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Prime85

macrumors 6502a
Mar 1, 2012
652
0
Threads like this really worries me. I'm getting my iPhone 5 next monday, and I'm crossing my fingers that I get a good unit. My iPhone 4 has been great from day one, and I hope my new iPhone 5 doesn't disappoint.

Yours should be fine. QC has improved since the so called "scuffgate". I have purchased 3 and all of them have been perfect. Also now that supply has finally caught up with demand the quality should increase as well.
 

Cripps

macrumors regular
Jun 22, 2011
175
0
There is NO such thing as a flawless iphone 5. No one has one. They all have some issue or another, it's just that people don't know they're really issues. Some iphones have rattling sleep wake buttons, that's a fact. ...

This is a very negative view.
I know a fair bit about iPhones and can assure the OP that my phone, purchased as a pre-order, has no flaws whatsoever.
That is, it conforms to all of Apple's specifications and parameters.
 

lke

macrumors 6502a
Jun 19, 2009
570
15
I buy 2 black iphones and they are flawless, I think that the first iphones only have issues
 

gitkua

macrumors newbie
Apr 13, 2010
15
0
Yours should be fine. QC has improved since the so called "scuffgate". I have purchased 3 and all of them have been perfect. Also now that supply has finally caught up with demand the quality should increase as well.

I wouldn't state that so firmly. I got a 32GB from week 46 last week and it was in the worst condition of all 5 I've had thus far...
 

Prime85

macrumors 6502a
Mar 1, 2012
652
0
I wouldn't state that so firmly. I got a 32GB from week 46 last week and it was in the worst condition of all 5 I've had thus far...

Just because you received one bad quality one does not mean QC hasn't improved, that's like saying "I received my iPhone with a cracked screen so therefor everyone has received their iPhone with cracked screens".
 

nascimento

macrumors regular
Jun 15, 2010
151
0
2nd day and have scratch on bezel Iphone 5

I keep posting this on apples site but they keep removing my comments!

I had a case but it did not cover the bottom of the phone, on the second day of using it very carefully I scratched it somehow.

The question I keep posting on apple.com is why make such a light and beautiful sculptured phone if you have to cover it from head to toe and put all the weight on that they meticulously took off. IT DEFEATS THE PURPOSE. as far as I am concerned I could be using the ugliest phone on the market, nobody can see it through the heavy duty cover.

The Bezel has a problem as thats where all the scuffs and scratches occur so it has to be bad design and bad materials. The bezel should not scratch so easily on a such an expensive piece of equipment.

This is another fiasco from Apple and Im annoyed as hell for having a scratched phone. I am "OCD" with regards to having my stuff clean and in perfect condition.

----------

I buy 2 black iphones and they are flawless, I think that the first iphones only have issues

They wont be for very long! watch out for the bezel
 

CiccioAtSea

macrumors regular
Oct 23, 2010
165
40
Principality of Monaco
I'm really OCD about this kind of matters but incredibly both my last purchases (white iPhone 5 and black iPad mini) were flawless at first attempt :)

Sorry it's not the same for many people here..
 

nascimento

macrumors regular
Jun 15, 2010
151
0
I'm really OCD about this kind of matters but incredibly both my last purchases (white iPhone 5 and black iPad mini) were flawless at first attempt :)

Sorry it's not the same for many people here..

Mine was perfect when I bought it but the soft aluminium used on the bezel scratches like hell because they did not use the same finish as the back and sides. really sloppy.
 

gitkua

macrumors newbie
Apr 13, 2010
15
0
Just because you received one bad quality one does not mean QC hasn't improved, that's like saying "I received my iPhone with a cracked screen so therefor everyone has received their iPhone with cracked screens".
I didn't say that. But the QC issues clearly have not been resolved yet since there ARE still coming scuffed, dented or scratched iPhone's out of those factories.
 

mirekti

macrumors newbie
Dec 5, 2012
17
0
I've already posted this in another topic, but this one seems more suitable for the questions.


Did Apple improve their anodize process?
I believe I read somewhere if the process lasted longer the finish would be more resistant.

Has anybody noticed the difference in products made in the last few weeks?
I got my black and it is week 46. I don't have scratches, but I keep it a silicone translucent case.
I don't want to test and purposly scratch it.

On the other hand I'm still a bit worried and plan on swapping it for a white one.
 

sectime

macrumors 6502a
Jul 29, 2007
530
0
I, too, wondered about this.

To those who claimed to have a flawless looking phone, is the phone truly flawless or is the user simply not looking hard enough?

For example, there are frequently blemishes on the chamfered edges that many users simply overlook. Do those count? In my case, I had a phone in case the scratches were all on the junction where the case meets the front glass (this is not the chamfered edges).

Some people had recommended looking at the phone under different lighting conditions (seriously, you can search for that thread) because the flaws only show up under bright lights. Do those count?
I looked at my friend's 5 under a scanning electron microscope at work. Told him to return it right now. My god man, the defects were obvious ;)
How hard should we look to satisfy OCD?

----------

There is NO such thing as a flawless XXXX.
Pretty much sums up the entire universe, focus on imperfection and Boom there it is, deal with it.
 

Bako-MacAddict

macrumors 68000
Jun 7, 2012
1,953
1,282
California
IMG_0177.JPG

Not a good picture at all, lol. Taken with my iPhone 4. But I assure you this phone is in pristine condition and just picked up a week ago.
 

itjw

macrumors 65816
Dec 20, 2011
1,088
6
So what ? The fact it's the most expensive phone on the market. The fact that that its £529 (in the UK) and for that price you expect a product that's flawless when out the box

Nope. I expect very few things to be "flawless" out of the box, sorry.

Not only did they NOT advertise that they had discovered a way to make mass production 100% perfect, they also never advertised that every phone would have absolutely zero microscopic cosmetic defects. They NEVER did. They called it "jewel" like, and made reperesentations about the manufacturing process being cutting edge, but NEVER did they promise they had made the worlds first cosmetically flawless phone...

I have an Omega Seamaster ($2600 watch). Very nice, but not 100%cosmetically flawless out of the box. My point is, if you look HARD enough, you can find tiny flaws on almost everything... especially if you hold it in the right light, at the right angle, with a magnifying lens (as some users here have admitted to taking to the Apple store).

The iP5 is thinner, lighter, and aluminum to be so. It scratches a little easier (mine still hasn't, but I expect it to, just like my watch). If you DON'T like the trade off, go buy something else. PLEASE. But most people can't. The phone is just that good... it can have "problems" and people still ine up to buy it.

Pretty amazing stuff. Apple couldn't care less.

The official statement from Schiller is that this is 100% normal.

Sales reflect that most NON-OCD people agree with him...
 

timidhermit

macrumors 6502
Jul 6, 2011
366
3
Sorry, but I am going to call you out on this one.

The electron beam from the scanning EM will fire the circuits in the phone even in low power. So unless your friend is extremely generous and is willing to brick a phone (or at lest take the phone apart so you are only scanning the case without the electronics inside), this is just a tale. :p

I looked at my friend's 5 under a scanning electron microscope at work. Told him to return it right now. My god man, the defects were obvious ;)
How hard should we look to satisfy OCD?

----------


Pretty much sums up the entire universe, focus on imperfection and Boom there it is, deal with it.
 

richard13

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 1, 2008
837
198
Odessa, FL
I had no idea this thread would have grown this much and generate such discussion. Thank you all for giving your opinions!

My story seems to have reached an end, at least for now, and thankfully so.

I went back to the Apple Store yesterday with the same complaint about scratches but this time I was treated a little differently. Previously they just gave me a new phone sealed in a retail box. Now I was told that they would let me choose from 3 white box phones. Considering my bad luck with the retail boxes I was interested to try this approach. I was then told, however, that this was it. I had to choose from these and that there would be no further exchanges. I was a little miffed at being put in this position. Even if it was my intention to keep the phone I didn't appreciate being talked to in this manner, as if I was some problem for them that they wanted to get rid of.

And of course, none of the three was flawless. :( In the end, I chose the one with the least amount of damage (actually I only noticed one scratch on the bottom of the ring).

On the whole this experience has left me feeling a bit disappointed in Apple. First, that out of 5 phones I was offered, all of them had scratches and/or nicks and then the poor customer service experience on the 2nd exchange. But my hope here is that I can now get past this unpleasantness, that there are no functional problems with the phone (I don't anticipate any), and that I will enjoy my new phone. :)
 

Breezygirl

macrumors 6502a
Oct 7, 2011
660
506
I had no idea this thread would have grown this much and generate such discussion. Thank you all for giving your opinions!

My story seems to have reached an end, at least for now, and thankfully so.

I went back to the Apple Store yesterday with the same complaint about scratches but this time I was treated a little differently. Previously they just gave me a new phone sealed in a retail box. Now I was told that they would let me choose from 3 white box phones. Considering my bad luck with the retail boxes I was interested to try this approach. I was then told, however, that this was it. I had to choose from these and that there would be no further exchanges. I was a little miffed at being put in this position. Even if it was my intention to keep the phone I didn't appreciate being talked to in this manner, as if I was some problem for them that they wanted to get rid of.

And of course, none of the three was flawless. :( In the end, I chose the one with the least amount of damage (actually I only noticed one scratch on the bottom of the ring).

On the whole this experience has left me feeling a bit disappointed in Apple. First, that out of 5 phones I was offered, all of them had scratches and/or nicks and then the poor customer service experience on the 2nd exchange. But my hope here is that I can now get past this unpleasantness, that there are no functional problems with the phone (I don't anticipate any), and that I will enjoy my new phone. :)

Totally pathetic! :(
 

BDoggPrelude

macrumors regular
Jul 19, 2009
154
2
Colorado
My 5 I received via UPS on launch day is flawless, as is my wife's 5 that was delivered a couple weeks later. And yes, I inspected them well. No scratches, loose buttons, rattling, etc. I actually have quite a few friends and coworkers that have flawless iPhone 5's as well.
 

Sekelani

macrumors 6502
May 26, 2012
273
76
My only issue with my iPhone 5 is the battery life. Besides that its fine. But not FLAWLESS
 
S

syd430

Guest
I had no idea this thread would have grown this much and generate such discussion. Thank you all for giving your opinions!

My story seems to have reached an end, at least for now, and thankfully so.

I went back to the Apple Store yesterday with the same complaint about scratches but this time I was treated a little differently. Previously they just gave me a new phone sealed in a retail box. Now I was told that they would let me choose from 3 white box phones. Considering my bad luck with the retail boxes I was interested to try this approach. I was then told, however, that this was it. I had to choose from these and that there would be no further exchanges. I was a little miffed at being put in this position. Even if it was my intention to keep the phone I didn't appreciate being talked to in this manner, as if I was some problem for them that they wanted to get rid of.

And of course, none of the three was flawless. :( In the end, I chose the one with the least amount of damage (actually I only noticed one scratch on the bottom of the ring).

On the whole this experience has left me feeling a bit disappointed in Apple. First, that out of 5 phones I was offered, all of them had scratches and/or nicks and then the poor customer service experience on the 2nd exchange. But my hope here is that I can now get past this unpleasantness, that there are no functional problems with the phone (I don't anticipate any), and that I will enjoy my new phone. :)

Get some fresh air once in a while, it will do you wonders ;)
 

meistervu

macrumors 65816
Jul 24, 2008
1,027
27
While I mean no disrespect to people who seem to try really hard to get flawless iPhones, I want to put things in perspective.

Take those messages and replace iPhone with an old gadget, like a Walkman. How do they sound to you?

Ridiculous is what come to my mind. I am guilty of being obsessive about wanting my new shiny gadget to be flawless at times. Fortunately I often caught myself doing so and recall my flawless Palm Pilot which is gathering dust along with my other junks.

If you are searching for a flawless iPhone, I suspect that you do so because you think it will make you happier than one with a scratch. Would life be much easier if you can be happy with an iPhone that is not flawless?

If you have trouble accepting the above, try replacing "iPhone" with "Walkman".

What about the argument that since you pay so much money for want, you expect it to be flawless. Well, try the Walkman substitution and see how it sounds to you.

I have no doubt that Apple tries pretty hard to make these phones flawless as it is good business to do so. In the end as a consumer it's not just your money but also time it sounds like for some people searching for a flawless phone. Unless you enjoy the process so much that it becomes a hobby, is it worth you time?
 
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gitkua

macrumors newbie
Apr 13, 2010
15
0
While I mean no disrespect to people who seem to try really hard to get flawless iPhones, I want to put things in perspective.

Take those messages and replace iPhone with an old gadget, like a Walkman. How do they sound to you?

Ridiculous is what come to my mind. I am guilty of being obsessive about wanting my new shiny gadget to be flawless at times. Fortunately I often caught myself doing so and recall my flawless Palm Pilot which is gathering dust along with my other junks.

If you are searching for a flawless iPhone, I suspect that you do so because you think it will make you happier than one with a scratch. Would life be much easier if you can be happy with an iPhone that is not flawless?

If you have trouble accepting the above, try replacing "iPhone" with "Walkman".

What about the argument that since you pay so much money for want, you expect it to be flawless. Well, try the Walkman substitution and see how it sounds to you.

I have no doubt that Apple tries pretty hard to make these phones flawless as it is good business to do so. In the end as a consumer it's not just your money but also time it sounds like for some people searching for a flawless phone. Unless you enjoy the process so much that it becomes a hobby, is it worth you time?
What a ridiculous argument. The iPhone5 is not an old gadget, but a 2012 gadget unlike a walkman. Apple prides itself for high quality, durable products and the iPhone5 (at least a portion of them) is not living up to these standards. The question if it's worth your time is moot; of course it isn't worth my time. Does that mean I have to suck it up and live with it? No!

Apple has a responsibility to deliver a flawless product, simple as that. I feel a lot of posters here are coming up with arguments like "they did not advertise flawless" or "compare it to a walkman" to make them feel better about accepting a flawed product. If that works for you; good for you. But in my opinion the people who keep exchanging their flawed iPhones are the educated customers. It's simply not meant to be flawed, scratched or dented and Apple should fix it. As a customer you have every right to want a flawless product.

Before the fanboys start attacking me; I'm as much a fanboy as the next person here. I've got iPhones, iPad's, iMacs, Macbook (Pro)'s, Airport Extreme, Airport Express etc. etc. I love Apple as a brand. I exchanged five iPhone5's because all had scratches or defect WiFi chips. The last iPhone I got was scratched the worst (and produced in week 46). I called Apple again and they asked if I was comfortable with waiting until the end of january to exchange again, because they are making changes in the production proces. They know about these problems and agree that it should not happen. Exchanging it again now would mean they cannot garantee it will be flawless. Those are literally the words of the Senior Customer Relations advisors I have been talking to.
 
S

syd430

Guest
What a ridiculous argument. The iPhone5 is not an old gadget, but a 2012 gadget unlike a walkman.

I think what he mean't was that he realised that in the grand scheme of things, he wondered why he spent the time to stress about small cosmetic issues, given that it is a disposable gadget that will become obsolete in a relatively short amount of time.
 

Nale72

macrumors regular
Nov 13, 2012
216
0
Sweden
Not only did they NOT advertise that they had discovered a way to make mass production 100% perfect, they also never advertised that every phone would have absolutely zero microscopic cosmetic defects. They NEVER did. They called it "jewel" like, and made reperesentations about the manufacturing process being cutting edge, but NEVER did they promise they had made the worlds first cosmetically flawless phone...

But they said: "Designed with an unprecedented level of precision, iPhone 5 combines an anodized aluminum body with diamond cut chamfered edges and glass inlays for a truly incredible fit and finish."

When phones out of the box come with clicking displays and in some cases several scratches and flakes out of the aluminium, I don't believe this meet what Apple say their iPhone 5 should be like.

If you need a microscope or magnifying glass or have to look in certain light or angle I agree that you can't say much about it.

I have never before heard of this many complaints about flaws right out of the box about any other product. I have can also not recall ever opening a product myself with scratches of other physical flaws right out of the box.

I may have been sloppy , just lucky or missed "gates" like this before, but if there would be one company that I never would expect this much fuzz about flawed products directly out of the box from it would be Apple. Maybe I have been fooled by other Apple users and reviewers praises over their products and Apples marketing, but that's my view of it at least.
 
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