lithum-ion swelling like that. Very unlikely, but possible. Apple will issue a fix like always. hopefully, they won't wait like they did with the iPhone OS Messages loophole. 

[kingtj]

A swelling battery would not show glass breakage as external pressure on the glass. It would show the opposite. So unless Apple didn't check closely enough to determine the direction of the breakage, this wouldn't apply.

It is common knowledge that faulty Li-Ions do in fact swell. Hmmm

[Master Chief]

In the case of the security guy, I would say pressure (two obvious spots on the screen).

But what happened to the photo, the one I've seen very recently, of a dismantled iPhone showing its internal with a battery failure – brown stuff leaking out of it. I guess that was pressure too then. Okay. Not!

[SeattleMoose]

Whether it is the battery or "pressure" this is moot.

No consumer product that is meant for pockets/purses/etc. should be engineered to NOT withstand some pressure/jostling.

I have been an engineer for 30 years and every since the 1990's engineering budget for safety/quality control/testing has been gutted. Why? Because of $$$$....the bottom line.

Where are the traditional "shake and bake" tests for consumer electronics today? Where are the temperature/pressure tests?

It is easier (and more importantly....cheaper) for today's companies to keep a few top lawyers on retainer for the inevitable lawsuits than staff engineering organizations with ALL engineering disciplines. By ALL I mean not just design, but requirements, saftey, test, and QC. Sadly, design (HW and SW) appear to the only discipline left at a lot of companies today....and of course...LOTS of lawyers.:(

This is not an Apple thing....this is a corporate thing....across the board.

[Lesser Evets]

I am curious why this is so rampant in the France area.

Whatever the reason, it seems focused in Europe. Could it have been in shipping, or related to a central issue? I am sure plenty of people have applied force to their screens, but why so much more in western Europe?

[JMP]

I really seriously doubt it's because too much pressure was applied on the screen. How much pressure would be necessary to break the screen before you really hurt your ear first??? Unless you put your head in one of those nasty medieval torture machines and crush it with the iphone on it...

Have you ever seen anyone push "any" phone against their ear that hard???
Apple, get real!:eek:

[longofest]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/08/28/apple-claims-exploding-iphones-due-to-screen-pressure-not-battery-issues/)Novelli noted, however, that it remains to be seen whether blame for the cracked screens should be pinned on unreasonable force applied by users or a design flaw on the part of Apple.

It's amazing how many people crack their iPhone screens. I myself had my iPhone screen shatter by a drop of 3 feet onto a hard surface (I was sitting and it fell out of my hands onto a tile floor). I think it would do Apple well to have a slightly thicker or more shatter-resistant screen. Sure, there will still be shattered screens out there, but it should be less of a problem.

[franzmueller]

My 3G got one day hot , very hot on the upper part , I first thought it was due to sun exposure , after leaving it under my car seat for half an hour on standby ( with the aircon on ) the phone was as hot as before , suddenly the battery window appeared ( it was only midday and I barely used the phone that day ) that I only had 20 % charge , 10 minutes later the same message appeared telling me that I had only 10% charge then I decided to turn it off till I got home and restored in the evening .

A software bug or a battery management error ? Asked several weeks ago in the forums but nobody gave me an answer rather that it was due to sun heat .

Now I take a closer look when I am driving under direct sunlight and touch the phone once in a while , it gets warm but never so hot as that particular day .

My question is : what would have happened if I did not turn the phone off ? I guess I will never know ....

Saludos from Spain

[Rot'nApple]

Boom!

Time for a iPhone case redesign anyway.

Can't wait for the iPhone 3Gs replacement and possibly with Apple's internal workings what with the buyout of PA Semi... :rolleyes:

[MacMan86]

I really seriously doubt it's because too much pressure was applied on the screen. How much pressure would be necessary to break the screen before you really hurt your ear first??? Unless you put your head in one of those nasty medieval torture machines and crush it with the iphone on it...

Have you ever seen anyone push "any" phone against their ear that hard???
Apple, get real!:eek:

Um I think by pressure Apple meant dropping your iPhone/sitting on it/dropping items on it...

[ouimetnick]

So if I push the glass screen in on my iPhone, it will then shoot out at me and glass will fly every where? :eek::eek::rolleyes:

[DELLsFan]

Um I think by pressure Apple meant dropping your iPhone/sitting on it/dropping items on it...

Yeah, ok ... so how does a drop/sit/item drop like this result in glass getting in some French lad's eye?

[odedia]

It's amazing how many people crack their iPhone screens. I myself had my iPhone screen shatter by a drop of 3 feet onto a hard surface (I was sitting and it fell out of my hands onto a tile floor). I think it would do Apple well to have a slightly thicker or more shatter-resistant screen. Sure, there will still be shattered screens out there, but it should be less of a problem.

I cracked my screen after dropping the iphone from around the same level onto a carpeted floor!

Then again, on a different case it flew from around 10 feet high on a hard surface and nothing happened. I think it is mostly related to the angle it which it smashes on the floor.

[MTShipp]

A swelling battery would not show glass breakage as external pressure on the glass. It would show the opposite. So unless Apple didn't check closely enough to determine the direction of the breakage, this wouldn't apply.


With $ and reputation on the line over this, I would bet that Apple did some very, very close inspection of the glass to determine breakage. You can inspect it closely enough and see if it was inward or outward pressure that caused the breakage.

Have you all seen that US TV show called CSI? They can figure everything out. :)

[LEStudios]

Yeah, ok ... so how does a drop/sit/item drop like this result in glass getting in some French lad's eye?

Like Fonz would say Sit On it! :D

[run-kmc]

Yeah, ok ... so how does a drop/sit/item drop like this result in glass getting in some French lad's eye?

He has a super powerful mechanical hand, just like Ash in Army of Darkness. Gotta learn to control it.

[Numbah One]

I am curious why this is so rampant in the France area.

Whatever the reason, it seems focused in Europe. Could it have been in shipping, or related to a central issue? I am sure plenty of people have applied force to their screens, but why so much more in western Europe?

maybe folks wear their pants too tight in France? :D

[sam10685]

I shot the hell out of my busted-ass ipod touch the other day with a high powered pellet gun. There was no exploding that I saw. The battery did get hot though.

[JMP]

Um I think by pressure Apple meant dropping your iPhone/sitting on it/dropping items on it...

Hum... Not sure about that...

I'm more inclined to believe that before a press release, that important for Apple's reputation (at least in Western Europe, words are carefully chosen....
I'm sure they really meant "pressure" as in "a physical force exerted on or against an object by something in contact with it."
Otherwise they would have said the device was dropped.
Moreover, as far as reports go, and from what I read, there are no evidence which would indicate the iPhones were dropped.
But I may be wrong.
;)

[MacMan86]

Yeah, ok ... so how does a drop/sit/item drop like this result in glass getting in some French lad's eye?

There are hundreds of ways to 'apply external force' to an iPhone where glass could fly off into your eye. If you drop an iPhone, glass could shatter in all directions. Personally I don't believe this kid

[BornAgainMac]

Could a popular French game be the cause? Something that would encourage end-users to squeeze the screen more than normal?

[podlasek]

so nobody has ever seen a fracture in safety glass that was indiscernible to the human eye, all of a sudden spread and spider web??? with a little pressure/heat??

if they are examining actual 'exploded' iphones and have determined external damage so far, and the French Consumer group is agreeing with the analysis, then that must be what has happened to the ones they have examined. after all the european/french consumer groups are notorious for drilling new ********** if they can..

it's funny how many people automatically 'AssUMe' that it's a conspiracy and cover-up. for whatever reason, maybe they just hate Apple or corporations in general.

I believe in looking at the facts and not 'guessing' what might be the problem and presuming the worse until the facts bear it out.

The facts & TRUTH will set you free!

[aristotle]

Something does not smell right about the suggestion that this is a flaw. If it was a flaw, it should be happening more and in other countries. I suspect that the stupid kid put the phone in his back pocket and sat on it.

[MacMan86]

Hum... Not sure about that...

I'm more inclined to believe that before a press release, that important for Apple's reputation (at least in Western Europe, words are carefully chosen....
I'm sure they really meant "pressure" as in "a physical force exerted on or against an object by something in contact with it."
Otherwise they would have said the device was dropped.
Moreover, as far as reports go, and from what I read, there are no evidence which would indicate the iPhones were dropped.
But I may be wrong.
;)

Well yes, I was saying what Apple was implying. They would never speculate on exactly what happened. But by saying 'external force' they're saying it's user error, and that's all that matters, Apple won't care what he did to it

[MacKiddyWiddy]

i dont think anyone cares about the reason... we just want a solution http://macblog.***********/imgs/signature_SmileyFace.jpg

[Warbrain]

Guys, it's still under investigation.

Give it time before getting your panties in a bunch.

[VinitaBoy]

"This is not an Apple thing....this is a corporate thing....across the board."

To your post and your opinion, I say Phhhhht! Ordure. BS.

Do not even begin to tell me that 3 (THREE!) "instances" of exploding iPhones out of . . . how many? . . . 30,000,000? constitute bad design or an inherent flaw in corporate philosophy.

Oh, oh, oh, this is the age of pity the little guy. Shed tears for the teenager whose eye was damaged as he just barely used his iPhone. Again, BullCrap! Teenagers lie. That's what they do. It's part of their DNA . . . and to automatically blame this "problem" on Apple instead of him is hysterical and hypocritical to put the case mildly.

My first reaction to this story was that these beleaguered Frenchmen (people?) were eating some cheese with their wine and accidentally sat on their phones . . . at which point it occurred to them to . . . to . . . BLAME THE EVIL CORPORATE EMPIRE TO THE WEST! Fie on America, the brigands!

This is fraud, pure and simple, ladies and gentlemen, and I hope Apple sues the living crap out of all three of them. (Do frogs even HAVE crap?)

[Rondue]

My Macbook AIR was attack by the same screen pressure, which magically gave me 2 stuck pixels, damn apple you need to find that screen pressure and get him arrested.


STOP BLAMING YOUR POOR ENGINEERING ON THE CUSTOMER!

[Master Chief]

Guys, it's still under investigation.

Give it time before getting your panties in a bunch.
Where do you get that impression from? I mean the title reads: "Apple Claims 'Exploding' iPhone Due to Screen Pressure, Not Battery Issues" and follow the provided link I read: "Apple denies battery problem with exploding iPhones". As in Apple is done with these "stories". What have I missed?

[Mr. Zorg]

I cracked my screen after dropping the iphone from around the same level onto a carpeted floor!

Then again, on a different case it flew from around 10 feet high on a hard surface and nothing happened. I think it is mostly related to the angle it which it smashes on the floor.

It must have more to do with the way it hits, as you say. Both my wife and I have dropped our phones many times on a variety of surfaces (including concrete) and they've been fine. No problems at all.

[kurosov]

Whether it is the battery or "pressure" this is moot.

No consumer product that is meant for pockets/purses/etc. should be engineered to NOT withstand some pressure/jostling.

I have been an engineer for 30 years and every since the 1990's engineering budget for safety/quality control/testing has been gutted. Why? Because of $$$$....the bottom line.

Where are the traditional "shake and bake" tests for consumer electronics today? Where are the temperature/pressure tests?

It is easier (and more importantly....cheaper) for today's companies to keep a few top lawyers on retainer for the inevitable lawsuits than staff engineering organizations with ALL engineering disciplines. By ALL I mean not just design, but requirements, saftey, test, and QC. Sadly, design (HW and SW) appear to the only discipline left at a lot of companies today....and of course...LOTS of lawyers.:(

This is not an Apple thing....this is a corporate thing....across the board.

From the photos i saw posted when this first hit the web the screen looked as if it had been run over by a car. The damage was caused by something way beyond expected device stress. The iphones glass screen is much more resilient than many devices plastic screens.

This was most likely a case of dim-witted people thinking they could cash in by driving over their phones and claiming they exploded.

[Bubba Satori]

This was most likely a case of dim-witted people...

User error. First line of defense when protecting the reality distortion field from insidious attack.

[dscottbuch]

Yeah, ok ... so how does a drop/sit/item drop like this result in glass getting in some French lad's eye?

He drops it, cracks it by leaning on a sharp corner while it is his pocket, sits on it, etc. AND THEN continues to use it with the screen cracked.

For all of those conspiracy fans do you thing the kid would admit this either?

Keep in mind we're talking about undocumented failures of a very very few pieces out of 10's of millions.

[JMP]

User error. First line of defense when protecting the reality distortion field from insidious attack.

+1

[JMP]

BTW, This kid is not the only one at all, there is also an older man ( around 75 yrs old). The exact same thing happened to him. And both iphone look identical after exploding.

[ThunderSkunk]

Well, I got one! ...yesterday, I had been using my month-old 3GS, then set it down for about ten minutes to start sketching. Some movement caught my eye. I wasn't sure what I was looking at at first, but a long crack started growing along the side of the plastic back, right in front of my eyes. I just watched it grow, and then stop. Now, I have about a 2.5" crack in the back of my brand new super expensive wonderphone. Resale value, shot. Awesome. WTF.

[safetyobc]

Exploding iPhone, Sounds fishy to me. :eek:

@ThunderSkunk - That sucks!

[22Hertz]

so nobody has ever seen a fracture in safety glass that was indiscernible to the human eye, all of a sudden spread and spider web??? with a little pressure/heat??

if they are examining actual 'exploded' iphones and have determined external damage so far, and the French Consumer group is agreeing with the analysis, then that must be what has happened to the ones they have examined. after all the european/french consumer groups are notorious for drilling new ********** if they can..

it's funny how many people automatically 'AssUMe' that it's a conspiracy and cover-up. for whatever reason, maybe they just hate Apple or corporations in general.

I believe in looking at the facts and not 'guessing' what might be the problem and presuming the worse until the facts bear it out.

The facts & TRUTH will set you free!

I agree with you but where are the facts?
No one knows if any of this is true so most side against big corporation instinctively.

Is it an accident Apple sent a guy to France with the last name Coulomb?

[kdarling]

I'd like to know why Apple themselves is doing the forensic investigation, instead of the units being handed over to a government or outside lab for an (more) unbiased analysis.

[twoodcc]

yeah apple wouldn't admit to this anyway. but no company would really

[JMP]

yeah apple wouldn't admit to this anyway. but no company would really

You're right. But blaming it on "pressure" is a freaking lame excuse!
It probably hurts Apple's credibility more than admitting there might be a issue with a very small percentage of devices.
Which, BTW, should be acceptable. Nothing and nobody is "perfect".
I'm not talking about money issues, trials, etc..., just "credibility".

-10 Apple.

Have an independent lab do the forensics!

[moopf]

I notice with interest that all Apple has actually said is that it's not due to overheating batteries. What they've done is said "it's not what people have said it is" whilst not explaining what it might be apart from the nebulous 'external force' that they could most likely suggest was being in somebody's pocket for the sake of a law suit. There have been supposed cases all over Europe, with at least one saying that Apple had tried to make them sign a non-disclosure in return for a replacement. That's gagging in anybody's book and the actions, whether rightly or wrongly, of a company looking to keep something quiet. Apple are probably messing themselves over being included in a Rapex bulletin as this potentially could then take it out of their hands to control, something they're so very scared of anybody doing as we all know. So, they've come out and said that it's not what everybody thinks it is, without saying that it's nothing other than something nebulous which could, in all honesty, be construed as meaning anything.

My wife's 3G suddenly obtained a crack on the screen after sitting on the side, not being in a pocket or being subjected to any other force than the air itself. It still works, it hasn't blown up, but it did do something that I would not expect any well tested hardware to do. My 1st gen still works like a dream but the development and testing cycle was most likely much longer with those than subsequent models.

[Consultant]

iPhones are actually really tough, as seen here in stress tests from articles from a reputable publication

The Original iPhone Stress Tests - PC World
http://www.pcworld.com/article/157529/the_original_iphone_stress_tests.html

It's Tough to Kill an Apple iPhone 3G - PC World
http://www.pcworld.com/article/148310/its_tough_to_kill_an_apple_iphone_3g.html

And if you seen enough Mythbusters (Mythbusters are Mac users (http://obamapacman.com/2009/08/mythbusters-apple-mac-users-bust-urban-legend-myths-with-explosions/)), you would know the difference between a real explosion and what most people think is an explosion (hollywood special effects).


Whether it is the battery or "pressure" this is moot.

No consumer product that is meant for pockets/purses/etc. should be engineered to NOT withstand some pressure/jostling.

You think Apple didn't perform any tests? You are probably a little off. Just a little. =p

[MrPlywood]

Glass can exhibit quite different behaviors. I have thrown bricks at 1/2" plate glass and note been able to break it (no vandalism, it was a damaged tabletop), and I've seen the tiniest nick at the edge of a piece spread like crazy. My brother's glass car hatchback exploded with no warning (that said, it disintegrated into harmless cubes).

When glass is in a frame like the Phone/Touch, it adds to the overall strength.

I would think that the glass used in iPhones and Touches is tempered safety glass, which is made to break down into pebbles, or laminated safety glass which looks more like the photo of the kids iPhone. Either way, the goal is to reduce or eliminate the possibility of flying shards.

I wouldn't comment either until I could figure out what was really going on.

[JMP]

I wouldn't comment either until I could figure out what was really going on.

I agree. And neither would I. But I'm 99% positive it's not just "pressure".
It might not be the battery either, but something is obviously wrong if it hasn't been dropped...

[JulienNantes]

The french website Clubic gives you a preview of Steve Jobs' next keynote on september 9th, presenting the new iPod Touch :

http://img.clubic.com/photo/02380474.jpg

[macintoshtoffy]

A swelling battery would not show glass breakage as external pressure on the glass. It would show the opposite. So unless Apple didn't check closely enough to determine the direction of the breakage, this wouldn't apply.

I wouldn't trust the customer; I only need to look at how people treat their property after purchasing it - little wonder things go wrong, devices fail and batteries explode. Treat your stuff with respect and you'll get many years of reliable service out of - treat it like a football by constantly dropping it, throwing it around and being rough with it - expecting something to go wrong.

[Lershac]

ANY personal injury lawyer would NEVER let a client turn the malfunctioned device over to the company for "analysis". If the kid was really injured and sought serious legal advice, any lawyer would have 1st, given the kid a new iphone as an "advance" on a possible settlement. 2nd they would have turned it over to an independent lab for analysis.

in any event I have yet to see a picture of a broken iphone purported to have exploded, that LOOKED like it exploded, instead they look like they have sufferred a blow to the screen or bezel that cracked the glass.

Show us some pics of the "exploded" iphones please!

[kdarling]

I would think that the glass used in iPhones and Touches is tempered safety glass, which is made to break down into pebbles, or laminated safety glass which looks more like the photo of the kids iPhone. Either way, the goal is to reduce or eliminate the possibility of flying shards.

That's part of the problem.

It is NOT tempered glass, which breaks into safe shapes.

The glass used in the iPhone is optical quality glass... made for purity of vision through it. But when it breaks, it does so into dangerous shards.

[Consultant]

Out of over 40 million iPhones + iPod touch, the "reported" cases are in the single digit.

You have better chance to get hit by lightening.
You have better chance to win the lottery.

[Veri]

Oh, oh, oh, this is the age of pity the little guy. Shed tears for the teenager whose eye was damaged as he just barely used his iPhone. Again, BullCrap! Teenagers lie. That's what they do.

(...). . . at which point it occurred to them to . . . to . . . BLAME THE EVIL CORPORATE EMPIRE TO THE WEST! Fie on America, the brigands!

This is fraud, pure and simple, ladies and gentlemen, and I hope Apple sues the living crap out of all three of them. (Do frogs even HAVE crap?)
Is this an echo of the final guy to break in 12 Angry Men (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050083/) or a pro-corporation follow-on to I walked on the sidewalk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBHicyqMML4)?

[Uragon]

BTW, This kid is not the only one at all, there is also an older man ( around 75 yrs old). The exact same thing happened to him. And both iphone look identical after exploding.

He must be the father? :rolleyes:

[Uragon]

I agree. And neither would I. But I'm 99% positive it's not just "pressure".
It might not be the battery either, but something is obviously wrong if it hasn't been dropped...

I agree and go for the "tight Pants" theory. And Apple should concentrate on this. And the investigators should bring measuring tape with them. :D

[DjHeXeR]

My LCD panel had a fine crack across the screen, still don't know what happened to this day. I never dropped it or mishandled it (only owned the thing for 35 days)

I did take a trip to Japan and was on take off and descend 2 times, then it was hot as heck in japan (but not too hot to break the thing) didn't touch it for two days. picked it up and turned it on and it looked like ink spred everywhere. still functional but couldn't see most of the screen

Anyways took it to apple, genius looked at it and said that was weird cause the phone was flawless except for the screen, took it to the back replaced the LCD for free and stated something like, "looks like there was a possible manufacture defect on the LCD"

I was amazed it only took only 10 min to replace the screen

[jjd]

I am sure there are very, very few examples of "exploding" iPhones and am willing to believe there were other factors involved in the cases in France. But, the fact that Apple has a design flaw on its hands given the battery heat and life issues in simply not controversial.

When I upgraded my 3G to 3.0, I began experiencing extreme overheating and absurdly short (1.5 hr when at rest) battery life. After a few reboots the problem disappeared. I then bought a 3GS and for the first month had no problems, but for the past week I have precisely the same issue. I have restored it back to zero twice and have the latest software but there has been no improvement. I have to wait 5 days to get an appointment with a "Genius" to have them swap out my phone (assuming they will). That will means two weeks with essentially no phone.

Apple's support site suggests I try turning off push features etc. Huh? I did not buy the phone to not use its features. Furthermore, it worked fine for a month.

Apple needs to just come clean and recall or patch these things. To suggest that there are single digit examples of overheating is silly - there are hundreds of examples in the various internet forums.

[Lershac]

My LCD panel had a fine crack across the screen, still don't know what happened to this day. I never dropped it or mishandled it (only owned the thing for 35 days)

I did take a trip to Japan and was on take off and descend 2 times, then it was hot as heck in japan (but not too hot to break the thing) didn't touch it for two days. picked it up and turned it on and it looked like ink spred everywhere. still functional but couldn't see most of the screen

Anyways took it to apple, genius looked at it and said that was weird cause the phone was flawless except for the screen, took it to the back replaced the LCD for free and stated something like, "looks like there was a possible manufacture defect on the LCD"

I was amazed it only took only 10 min to replace the screen

I bet they gave u a new phone after a backup and restore/reactivation. Most apple retail locations are not equipped to do any physical repairs to iphones, they just dole out replacement refurbs at their discretion.

[VulchR]

Well, I got one! .... Now, I have about a 2.5" crack in the back of my brand new super expensive wonderphone....

Pictures? *cough* *cough*

[Bjohnson33]

Whether it is the battery or "pressure" this is moot.

No consumer product that is meant for pockets/purses/etc. should be engineered to NOT withstand some pressure/jostling.

I have been an engineer for 30 years and every since the 1990's engineering budget for safety/quality control/testing has been gutted. Why? Because of $$$$....the bottom line.

Where are the traditional "shake and bake" tests for consumer electronics today? Where are the temperature/pressure tests?

It is easier (and more importantly....cheaper) for today's companies to keep a few top lawyers on retainer for the inevitable lawsuits than staff engineering organizations with ALL engineering disciplines. By ALL I mean not just design, but requirements, saftey, test, and QC. Sadly, design (HW and SW) appear to the only discipline left at a lot of companies today....and of course...LOTS of lawyers.:(

This is not an Apple thing....this is a corporate thing....across the board.

To be fair, there have only been a handful of cases that have been reported. When you make 15 million units of anything, you're bound to get a few that have issues. I don't think this is worth raising too much of an issue about.

[igwe14]

Now, no one really expects Apple to admit to this, do they? At least, not until the lawsuits get to amount to a lot more than a mass recall.




pls i really need some help. i tried restoring my iphone manually thinking it will solve my earpiece freezing. i did it and it erased everything and now i can`t use my iphone whenever i on it will show apple logo then it will start loading then it will off itself again then it will be back the apple logo loading again. pls what should i do to repair it? thnks

[yamabushi]

It is NOT tempered glass, which breaks into safe shapes. The glass used in the iPhone is optical quality glass... made for purity of vision through it.

Tempered glass is also about twice as resistant to impact forces. This may be an opportunity to improve on the design. If an appropriately clear tempered glass could be used then this would make the iPhone even tougher.