Gorilla Glass - Is Invisible Shield needed?

[aperry]

My experience is that many of my friends who claim they have "no scratches" actually do have very subtle scratches that are only noticeable when you look at the glass carefully with a light reflecting at an angle. These scratches are most likely in the oleophobic coating and not in the glass itself, but they can't be repaired.

This happened to my iPad 2 last year after a friend played Fruit Ninja with long fingernails. Long arc-shaped scratches that were only noticeable when I held it up against a halogen light at a certain angle.

It's up to you whether scratches like this are important enough to warrant a screen protector (which probably does subtly affect image quality). It may or may not affect the resale value as well.

In other words, I don't believe most people who claim no scratches, but I also don't believe there is a "correct" answer to this question about the need for screen protectors.

 

[iMaven]

My iPad 2 got a nice 4 inch long gouge down the middle of the screen after wiping it with the smart cover microfiber lining, so the screens are definitely not scratch proof. Something was there on the screen and it took out a bit of glass with it. It's enough that you can feel it with your finger and notice it with the iPad turned on as a bit of distortion akin to having a long hair on the screen.

So, here's how I see it after using the zagg Invisishield on my iPad 1 and going without on my iPad 2 and suffering a scratch: screen protectors suck. The iPad is an object that will sooner or later end up in the garbage...it will get scratched, dented, scuffed and eventually stop working after so many years. Enjoy the screen as it is meant to be. If it get's scratched, it will STILL look better than if it had a screen protector on it with all the distortion that a film of plastic will inherently imbue to the retina display.

Applecare+ is a much better investment IMHO.

Applecare+ covers wear & tear on the screen?

 

[boltjames]

The glass on the front needs no protection.

The aluminum on the back does.

And even if there are some who throw their iPad's into a bag where they rub against muddy rocks, the The New iPad is all about resolution and you simply can't put a fuzzy screen protector it.

There's no point in owning an HDTV if you're going to watch it through clingwrap.

BJ

 

[whtrbt7]

Applecare+ will cover wear and tear on the screen. You just plunk down $49+tax and you'll have them replace the part. I personally haven't had a need to replace the screens on iPad or iPad 2 yet. They may suffer from micro scratches but generally, the screens stand up to a good amount of abuse.

 

[aperry]

And even if there are some who throw their iPad's into a bag where they rub against muddy rocks, the The New iPad is all about resolution and you simply can't put a fuzzy screen protector it.

Pretty subjective. I had ghost armor on my iPad2 and couldn't tell the difference at all when looking straight on. From an angle you can pick up a small amount of "orange peel" effect.

So anyway, it's different for everyone. You definitely can (arguably "will") get scratches on the screen, even if they're just minor ones in the coating that can only be seen at a certain angle. With care, you should be able to avoid anything more noticeable than that.

The back is much more scratch prone.

 

[aznguyen316]

The question is more:

Do you want to cover superb high resolution image with a layer of plastic having doubtful optical qualities????

I have to agree with this. I purchased a Zagg Invisible shield AG screen for my iPad 1, kept it on there, but it always annoyed me how the white had this rainbow speckled look, but I was always a bit hesitant about the glass on it since it got a nick on it after a few months. Then I just looked at a friends naked iPad 2 and OMG what have I been missing out on?? The screen is so nice and bright, whites are white etc. So with the retina, absolutely no way I'm putting on a protective film. I'm purchasing AppleCare+ so if anything really happens to it, I'm getting the screen replaced for $50. Not bad when the protector is $15-$30. And sure AC+ costs $99+tax but that's a given cost for me no matter what I do. When I'm dropping $750 on a portable machine that can drop and crack in one motion, I'm paying the $99 for peace of mind.

 

[iMaven]

The glass on the front needs no protection.

The aluminum on the back does.

And even if there are some who throw their iPad's into a bag where they rub against muddy rocks, the The New iPad is all about resolution and you simply can't put a fuzzy screen protector it.

There's no point in owning an HDTV if you're going to watch it through clingwrap.

BJ

And that's why I love reading your posts.

 

[SuperRob]

Gorilla Glass is pretty damage resistant. It's pretty close to sapphire crystal used in high-end watches. It is resistant to damage but diamonds and anything with a hardness above 9 will be able to damage it. It still is possible to crack or scratch the glass with enough pressure. I would get an Applecare+ plan rather than spend money on an Invisible shield unless you want an anti-glare surface.

Quoted for truth. Nothing is harder than a diamond, so until Corning can make diamond glass (or someone discovers a polymer with similar hardness), it will always be possible for a diamond ring to scratch it.

All the more reason to get the woman Zirconia*.

To answer the original poster's question, I wouldn't bother with the screen protector, because it takes a LOT of effort, or a confluence of circumstances, to scratch the screen. I would, however, consider something to cover the very soft aluminum back. I've scratched my iPad 2 back just setting it on a tile countertop a bit more forcefully than usual.

*Note: Do NOT do this. They don't find it even remotely funny.

 

[cwosigns]

all the more reason to get the woman zirconia*.

awesome

 

[whtrbt7]

ooooooohhhhhhh diamond glass!!!!!!
I would love if someone was able to do something like that. Problem is, how would that be accomplished? I'm thinking that if scientists were able to compress carbon in a precise manner into a flat plane, that could be done. The science is still not available even with cubic zircon tech which uses a pressurized chamber. Gorilla glass is produced pretty well and consistently. For now, it will have to do.

 

[sovereign]

My experience is that many of my friends who claim they have "no scratches" actually do have very subtle scratches that are only noticeable when you look at the glass carefully with a light reflecting at an angle. These scratches are most likely in the oleophobic coating and not in the glass itself, but they can't be repaired...

...In other words, I don't believe most people who claim no scratches, but I also don't believe there is a "correct" answer to this question about the need for screen protectors.

Agreed. I bet I could find scratches on the screen of any device described as without scratches in this thread. I babied my iPad 1. Always in a case, cleaned only with microfiber cloths and a little warm water (never wiped the screen with a dry cloth), even washed my hands when using the thing half the time. Still, after a few short months there were a couple of slight scratches in the coating.

I hope the 3rd gen has a better screen.

 

[MrX8503]

Scratch Proof and Scratch Resistant.

One of the two is Gorilla Glass, I'll leave it up to you to determine which is which and what the difference is.

 

[Primate]

DO NOT get zagg! I used zagg for a while but I was never really happy with them so I went with Best Skins Ever (BSE) and I was very happy with them until I found SPG Ultrafine. I will never go back to wet application again. My recommendation is SPIGEN SGP iPad 2 / The new iPad Screen Protector Steinheil Series [Ultra Fine] which can be purchased on amazon or the spg site. If you do not like the flatt look then you can wait until the end of the month when they will release Ultra Optics [UO] version.. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Ecoh]

Gorilla Glass is pretty damage resistant. It's pretty close to sapphire crystal used in high-end watches. It is resistant to damage but diamonds and anything with a hardness above 9 will be able to damage it. It still is possible to crack or scratch the glass with enough pressure. I would get an Applecare+ plan rather than spend money on an Invisible shield unless you want an anti-glare surface.

My iPad is doing well after a year, even with my brother feeding biscuits to my dog off the iPad screen.

Nice to know it's close to sapphire crystal. I had a watch with a sapphire crystal once, after 12 years, not even a tiny scratch. It finally cracked when I was tossed off my horse and slammed into a pile of rocks.

 

[shamash]

Pretty subjective. I had ghost armor on my iPad2 and couldn't tell the difference at all when looking straight on. From an angle you can pick up a small amount of "orange peel" effect.

So anyway, it's different for everyone. You definitely can (arguably "will") get scratches on the screen, even if they're just minor ones in the coating that can only be seen at a certain angle. With care, you should be able to avoid anything more noticeable than that.

The back is much more scratch prone.

Just wanted to point out a ghost armor flaw. I had it on my iPhone 4, but it makes the screen look terrible and weird through polarized sunglasses. If you wear polarized sunglasses often, I suggest against ghost armor.