Dropped and Smashed my 6 Plus - 48 Hours

from waste height ('er waist)

That isn't much of a drop.

What we've been told is that the glass front is ion treated glass which is a high temperature chemical treatment process.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemically_strengthened_glass

My theory is Apple didn't even use Gorilla Glass, but cheap and fragile soda-lime glass and then ion treated it. The ion treatment basically swaps the sodium atoms for potassium atoms which makes the surface more scratch resistant/stronger. It is truly a very small improvement over the worst glass to use and is really a necessity since soda-lime glass without treatment would be the worst disaster ever in Apple-land.

that's my guess for the day. Then again... for those who do break it... it shouldn't be 'as' expensive to replace. A protective cover is really needed against keys and any other stuff it comes in contact with.

bakron1 said:

AppleCare plus for 99.00 is the best money you will ever spend.

That would only cost you a 79.00 fee and you get a new phone.

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Since the screen replacement from Apple is only around $139 they might be better off not having AppleCare+ if this is the only time they damage their phone ($99 + $79 > $139).

Yes, the thing people people don't get is that the high preponderance of glass only shatters compared to completely broken phones is a strike against getting Applecare+ because the payout when you factor in the price of the plan is worse than not having it at all. It's easy to look at this emotionally and leap to saying "omg, I need applecare+", but you need to actually crunch the numbers if you care about being rational with your money.

I bought apple care+ today for my 6+ over the phone. I'm in the UK and I was buying from Apple in the States... 2 days after purchase. They wanted my phone imei code... nothing more, no test no nothing. Worth a try.

Yikes! I'm sorry that happened to you OP. I'm glad I bought a commuter case for my 6. I dropped it on airport carpet naked on launch day. It hit the corner the bounced on it's back onto the tile floor a few inches away. I nearly passed out...

Givmeabrek said:

You can get AppleCare over the phone or using the online chat with Apple.

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Online chat will direct you to call. I tried to get during online chat. To,d me I had to call. I did, it was pretty painless as they send a link to check your phone. Said I'd take my AC+policy over email and after paying, i was covered.

Just pulled the trigger... APP... Over the phone. All done, registered in about 30 minutes. Also it seems the APP is backdated to the time I bought the phone.

So it's not 2 years from the time you get APP.

fishmd said:

No need for Apple care here in this instance as it would actually have cost him more. 99$+ 79$ is more than the screen replacement fee. Also, as the phone just came out, the Apple Store will not have replacement glass at this time to repair. He will just get a new unit anyways. And what is more, often times early on, Apple stores will replace without even charging as a one time courtesy thing. They are well known for doing this after a new product release, usually because Apple looks at and studies these devices in particular to see how they broke and try to make things better in the future.

Now if you do it again....well that one will be on you.

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I believe you are quite incorrect on several fronts.

OP if you want a proper answer call Apple or visit the Genuis Bar.

Regarding two common comments I'm seeing in this thread:

1. "This broke even with a case, no point in a case." Unless you get a Lifeproof/Otterbox/something similar case that's advertising how tough and drop proof it is, your case isn't going to be a guarantee of your phone staying in one piece while in stressful situations. Furthermore, there are different classes of cases for different expected uses. The Apple leather case in particular isn't really designed for hardy drop protection. It prevents scratches to the aluminum, adds grip to the device, gives you a slight lip for placing the phone face down on surfaces, and raises the back so you don't have to place the camera lens directly on surfaces. It also for many people enhances the looks of the phone. So it's not useless, but it isn't the best case for drop protection. The Apple silicone case is a bit better in regard to drop protection, but is also not a guarantee.

2. "People are posting broken screens, these phones must be extra prone to breaking." Now it's been some time since I've taken a physics course, but I seem to recall that force applied across the body of an object is going to have less impact than force applied to a single point on the object. The OP said he dropped the phone on the corner, so all the force is being applied to a single point. If the phone had dropped flat on its front or back, it may have withstood the fall better. Either way, the plural of anecdote isn't data.

lulla01 said:

Also,

Check your credit cards most Amex/premier cards offer accidental protection for 60-90 days.

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my chase sapphire preferred doesn't .... thats premiere lol

my amex does but I don't like using it too much

I would rather have my phone fall from 6 feet onto a smooth concrete floor than falling just 3 feet onto gravel.

I don't think a heavy duty case would save it either if it falls glass first on those jagged little rocks. It's like tapping it with an ice pick vs hitting it hard with a broad faced object, the ice pick will break it every time. So, in the OP's unfortunate incident, I wouldn't blame the case.

Btov said:

Sorry for OP. That s*ck!



I don't see much benefit from AppleCare. I mean you pay $99 upfront (at least in Canada) then pay $79 if you break your phone..

$178 to replace the screen vs $129 fees from apple repair.. Even if you break it twice, it would be $99 + $79 + $79 = $257 versus $258 for 2 screen repair.

Of course if you break your phone beyond repair, it would be more expensive (329 replacement) but I have yet to see a completely dead iPhone. 98% of the problem I have seen come from the screen except if a car run over it.

Taking the chance and accepting paying the $129 fees for a screen if ever needed versus paying $99 just in case and ending up paying more or $1 less after 2 screen repairs don't look that interesting.

Do I miss something ?!

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on my iPhone 4 i had apple care i took it back once cause the wifi antenna burned out they replaced the phone that phone had a bad battery so next iphone was a iphone 4s, so imo it pays!

spazma7ik said:

Damn all that and used an Apple leather case? That's promising.. :s

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The Apple case is not really designed for drops.

Lost track of the amount of times I dropped my iPhone 4 worse than that, and it never cracked.

Unfortunate OP, just get it fixed and try and put it behind you. Blows

Newtons Apple said:

The Apple case is not really designed for drops.

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I am waiting on my 6 but have the leather case already. In my opinion it offers zero drop protection, just cosmetic protection and that is why I bought it but will be looking for something to use when doing work in the wilderness which is skiing, climbing, etc.

I have AC+ for this new phone, the first time I have ever bought it too because every outdoor pro I know, my self included has dropped their phone at some point. My iphone 5 has always just had a bumper case, same with my 4 and has been dropped at least 4-5 times with no real damage although I attribute that to luck more than the phone or cases build quality.

But the whole repair thing, the down time associated it with it and in my case the distance of some 450 round trip miles of windy mountain driving to the nearest Apple store make getting a new screen about a $1,000 proposition in down and travel time. So this time around, a much better case is mandatory. In the meantime, I am going to have to treat my phone like a laptop...under no circumstances whatsoever should it be dropped. I put super grippy strips of black gaffer's tape on my black leather case for this reason, have been testing it out with my iphone 5 modded and placed into it.

I am not a fan of the Otterbox cases and will look for something a bit smaller in outward dimensions but if that is all that works for a professional outdoorsman, then I will have to live with it. I just wish they were easier to swap out, things wear out faster when they are not and you do lot of swapping for field use.

Oh, sorry about the phone OP, never a fun thing to have to deal with sir...

These dropgate episodes are rather worrying.
Get a grip already.

Also invest in a tempered glass screen protector.

Supermallet said:

Either way, the plural of anecdote isn't data.

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Great comment!

bakron1 said:

AppleCare plus for 99.00 is the best money you will ever spend.

That would only cost you a 79.00 fee and you get a new phone.

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So spend $99 + $79 = $178 instead of non apple care fix of $129. Makes sense to me.

The leather case isn't really for drops, the TPU case would be better in that regard. I have a Spigen case with Air Cushion Technology that would probably fare better.