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Could a case cause these marks on the antennae?

UPDATE: I went into the Apple Store at Pacific Centre in Vancouver and had to wait a mere couple of minutes (despite the massive crowd inside) to meet up with a technician, who, upon hearing my story, promptly offered a brand new service replacement! He even threw in a free new bumper (which I won't be using!!!). Unfortunately, the store didn't have any replacement units in stock, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow for shipment, but this is amazing service, folks! I don't have the receipt, and the phone wasn't even purchased directly from Apple but was a Rogers unit!

One question, will the service unit be factory unlocked? If yes, I am doubly excited! If not, it's no big deal because I'm sticking with Rogers anyway. I wonder how many replacement units Apple designates to each Apple Store.

Apple is amazing. Don't even dream about customer support like this from HTC or most other manufacturers.
 
The best thing to do is get a a protector that comes with pieces to cover the sides. I put those on and use a speck candyshell and have had no issues with scratches.
 
LOGIC, people, let's use it. Steel vs. plastic. Which one's going to give first? The plastic of bumpers (or the TPU/silicon of various cases) is NOT causing marks on the Iphone 4's steel band.

If you have your Iphone in a case, pop it out at least once a week, maybe a few times a week, and clean the band, then CLEAN THE INSIDE OF THE CASE. I've been doing this since I got my bumper, two weeks or so after I got my Iphone 4 on launch day, and my Iphone 4 doesn't have a mark on it. There are, however, lots of areas on the inside of my bumper that are worn, clearly from contact with the rock-hard steel band.

Everything worth your while requires maintenance. Fact of life.
 
applebook said:
One question, will the service unit be factory unlocked? If yes, I am doubly excited! If not, it's no big deal because I'm sticking with Rogers anyway. I wonder how many replacement units Apple designates to each Apple Store.
Click to expand...

It should have the same lock state that the original device did, if it doesn't get them to fix it.
 
malnar said:
LOGIC, people, let's use it. Steel vs. plastic. Which one's going to give first? The plastic of bumpers (or the TPU/silicon of various cases) is NOT causing marks on the Iphone 4's steel band.

If you have your Iphone in a case, pop it out at least once a week, maybe a few times a week, and clean the band, then CLEAN THE INSIDE OF THE CASE. I've been doing this since I got my bumper, two weeks or so after I got my Iphone 4 on launch day, and my Iphone 4 doesn't have a mark on it. There are, however, lots of areas on the inside of my bumper that are worn, clearly from contact with the rock-hard steel band.

Everything worth your while requires maintenance. Fact of life.
Click to expand...

+1

I totally agree with this. I use a case for my iPhone and always take it out to clean it every night. I know it's a pain for a lot of you who don't think they should do this but it's a fact of life with everything you want to take care of.

mokeiko
 
malnar said:
LOGIC, people, let's use it. Steel vs. plastic. Which one's going to give first? The plastic of bumpers (or the TPU/silicon of various cases) is NOT causing marks on the Iphone 4's steel band.
Click to expand...

Do you know who disagrees with you? Apple. Apple has, in fact, replaced plenty of these scratched up phones. Look it up.

It's also erroneous to believe that softer material cannot scratch harder material. Is isn't just about hardness but friction and abrasion, both of which some bumpers clearly cause, even with limited debris in between the antenna and the case.
 
I have nothing really to contribute except to say that in electronics, the plural of "antenna" is "antennas."
 
I have some of these small scratches/scrapes on my iPhone 4 as well, though I don't think I'd feel right about going to Apple and asking for a replacement over something this trivial.
 
I suggest a good case, the Speck Fitted series. It does not cause this type of marks despite long-term usage, covers almost every part of the iPhone and is aesthetically beautiful. Your choice though! :)
 
M-5 said:
I have some of these small scratches/scrapes on my iPhone 4 as well, though I don't think I'd feel right about going to Apple and asking for a replacement over something this trivial.
Click to expand...

Would that the rest of the world were as reasonable as you.
 
My old case was an iFrogz slider style case (slides on to the phone in two halves and clips together in the back of the phone). It made some long, albeit hard to see, scratches on the sides of my phone and also seemed to kind of buff out the matte finish on one of the corners so there were a couple of little shiny spots on the phone.

However, I had to have my iPhone 4 replaced about a month ago and have since switched to the Belkin Grip Vue case and it has been amazing. Awesome looking case and hasn't put one mark on my phone.

I will say this, however----if you are obsessively taking the case off and putting it back on to check for scratches and debris (like I was with my first phone), you will probably put some marks on it just by doing that. My advice--put the case on and leave it on.
 
applebook said:
UPDATE: I went into the Apple Store at Pacific Centre in Vancouver and had to wait a mere couple of minutes (despite the massive crowd inside) to meet up with a technician, who, upon hearing my story, promptly offered a brand new service replacement! He even threw in a free new bumper (which I won't be using!!!). Unfortunately, the store didn't have any replacement units in stock, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow for shipment, but this is amazing service, folks! I don't have the receipt, and the phone wasn't even purchased directly from Apple but was a Rogers unit!

One question, will the service unit be factory unlocked? If yes, I am doubly excited! If not, it's no big deal because I'm sticking with Rogers anyway. I wonder how many replacement units Apple designates to each Apple Store.

Apple is amazing. Don't even dream about customer support like this from HTC or most other manufacturers.
Click to expand...

Funny, I just got back from the HTC service center which replaced my Desire, on the spot, for a faulty camera.

It might help that I'm currently in Taiwan, where HTC is headquartered, but it certainly isn't unheard of for companies to replace defective products on the spot.
 
applebook said:
Well, since you clean it regularly, you won't see these marks...apparently.

The stains are quite strange. They aren't scratches. I'd describe them as almost stains from the rubber case that has permanently attached to the steel. However, I haven't really tried too hard to wipe them off (just used my fingers). Maybe I'll get a jeweler to brush them away.
Click to expand...

Try using a rubbber eraser on them.
 
M-5 said:
I have some of these small scratches/scrapes on my iPhone 4 as well, though I don't think I'd feel right about going to Apple and asking for a replacement over something this trivial.
Click to expand...
I agree. As long as the phone is fully functional, why worry about it. To me, it's a phone, not a family heirloom. Sure, it helps with resale value but that's about it.

I say enjoy the phone and stop worrying about how much it gets scratched.
 
TheMacBookPro said:
Funny, I just got back from the HTC service center which replaced my Desire, on the spot, for a faulty camera.

It might help that I'm currently in Taiwan, where HTC is headquartered, but it certainly isn't unheard of for companies to replace defective products on the spot.
Click to expand...

A faulty camera is a clear hardware flaw. Like many here are saying, these marks are rather trivial, and I was shocked that Apple was generous enough to give me a replacement, particularly since supply is so low right now. Would HTC or Motorola do the same? Not sure.
 
greygray said:
I suggest a good case, the Speck Fitted series. It does not cause this type of marks despite long-term usage, covers almost every part of the iPhone and is aesthetically beautiful. Your choice though! :)
Click to expand...

I won't be using a case. Today, I picked up my new iPhone and immediately slapped clear film on the back and the front. When the phone is going to be in my pockets or is not in use, it will be in a velvet slip-case.
 
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