The first one was messed up, that dent was minor, there was nothing wrong with the second one. You should see all the issues people had with the N7 on launch.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 5 Buyer's Experience: Bought 3, Kept 0
- Thread starter 0087215
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The first one was messed up, that dent was minor, there was nothing wrong with the second one. You should see all the issues people had with the N7 on launch.
Well, since the only people finding stupid, minor issues like a minor scratch that's not even noticeable on the bottom are on MR, it probably would be the best advice. The people on here are ridiculous. I just like to sit back and LOL.
I agree that some people are over the top, like returning something perfectly fine over and over because they can't make up their mind between a regular iPad and iPad mini, but the iPhone 5 has been notoriously bad with quality control and people returning things over it instead of just accepting it is better for all of us. If apple notices people are returning a lot of phones over scuffs or dust, they'll be more inclined to do something about it.
Look at the 'Tiny Scratch' in this photo.
http://i49.tinypic.com/2uf9189.jpg
Now looks at your phone. I really can't believe you don't have something like that on your phone right now.
In that case perhaps they should charge the same as everyone else too then? You pay premium you expect premium.
To be honest I don't expect any new product I buy to have dents and scratches regardless of price - my company just wrote off an entire new series of products due to poor quality and this was our "budget" range, I had to make the final call and it's cost us big time, even my little company doesn't expect our customers to get crap.
----------
That mark I would forgive, that's more a "surface imperfection" than a scratch and I'd accept that as "OK" - the lens smudge would be a "fail" though if it's inside the lens. Honestly I checked my phone over after the last time it fell off the sofa a couple of days ago and there's nothing at all.
Some of those are a little kooky, others are noticeable, some potential performance issues (camera scuffs).
I don't really scrutinize my stuff that carefully. We just picked up two iP5s, a black and a white (both 32GB), I've recently started grooving on white iThings, so I took the white, the wife took the black, thinks it's awesome, didn't even inspect it or anything.
To be honest, I am a little more of a stickler vs. her, so I also figured the white would be less scratch prone, even though they'll both probably wind up in some cases (something ultra thin).
I used to be a little more ODC-esque about stuff, especially my cars, then I learned things that are used get dings, scratches ... a little no worries, combined with learning how to fix things (polishing wheels, replacing cases, etc.) and I'm a lot more jolly
I don't really scrutinize my stuff that carefully. We just picked up two iP5s, a black and a white (both 32GB), I've recently started grooving on white iThings, so I took the white, the wife took the black, thinks it's awesome, didn't even inspect it or anything.
To be honest, I am a little more of a stickler vs. her, so I also figured the white would be less scratch prone, even though they'll both probably wind up in some cases (something ultra thin).
I used to be a little more ODC-esque about stuff, especially my cars, then I learned things that are used get dings, scratches ... a little no worries, combined with learning how to fix things (polishing wheels, replacing cases, etc.) and I'm a lot more jolly
You have to be kidding me.. you literally had to zoom in with a high res camera to capture this so called dust... and even then i could barley see it..
IMO the first 2 were fine. the 4th was scratched for sure, but the first two were fine.. your expectations are through the roof. You are simply looking for problems and abnormalities.
IMO the first 2 were fine. the 4th was scratched for sure, but the first two were fine.. your expectations are through the roof. You are simply looking for problems and abnormalities.
I respect you. But i cant imagine how do you look your device... i paid too many bucks to get it to Turkey... imagine just a one chance to buy.. and it was a totally clear device, how you can be disturbed by things you cant even see with your eyes. I just still cannot find anything on my device... Its why maybe thats why... but i don't know... that's kind of wierd.
Ah, btw, yeah headphone jack is just really screwed me too.
Ah, btw, yeah headphone jack is just really screwed me too.
It's your money, so you're within your rights to return new products if they aren't flawless especially expensive Apple products. I've never had quality issues with Apple products, and my two-year-old iPhone 4 is still in pristine condition, so I'd probably be bothered if a brand-new iPhone were in worse shape than an iPhone I've been carrying in my pocket for two years. Do you not have the option to buy an iPhone 5 from a retail store? That's what I'd do: have them open boxes until you get an unblemished phone.
The other option is to decide which is more important to you: cosmetics or the brand and model of the phone you use. For the record, I used to be a perfectionist, until I realized how much stress it was causing me. The absurdity of it hit me when I bought my first house and my mother visited me and wanted to help me start gardening. We went to a gardening store, and she went through all the shovels, looking for one that didn't have a scratch on it. I said, "Mom, as soon as we get home, I'm going to start digging, and any shovel we buy is going to get all scratched up." She responded, "It's the principle of the matter. If it's new, it should be perfect."
The OP's post is not going to be popular, but that doesn't change the facts.
And the facts are that the iphone 5 has some design flaws and some quality control issues. Are they worse than another mass produced phone such as the SIII? Well I've bought alot and I mean ALOT of phones, and the iphone 5 is certainly not up to the quality control and "to the micron precision" that APPLE itself states. The superiority of the design and the supposed beauty is part of the Apple package that they want to sell you. I find the quality control to be worse than their competitors, but for sure not any better than their competitors. Apple has no secret patent on quality control. Their machines and assembly processes are all being assembled by the same folks that assemble Amazon kindles and similar gadgets. Part of quality control is to have a quality reference design that is easily scaleable. I blame the iphone 5 as being too hard to assemble rather than lazy factory workers. They are only human. If the iphone 5 is indeed that hard to assemble, then that shouldn't be my problem as a consumer. All I care about is that I don't get a lemon (which I did, but I didn't care about anodized scratches, but it was absolutely scratched out of the box). The OP is just stating that customers who are being told that they are being sold a mercedes, have a different set of expectations. Is right to have those expectations, especially if the company is advertising that their products are for the high-end market? Yes, it is entirely reasonable to have an elevated set of expectations for an iPhone. How would you feel if you paid $900 for an iphone 5, b/c you lived in a country where you need to get it off contract, unlocked, etc, and then opened the box to scratches and fingerprints under the screen?
And the facts are that the iphone 5 has some design flaws and some quality control issues. Are they worse than another mass produced phone such as the SIII? Well I've bought alot and I mean ALOT of phones, and the iphone 5 is certainly not up to the quality control and "to the micron precision" that APPLE itself states. The superiority of the design and the supposed beauty is part of the Apple package that they want to sell you. I find the quality control to be worse than their competitors, but for sure not any better than their competitors. Apple has no secret patent on quality control. Their machines and assembly processes are all being assembled by the same folks that assemble Amazon kindles and similar gadgets. Part of quality control is to have a quality reference design that is easily scaleable. I blame the iphone 5 as being too hard to assemble rather than lazy factory workers. They are only human. If the iphone 5 is indeed that hard to assemble, then that shouldn't be my problem as a consumer. All I care about is that I don't get a lemon (which I did, but I didn't care about anodized scratches, but it was absolutely scratched out of the box). The OP is just stating that customers who are being told that they are being sold a mercedes, have a different set of expectations. Is right to have those expectations, especially if the company is advertising that their products are for the high-end market? Yes, it is entirely reasonable to have an elevated set of expectations for an iPhone. How would you feel if you paid $900 for an iphone 5, b/c you lived in a country where you need to get it off contract, unlocked, etc, and then opened the box to scratches and fingerprints under the screen?
Thank you for you comment!
Well, quite some time ago I bought an iPhone 4S for my dad and it was perfect and still is! He is extremely happy with it, so I indeed think that the iPhone 5S will have less flaws than this model - so, maybe it is good to wait till the summer 2013 and then buy the 5S.
To be honest, I am also a perfectionist (in practically everything: my work, sport, relationships), but it is not the type of perfectionism that can be called OCD or whatsoever. However, I would rather keep using my old trustworthy iPhone 3GS and have no iPhone 5 than having a brand new iPhone 5 with all those nasty scratches and dents (especially, those on the camera lens).
And don't forget that we pay here $1150 for the 64Gb model, so I guess I may expect a premium product that is flawless out of the box.
I used my camera to make those pictures: Panasonic Lumix LX5.
And indeed I also tend to think that the S models have less problems: at least, the 4S I bought last year was almost perfect!
----------
Thank you!
I think I will give up for now and try it again in 2013. (at the moment, I have some other obligations that require my time and attention rather than these endless exchanges) I just love my Apple products that have been delivered in a perfect condition and have an Apple ecosystem that is very important to me.
Are you calling an iPhone 5 a shovel? Because I don't see anyone using it as a shovel. Do you carry a shovel in your pocket wherever you go? Do you use your iPhone 5 to hammer nails, too?
No, but those are all great ideas!
I'm not sure what your point is. My point was that everyone has a right to decide what condition is "good enough" for a product they buy. The OP asked our opinion on the matter. Some posters are telling him that he's being overly picky. Others are telling him that he should expect perfection. My response was that I'd be bothered, as is he, by a new, blemished iPhone, but that I used to be like my mother and be worried about things like blemished new shovels, so I reset some of my own levels of perfectionism. The OP can choose to do so, or not.
I can find a flaw with EVERY iPhone ever produced!
*GASP* *SHOCK* *HORROR* *ANGRY AT STEVE'S GHOST*
If you haven't found a flaw in a mass produced product you simply AREN'T LOOKING HARD ENOUGH. This "scuffgate" bs has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Tiny, miniscule damage that all but the most OCD user wouldn't bother noticing now becomes cause to return the phone multiple times...
FFS, there was a time when iPhone users used to justify using the phone by saying: "it has an unparrallelled user experience" or "it has the best ecosystem of apps and developers" or "it just works". Now you'd think the sole reason to own an iPhone would be to show your friends how pretty it is. It's pathetic. So pathetic that many users even state it'd be ok if they caused the damage. Really?
Everything is Apple's fault.
But can they move on? Buy something else? Almost universally NO.
I would have some respect for them if they actually DID go buy something that met their needs, but I think the truth is they know that NOTHING would hold up to their "standard" since they spent "money" and therefore they can't fathom walking away from all of things that make the iPhone the best device on the market hands down.
It scuffs a little easier than before. That doesn't mean it doesn't WORK.
And if you have a LEGITIMATE problem, Apple will provide you warranty service second to NONE. Again though, reality is that most of the "problems" all involve teeny tiny cosmetic "damage" that you need to zoom in on just to notice.
I will find a "flaw" with ANY mass produced phone you bring me. Prove me wrong...
*GASP* *SHOCK* *HORROR* *ANGRY AT STEVE'S GHOST*
If you haven't found a flaw in a mass produced product you simply AREN'T LOOKING HARD ENOUGH. This "scuffgate" bs has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Tiny, miniscule damage that all but the most OCD user wouldn't bother noticing now becomes cause to return the phone multiple times...
FFS, there was a time when iPhone users used to justify using the phone by saying: "it has an unparrallelled user experience" or "it has the best ecosystem of apps and developers" or "it just works". Now you'd think the sole reason to own an iPhone would be to show your friends how pretty it is. It's pathetic. So pathetic that many users even state it'd be ok if they caused the damage. Really?
Everything is Apple's fault.
But can they move on? Buy something else? Almost universally NO.
I would have some respect for them if they actually DID go buy something that met their needs, but I think the truth is they know that NOTHING would hold up to their "standard" since they spent "money" and therefore they can't fathom walking away from all of things that make the iPhone the best device on the market hands down.
It scuffs a little easier than before. That doesn't mean it doesn't WORK.
And if you have a LEGITIMATE problem, Apple will provide you warranty service second to NONE. Again though, reality is that most of the "problems" all involve teeny tiny cosmetic "damage" that you need to zoom in on just to notice.
I will find a "flaw" with ANY mass produced phone you bring me. Prove me wrong...
I love it when threads go all kindergarten.
Expecting a premium product to come out of the box unblemished is not OCD. It's what you should expect. Yes people buy Apple products for both the functionality AND the prestige of owning a beautiful device made from premium materials. You just have to look at the many "I won't put my iphone in a case because its too beautiful to hide" threads to realise that.
If people want crap, then they expect to pay crap prices. Not the premium Apple demands.
Expecting a premium product to come out of the box unblemished is not OCD. It's what you should expect. Yes people buy Apple products for both the functionality AND the prestige of owning a beautiful device made from premium materials. You just have to look at the many "I won't put my iphone in a case because its too beautiful to hide" threads to realise that.
If people want crap, then they expect to pay crap prices. Not the premium Apple demands.
Nope, expecting a mass produced product to be cosmetically flawless out of the box everytime isn't OCD, it's just unrealistic.
OCD is what happens AFTER the box is open, when people literally break out a towel and a magnifying glass/zoom lens to scour over the phone for teeny tiny "scuffs" that no normal person would notice or care about.
Hopefully the kindergarten explanation helped
I personally dont think people pay this much attention when they purchase Samsung or other phone products...I remember when I had the SGSII and each time I would launch an app or play a video that would start from a black screen I could see the glue holding the screen and digitizer together. Did it bother me? yes, but its a phone...it gets everything that I need it to.
Also little scratches are going to come regardless. My Last iPhone 4S was brand new out of the box, amazing condition but this time around I couldnt afford a new iPhone 5 out of the box so I bought a used one that was only 20 days old but hey it came pretty good minus a few light scratches on the corner and I cannot recall a single minute that i spent looking at it as its been in case since day 1 and will be this way until I get rid of it once a new iPhone is around the corner again.
Those of you pointing out scratches the size of > . < all I can say for you is...Live a little rather than freaking out.
Also little scratches are going to come regardless. My Last iPhone 4S was brand new out of the box, amazing condition but this time around I couldnt afford a new iPhone 5 out of the box so I bought a used one that was only 20 days old but hey it came pretty good minus a few light scratches on the corner and I cannot recall a single minute that i spent looking at it as its been in case since day 1 and will be this way until I get rid of it once a new iPhone is around the corner again.
Those of you pointing out scratches the size of > . < all I can say for you is...Live a little rather than freaking out.
This is my fourth iPhone 5. I returned the first three because I was trying out Android products. Not because of defects. However, every single one of my first 3 iPhones had scratches or chips on the metal out of the box. Luckily the fourth one which I decided to keep was perfect out of the box! Hopefully Apple and Foxconn have gotten the manufacturing issues out of the way now.
It doesn't have to be either/or.
1) It's unrealistic to expect absolute perfection from virtually anything manufactured. You can get lucky, and close, but generally if you look hard enough, both at cosmetics and function, you'll find a few things. Long as they're trivial, they're, well, trivial.
2) There do seem to be an unusual number of obviously damaged and/or defective 5's out there at the moment. I've owned every iPhone since the first, followed each launch, the 5 does seem a bit more flawed than the others IMO.
So, many of the people returning multiple phones in search of the elusive perfect one, are being a bit picky and unrealistic. But, I do believe many people are not being unrealistic when they return/exchange. It just depends on the amount, size and nature of the flaws.
If you return it because it has a pin prick scuff on the edge, that's silly.
If you return it because it has multiple and obvious scratches, or a hardware/functional issue, not too picky.
I think both things are happening. Then of course there are borderline cases, where the damage is slight, but still enough to be noticed, then it's a personal call I guess.
Mine had a tiny scuff when I bought it. Didn't care much. I knew I'd have it in a case anyway. I do have minor wifi issues. But not bad, and I've also noticed several dings/marks on the phone I'd not expect as it's been in a case since day 1, but honestly, anal as I can be, I still haven't felt the need to exchange. If the wifi gets worse, maybe, but it's not that big a deal, and the 5s should solve most of these issues, and it'll be along soon.
I think what happens is, people get annoyed at the guys who are obsessively and repeatedly exchanging for truly ridiculous reasons, like a microscopic imperfection. Then when people have significant damage, and exchange, they lump them together with the ridiculous exchangers. Which isn't really fair.
1) It's unrealistic to expect absolute perfection from virtually anything manufactured. You can get lucky, and close, but generally if you look hard enough, both at cosmetics and function, you'll find a few things. Long as they're trivial, they're, well, trivial.
2) There do seem to be an unusual number of obviously damaged and/or defective 5's out there at the moment. I've owned every iPhone since the first, followed each launch, the 5 does seem a bit more flawed than the others IMO.
So, many of the people returning multiple phones in search of the elusive perfect one, are being a bit picky and unrealistic. But, I do believe many people are not being unrealistic when they return/exchange. It just depends on the amount, size and nature of the flaws.
If you return it because it has a pin prick scuff on the edge, that's silly.
If you return it because it has multiple and obvious scratches, or a hardware/functional issue, not too picky.
I think both things are happening. Then of course there are borderline cases, where the damage is slight, but still enough to be noticed, then it's a personal call I guess.
Mine had a tiny scuff when I bought it. Didn't care much. I knew I'd have it in a case anyway. I do have minor wifi issues. But not bad, and I've also noticed several dings/marks on the phone I'd not expect as it's been in a case since day 1, but honestly, anal as I can be, I still haven't felt the need to exchange. If the wifi gets worse, maybe, but it's not that big a deal, and the 5s should solve most of these issues, and it'll be along soon.
I think what happens is, people get annoyed at the guys who are obsessively and repeatedly exchanging for truly ridiculous reasons, like a microscopic imperfection. Then when people have significant damage, and exchange, they lump them together with the ridiculous exchangers. Which isn't really fair.
Last edited:
I agree. The OP is bringing up legitimate concerns. Like the last line as well.