Your totally full of crap. My old iPhone screen was scratched to *****, luckily the camera stopped working and was replaced under warrantee. You can buy protective screens on ebay for a buck.
I had an iPhone 3G for 2 years, I've had an iPhone 4 for 19 months, and an iPad for a year. none have had a scratch on the screen so far. The iPhone 4 has a bumper, apart from than none have had any protection except I tried a matte screen protector for the 3G, but didn't like the sparkly effect. Not everyone has trouble with scratches.
When I did apply the screen protector, I found it fairly easy to apply without bubbles.
Make sure the screen is clean. I used spectacle cleaner to make sure it was free of dusk and oils.
I lined up the long side, but only let it touch at one corner. Have the rest up in a curve. It is possible to put some downward pressure on the edge of the contact point with the right manipulation of the curve.
Gradually increase the contact area diagonally across the screen.
If a bubble starts to appear, pull a bit back up and try again. If you get a bubble at the same point again, pull more back and wipe with a lint free cloth.