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Anyone else miss the days of phones not needing cases?

B

B.Boston

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hi all,

Does anyone else miss the days when you didn't need a case on your phone? I love the iPhone 5s that I got but recently held the Moto X and have to say the it feels better in the hand because of its shape and soft touch materials. I'm all for advanced manufacturing and all but it feels like my iPhone is becoming too much a piece of jewelry. What good is all the thinness if you have to put a case on it?

(I realize that you do not NEED to put a case on an iPhone, but many people choose to in order to protect the back of the phone. This is not something I did with any of my old phones, blackberry and even iPhone 3G.)

Ok rant over... just curious if anyone else would be excited to see a return to a more ergonomic shape and soft touch materials even at the expense of being "carved out a single block of adamantium steel-vibranium alloy." I also realize apple will likely not go back to designing phones out of anything other than metal and glass.

Cheers! :apple:
 
B.Boston said:
Hi all,

Does anyone else miss the days when you didn't need a case on your phone? I love the iPhone 5s that I got but recently held the Moto X and have to say the it feels better in the hand because of its shape and soft touch materials. I'm all for advanced manufacturing and all but it feels like my iPhone is becoming too much a piece of jewelry. What good is all the thinness if you have to put a case on it?

(I realize that you do not NEED to put a case on an iPhone, but many people choose to in order to protect the back of the phone. This is not something I did with any of my old phones, blackberry and even iPhone 3G.)

Ok rant over... just curious if anyone else would be excited to see a return to a more ergonomic shape and soft touch materials even at the expense of being "carved out a single block of adamantium steel-vibranium alloy." I also realize apple will likely not go back to designing phones out of anything other than metal and glass.

Cheers! :apple:
Click to expand...

I never felt the need to put my iPhone in a case.
 
B.Boston said:
(I realize that you do not NEED to put a case on an iPhone, but many people choose to in order to protect the back of the phone. This is not something I did with any of my old phones, blackberry and even iPhone 3G.)
Click to expand...
Many people choose to because they intend to turn around and sell the phone.

I don't have a case and I just don't see the point in having one. At the best of times all a case does is ruin the design of the phone and at worst (Otterbox) makes the phone so fugly I'd be embarrassed to own it. There's also a reason that there is Applecare+ or insurance.

I don't sell my phones, so maybe that's why.
 
the moto x is just as vulnerable as the iphone or any other smartphone.

if it falls the wrong way the screen will shatter and you'll need to replace it.



having said that - i never used a case on my devices. not when i was using an iphone and not now with the htc one; but i am not clumsy and pay special attention when i am handling my phones. i know of other people who just can't avoid letting their phone drop regularly.


then of course there are others who buy an expensive phone thinking on the day they'll sell it. unlike the former (who just does not want to go bankrupt fixing their phone every week), they make a decision of not ever really enjoying the quality of their purchases so that the next person who buys it off them can.
 
eyoungren said:
Many people choose to because they intend to turn around and sell the phone.

I don't have a case and I just don't see the point in having one. At the best of times all a case does is ruin the design of the phone and at worst (Otterbox) makes the phone so fugly I'd be embarrassed to own it. There's also a reason that there is Applecare+ or insurance.

I don't sell my phones, so maybe that's why.
Click to expand...

I don't think that's accurate. I see many people putting cases on them even when they don't plan on selling them.

No cases on my iPhones going all the way back to original iPhone and I've always gotten $450ish when I ebay them unlocked.
 
Troneas said:
then of course there are others who buy an expensive phone thinking on the day they'll sell it. unlike the former, they make a decision of not ever really enjoying the quality of their purchases so that the next person who buys it off them can.
Click to expand...
^^^This!

Never understood that. Pay all that money for a phone only to put it in a case, never see it and then sell it off. Either these people have a jones for iOS itself or really like fugly.

----------
JayLenochiniMac said:
I don't think that's accurate. I see many people putting cases on them even when they don't plan on selling them.

No cases on my iPhones going all the way back to original iPhone and I've always gotten $450ish when I ebay them unlocked.
Click to expand...
That's why I said many. Not all. I qualified my statement. 😀

But in case further qualification is needed, MANY in the many threads here on MR about cases. 😉
 
eyoungren said:
^^^This!

Never understood that. Pay all that money for a phone only to put it in a case, never see it and then sell it off. Either these people have a jones for iOS itself or really like fugly.
Click to expand...

If we had AppleCare+ in Ireland I wouldn't use a case but we don't and I drop my phone from time to time and would hate to have to pay for replacement screens.
 
eyoungren said:
^^^This!

Never understood that. Pay all that money for a phone only to put it in a case, never see it and then sell it off. Either these people have a jones for iOS itself or really like fugly.
Click to expand...


tbh i never understood this behaviour either. some sort of modern disorder that makes them obsessed with keeping a phone in the same state they bought it - even if that meant putting it in carbonite freeze 😀

in any case what is even more curious is that many of these people are those who at the end of the day worship the iphone's (and other apple devices) aesthetics.
 
adam044 said:
Ummmmmmmmmmm no those days have not and will not come
Click to expand...

Why are you so sure about that? The LG G Flex can be bent (including the screen) so maybe in the future we will have phones that are even more bendable and the screens unbreakable or at least a lot more resistant.
 
adam044 said:
Ummmmmmmmmmm no those days have not and will not come
Click to expand...


they will come.


apple is building a sapphire crystal facility. it is just a matter of time until it becomes economically viable for manufacturers to include it with their mainstream phones. and the cost of it has been reducing steadily over the years.

when that day comes, we can say farewell to screen scratches and you'll have to be extremely unlucky to get it shattered.


of course if you want a smartphone with that technology now be prepared to shell out $ 6000 or so.
 
I'd be lucky if my iPhone lasted a week without a case. That's the reason I keep it in one. A phone would need to be built for my lifestyle (some are) for it to even survive.

I'm not talking scratches and minor stuff I don't care about that. I'm talking water damage, dirt, grime etc just not breaking it completely.

There is no phone out that interest me with those qualities. So it's easier for me to pick a phone I actually want and put it in a case. I tend to use a lifeproof case because it's water proof.
 
I would not ruin my 4S with a case, but I was always wary of dropping it, unlike my previous non-iPhones.

Now I have a Z10, and I feel more confident about the build, but I handle it with care because it feels a bit too wide.
 
I have an Apple black leather case for my 5s but only really for work, at home it's often "naked". My previous 5, 4s, 4, 3G etc never had cases and all faired well, and are all still going strong today with various friends and family members. I know what your saying about the iPhones being delicate and owners wanting to baby them, but if they weren't what they are, they'd not be the same experience. The new 5c kind of gives you an option where a case isn't needed... 🙂
 
EvilQueen said:
So you own a phone based on what other think? 😕 Odd, I own a smartphone for the stuff it can do, not how it looks.
Click to expand...
No. I own a phone based on the way it looks to me. Which is why I do not have a case or own an Otterbox.

And that right there is why people buy Otterboxes and other fugly cases. Because all they care about is the stuff it can do and not how it looks. And that's fine, but if that's all that matters, go buy an Android or a WinMo phone and save yourself a boatload of money. Those phones do all the same stuff and sometimes better.

Or is there some other reason beyond "stuff it can do" that holds these people to Apple?
 
eyoungren said:
\but if that's all that matters, go buy an Android or a WinMo phone and save yourself a boatload of money. Those phones do all the same stuff and sometimes better.
Click to expand...

I guess we disagree on that. With a house full of Apple products, a win phone will not work better. Ever heard of AirPlay? Just one example.
 
Troneas said:
then of course there are others who buy an expensive phone thinking on the day they'll sell it. unlike the former (who just does not want to go bankrupt fixing their phone every week), they make a decision of not ever really enjoying the quality of their purchases so that the next person who buys it off them can.
Click to expand...

Hah. It's like the (rarer these days..) people who never take the protective wrapping off their furniture, or have cheap covers on their car seats to stop them being spoiled.

The appeal of buying a new thinner, lighter iPhone is diminished if you put on a case which makes it thicker and/or heavier.

Personally, I never use a case. I tend to baby the phone for the first few months; but by the time I'm looking to upgrade it's usually covered in dents and scratches. Still I feel as if I've really got my money's worth from the device, and there's the novelty again of buying a perfect new device next iteration.
 
eyoungren said:
That's why I said many. Not all. I qualified my statement. 😀

But in case further qualification is needed, MANY in the many threads here on MR about cases. 😉
Click to expand...

Yes, if there's many in one camp and many in another camp, using a case isn't necessarily linked with planning to sell.

Also, if you're not careful using a case can do more harm than good. I saw quite a few ebay listings in which the sellers stated that said scratches were caused by a case.
 
EvilQueen said:
I guess we disagree on that. With a house full of Apple products, a win phone will not work better. Ever heard of AirPlay? Just one example.
Click to expand...
So we do [disagree].

I make my purchases based first on looks and second on performance. Maybe that's shallow, but it's always gotten me what I wanted. And figuring out how to make things work is always fun.

Airplay? Sure. I've heard of it. But I can't use it. One, I'm not on iOS 7, I'm jailbroken on iOS 6 (no Playskool/Fisher Price inspired iOS for me right now thanks) and two, my PowerPC Macs do not support Airplay.

And yeah, my PowerPC Macs also do not support my iPhone 5. But there's benefits to being jailbroken. Like never having to use iTunes! Consequently, function is not anywhere near as important to me as form.
 
Personally, I think both are important but I prefer functionality over form

I have my phone in a commuter and I don't think it looks bad at all. I actually think it blends in quite nicely but that's just me or maybe the color I chose

Despite being a little thicker, I think $20 is a good investment over a cracked screen that'll cost $200+ to replace. My previous phone was a basic phone so my iPhone 5 is a huge upgrade

As for me, I chose the iPhone over the android system because I had an iPod touch 2nd gen before and was already familiar with the apple ecosystem. And I really love the jailbreaking aspect, to which I couldn't enjoy on an iPod touch 2nd gen that couldn't even load cydia on iOS 4.1 anymore

Just my thoughts on the matter
 
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