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Macs4u

Suspended
Original poster
Apr 19, 2008
387
352
Stoke on Trent
I have a week old iPhone 5 in black. I have it naked with no case or screen protector and it has a scratch on the top right of the screen. In the last 2 phone I've had "galaxy s3 and galaxy note 2" I had them naked and not a single scratch in 2yrs of use. I'm very very careful with my phones and have a dedicated pocket that I only put the phone in. How the hell could this have happened?? Do Apple use inferior scratch resistant coating??
 

takeshi74

macrumors 601
Feb 9, 2011
4,974
68
Care is not a guarantee against scratches. It can help to mitigate but that's it. If you want to increase your odds of preventing scratches then you need to take whatever measures you think are reasonable. This is regardless of what specific device you're using. Scratch resistant != unscratchable.

I'm very very careful with my phones and have a dedicated pocket that I only put the phone in. How the hell could this have happened??
Any number of ways. A speck of sand is sufficient to scratch glass. Use a screen protector if you're going to be picky about scratches.

Do Apple use inferior scratch resistant coating??
No, you're using a flawed sense of causality. You were lucky with your other devices. If you'er going to use a device naked then be prepared to deal with scratches.
 

Macs4u

Suspended
Original poster
Apr 19, 2008
387
352
Stoke on Trent
It's weird how the last 2 years of pretty hard use and not a single scratch on the screen and only a week of absolutely nursing this iPhone 5 and I have a scratch on the screen. I do genuinely believe this is different Corning gorilla glass. Done on purpose by apple?? Either way I'm highly unimpressed as this has cost me £599 and for that money I would have thought it would be at least as durable as a £400 and a £500 phone.

----------

That's a lot of luck with 2 separate devices and much more risky use than the week of total nursing this. I must be lucky....
 

Marthinusswart

macrumors newbie
Jan 14, 2013
6
0
I have a week old iPhone 5 in black. I have it naked with no case or screen protector and it has a scratch on the top right of the screen. In the last 2 phone I've had "galaxy s3 and galaxy note 2" I had them naked and not a single scratch in 2yrs of use. I'm very very careful with my phones and have a dedicated pocket that I only put the phone in. How the hell could this have happened?? Do Apple use inferior scratch resistant coating??

On the S3 you are mistaken on two accounts, the S3 was only released June 2012 or later depending on country, so that is 6 months, and second I have an S3, the screen was scratch in the second week. By week 4 it fell out of my pants' pocket and the screen cracked, had to get a brand new screen. I then bought one of those flip covers for the phone (works like the ones for the iPad) no scratches since then. The flip cover is the magic ingredient this time around.
 

bdoople

macrumors member
Apr 18, 2012
69
0
Cincinnati, OH
So the S3 came out in June of 2012 and the Note 2 came out in November of 2012, and you've been using them for 2 years?
 
Last edited by a moderator:

itjw

macrumors 65816
Dec 20, 2011
1,088
6
When one (or even a handful) of people have an issue with a product that literally sells in the millions, it is NOT indicative of a "problem" with "inferior" xyz process/item/material.

I have gone naked since launch, I am not OCD to the point of caring about damage (I have AC+ if it's bad), and I have NO scratches to mine (nor do all of my friends, with the notable exception of our paralegal who is a dingbat and dropped hers down a flight of stairs...).

Does it mean it never happens? Of course not.

But just because you damaged your phone by accident it doesn't mean the blame lies anywhere but on you. There would be hundreds of thousands of complaints if any of these issues were "real" (be it "scuffgate" "bendgate" "wifigate" "scratchgate" "batterygate" etc...).

I'm sorry you scratched your phone. If it bothers you that much, spend the $50 and get a new one. Although I'd bet a dollar you didn't get AC+. It's odd that the people who are the most OCD are always the ones that refuse to use a case and never buy AC+...

If I'm wrong just spend the $50 and be more careful. No worries. Accidents happen.
 

bonskovsky

macrumors 6502
Dec 31, 2012
453
2
I have a week old iPhone 5 in black. I have it naked with no case or screen protector and it has a scratch on the top right of the screen. In the last 2 phone I've had "galaxy s3 and galaxy note 2" I had them naked and not a single scratch in 2yrs of use. I'm very very careful with my phones and have a dedicated pocket that I only put the phone in. How the hell could this have happened?? Do Apple use inferior scratch resistant coating??

Like people have said before, you think it's safe, but there are microscopic objects in your pocket that will definitely scratch it.

I dropped my iPhone on the 3rd day. No scratches yet though.
 

maxosx

macrumors 68020
Dec 13, 2012
2,385
1
Southern California
Thanks to MacRumors I learned how easily scratched iPhone 5's can be. So I simply bought a full coverage case for mine no problem. Nothing to be concerned with at this point.
 

abz1981

macrumors 65816
Jan 3, 2011
1,013
4
When one (or even a handful) of people have an issue with a product that literally sells in the millions, it is NOT indicative of a "problem" with "inferior" xyz process/item/material.

I have gone naked since launch, I am not OCD to the point of caring about damage (I have AC+ if it's bad), and I have NO scratches to mine (nor do all of my friends, with the notable exception of our paralegal who is a dingbat and dropped hers down a flight of stairs...).

Does it mean it never happens? Of course not.

But just because you damaged your phone by accident it doesn't mean the blame lies anywhere but on you. There would be hundreds of thousands of complaints if any of these issues were "real" (be it "scuffgate" "bendgate" "wifigate" "scratchgate" "batterygate" etc...).

I'm sorry you scratched your phone. If it bothers you that much, spend the $50 and get a new one. Although I'd bet a dollar you didn't get AC+. It's odd that the people who are the most OCD are always the ones that refuse to use a case and never buy AC+...

If I'm wrong just spend the $50 and be more careful. No worries. Accidents happen.

Apple Care + is not available outside the USA, and Canada. So the OP would not have this option.
 

duneriderltr450

macrumors 6502
Sep 20, 2012
365
2
Oregon
I have a week old iPhone 5 in black. I have it naked with no case or screen protector and it has a scratch on the top right of the screen. In the last 2 phone I've had "galaxy s3 and galaxy note 2" I had them naked and not a single scratch in 2yrs of use. I'm very very careful with my phones and have a dedicated pocket that I only put the phone in. How the hell could this have happened?? Do Apple use inferior scratch resistant coating??

Do you have a picture of this 2 year old phone? I still don't get how people complain about getting scratches on a device that gets used daily.
 

itjw

macrumors 65816
Dec 20, 2011
1,088
6
Apple Care + is not available outside the USA, and Canada. So the OP would not have this option.

Fair enough.

All the more reason to use a case or screen protector if you are concerned about accidental damage.

There is no such thing as a "flawless" phone that has been used naked for any length of time. I'd argue even with a case it's very difficult. Regardless, accidental damage is nothing but the users fault. If there was an issue with inferior anything, more than a few hundred/few thousand users would be up in arms about it. The fact that the vast majority of users have had no issues at all indicate this was either an extremely rare case (unlikely) or simply an accident (likely).

If they don't offer AC+, I have heard they still offer an accidental replacement option ($229 here for example).

If it's that big of a deal, just do that and get a screen protector/case for the next accident. Problem solved.
 

Macs4u

Suspended
Original poster
Apr 19, 2008
387
352
Stoke on Trent
Pay the equivalent of $229 for a replacement when I've just spent £599 on it?? I don't think so. And there has been big outcries of how easy it is to scratch the backs of the iPhone 5 I'm going to return it under the 14 day return guarantee and just buy something else. Phones that cost this much should remain scratch free with light use. Cya
 

vastoholic

macrumors 68000
Jan 28, 2009
1,957
1
Tulsa, OK
Pay the equivalent of $229 for a replacement when I've just spent £599 on it?? I don't think so. And there has been big outcries of how easy it is to scratch the backs of the iPhone 5 I'm going to return it under the 14 day return guarantee and just buy something else. Phones that cost this much should remain scratch free with light use. Cya

With light use? Why bother getting a smart phone or iPhone then and paying for the technology if you're barely going to be using it?
 

Macs4u

Suspended
Original poster
Apr 19, 2008
387
352
Stoke on Trent
With light use? Why bother getting a smart phone or iPhone then and paying for the technology if you're barely going to be using it?

Light use as in not using it on a building site. It's been used indoors 95% of the time and been treated very careful. How this scratch got there is a mystery.
 

iPhysicist

macrumors 65816
Nov 9, 2009
1,343
1,004
Dresden
It's a phone no investment in Art.

Ask Siri. Maybe she knows who scratched it ;-) Keep in mind, the more you baby it the easier it breaks. This is a fact.
 
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Macs4u

Suspended
Original poster
Apr 19, 2008
387
352
Stoke on Trent
I've just given the screen a really good clean with a lint free cloth and some screen cleaner i use on my plasma. To look at it in a certain light the screen looks unmarked. If you tilt it and look in different light it has the scratch visible. How could that be and why would it not show altogether now?
 

vastoholic

macrumors 68000
Jan 28, 2009
1,957
1
Tulsa, OK
I've just given the screen a really good clean with a lint free cloth and some screen cleaner i use on my plasma. To look at it in a certain light the screen looks unmarked. If you tilt it and look in different light it has the scratch visible. How could that be and why would it not show altogether now?

Most likely because only the coating is scratched. I've had plenty of cases where I could only see scratches on my screen at one certain angle in the right light.

It doesn't matter how careful you are. I don't send my phones into construction sites either. Constant sliding into and out of your pockets can cause tiny scratches (you know those little random metal rivets or whatever they are jeans pockets, you could be sliding against those each time you take it out). There are plenty of ways for a screen to get scratched without really even realizing it.
 

Jordan921

macrumors 603
Jul 7, 2010
5,069
2,171
Bay Area
You could have gotten the scratch many different ways. Just because it happened in the first week doesn't mean Apple is using inferior glass.
 

itjw

macrumors 65816
Dec 20, 2011
1,088
6
Pay the equivalent of $229 for a replacement when I've just spent £599 on it?? I don't think so. And there has been big outcries of how easy it is to scratch the backs of the iPhone 5 I'm going to return it under the 14 day return guarantee and just buy something else. Phones that cost this much should remain scratch free with light use. Cya

Yup, pay the fee to cover the damage YOU caused.

You can blame something else if you want. Maybe the ghost of Steve did it just to mess with you?

And if you are still within you 14 day window good. That means we won't have to hear anything else from you the next time you damage your phone.

As you said: "cya"

;)
 

Zwhaler

macrumors 604
Jun 10, 2006
7,090
1,564
Thanks to MacRumors I learned how easily scratched iPhone 5's can be. So I simply bought a full coverage case for mine no problem. Nothing to be concerned with at this point.

Be careful, many people get scratches by keeping their phones in a case (not kidding).
 

ezramoore

macrumors 6502a
Mar 20, 2006
612
3
Washington State
I'm going to return it under the 14 day return guarantee and just buy something else.

I hope Apple denies the OP's return because of the damage.

Seriously. It is a phone, a tool. If you wanted it in mint condition you should have left it in the box and only brought it out in padded room with gloves on to show your equally neurotic buddies.

Keep blaming Apple for your neuroses, I think it's working!
 

bonskovsky

macrumors 6502
Dec 31, 2012
453
2
I'm having a serious panic attack myself right now. I just got this phone yesterday and look! :eek:

w1vjp1.jpg


*Breathing heavily* okay, so how bad is it.
panicbutton.gif
 

Yujenisis

macrumors 6502
May 30, 2002
310
115
I have a week old iPhone 5 in black. I have it naked with no case or screen protector and it has a scratch on the top right of the screen. In the last 2 phone I've had "galaxy s3 and galaxy note 2" I had them naked and not a single scratch in 2yrs of use. I'm very very careful with my phones and have a dedicated pocket that I only put the phone in. How the hell could this have happened?? Do Apple use inferior scratch resistant coating??

They use the same Corning Gorilla Glass 2, identical to what is found on the S3 and the Note 2. Anyone who says something to the contrary has an agenda.

Corning themselves manufactures the glass so there is little room for variability in quality. Sorry to hear about your scratch, but it does happen even with the newest scratch-resistant technology.
 

abz1981

macrumors 65816
Jan 3, 2011
1,013
4
Look I think everyone needs to take a deep breath and relax a little. This thread seems to be getting a bit too personal. We all have our own views regarding scratch marks and non scratch marks and how it happened and how it can not happen etc. however think any personal or insulting comments is not really appropriate either. To the original OP if your really not happy with your product simply take it back get a refund for your money and good luck with whatever phone you get in the future. I think the mods may want to come in to this thread and bring it to an end now.
 
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