Iphone 4 durability

[GamecockMac]

It looks good but breaks way too easy. Perhaps if Apple was willing to pay a little more for Gorilla Glass the phone would not be as brittle.

It "breaks way too easy" based on a handful of deliberate test drops by a few tech blogs and the careless people who thought that it was made of transparent aluminum or some such fantasy material and thus didn't take care of their devices, leading to them being the loudest voices of complaint on the internet when their iPhone suffers a cracked screen/back. How many thousands of people who have dropped their iPhone 4 from a moderate height and experienced no damage do you think rushed to a website to tell the world about it?

Get real...the constant drumbeat of Apple hate and FUD is beyond tiresome at this point. Or don't you care that you have next to zero credibility here anymore?

 

[mdwsta4]

what does strengthened steel have to do with not getting scratches? it's durable, that doesn't mean it won't scratch. as far as the screen/back, I don't think the glass is getting scratched, it's the oleophobic coating that does.

should I complain to Rolex that my $5k+ GMT II's band has gotten scratched after a year of use (and i baby it)? what about the paint on my $55k A5? of course not.

point being, it's normal wear and tear. if you're that concerned, get a case or at minimum a screen protector. and why would you put something like that in a pocket with keys/coins!? that's going to scratch whatever else is in there.

 

[saving107]

How many thousands of people who have dropped their iPhone 4 from a moderate height and experienced no damage do you think rushed to a website to tell the world about it?

I've managed to drop my iPhone 4 about 3 times now from about a 4-5 ft distance (twice on concrete and once on my kitchen tile floor) and I'm actually surprised at how well it has held up.

though I admit that its my own fault for trying to carry too many things at once with my iPhone in my hand, it wasn't until last week that I finally manage to create a small dent on the steel band, I was so sure that the glass would be the first to go. Do I feel the need to log on to Message Boards and tell my story after every fall, nope. People are more likely to voice their opinions over a negative situation vs a positive (Antenna Issues, Cracked Screens) and all the sudden these people become the majority of out spoken voices.

The perception to you (people with a damaged iPhone) is that every iPhone is fragile and flawed, but in reality, Millions of people now own an iPhone 4 and are 100% satisfied with the durability and quality of the phone (me included).

Yes, my phone now has a dent, do I care that I spent over $250 (for some reason people always feel the need to post how must they spent, as if the more you spend equals more durability?) and now have a slightly damage phone, nope.

 

[GamecockMac]

I've managed to drop my iPhone 4 about 3 times now from about a 4-5 ft distance (twice on concrete and once on my kitchen tile floor) and I'm actually surprised at how well it has held up.

though I admit that its my own fault for trying to carry too many things at once with my iPhone in my hand, it wasn't until last week that I finally manage to create a small dent on the steel band, I was so sure that the glass would be the first to go. Do I feel the need to log on to Message Boards and tell my story after every fall, nope. People are more likely to voice their opinions over a negative situation vs a positive (Antenna Issues, Cracked Screens) and all the sudden these people become the majority of out spoken voices.

The perception to you (people with a damaged iPhone) is that every iPhone is fragile and flawed, but in reality, Millions of people now own an iPhone 4 and are 100% satisfied with the durability and quality of the phone (me included).

Sorry if I was unclear, I am not one who believes that the iPhone is fragile and flawed, I was attempting to make the same case that you are making. That it's typically the upset minority who cry the loudest about a perceived "problem" with a product, while the silent majority experiencing no issues just go about their daily lives, enjoying the use of said product.

At any rate, glad to hear you're happy with your iPhone and its durability...that makes at least two of us!

 

[saving107]

GamecockMac

I quoted you because I agree with you 100% of what you said.

and I agree with you on this "the silent majority experiencing no issues just go about their daily lives"

 

[mdwsta4]

if you're referring to the prices I listed, the purpose was to illustrate that things that cost significantly more than a $300 phone have 'durability issues' and no one expects the manufacturer to do anything about it (because they're not durability issues, they're normal/expected wear and tear). not sure why fanbois expect apple to be any different.

Yes, my phone now has a dent, do I care that I spent over $250 (for some reason people always feel the need to post how must they spent, as if the more you spend equals more durability?) and now have a slightly damage phone, nope.

 

[saving107]

mdwsta4, I wasn't quoting you specifically, it was more of a general statement. I was referring to the fact the every time I view a post on a message bored, twitter or whatever, people always post how much they spent on the device.

Apple has it listed for $199/$299 if your eligible for an upgrade, but some people are paying an early upgrade price or out of contract price. So I meant it in a "Your $600+ phone is not better than my $200+ phone." Its the same phone that was manufactured by the same company and is susceptible to the same issues.

 

[unagimiyagi]

I've now seen enough evidence that the iphone 4, while fantastic as far as looks go, is just inherently fragile.

Glass on the front, fine. But glass on the back, cracks. Too many reports and several people I know who have cracked glass on the back. These people had the prior models and no such problems appeared.

Absolutely not worth it.

 

[Risco]

The iPhone is not a durable phone, it is a thing of beauty. I only have the bumper on it and touch wood it is still in perfect condition. I ammeter at some point it will get damaged. I am however careful not to drop it and I also never just chuck it in my pocket. The people who have broken the screen etc are just plain clumsy. Also if you are in a job that you work outside or means you get dirty hands a lot then of course the chances of scratching increase dramatically. For these people an otterbox defender is the way to go. For myself I am in an office based job so no need for heavy duty case. I also hate screen protectors as they ruin the feel of the screen and my fingers stick.

Also it certainly does not feel cheap and the components are not cheap either. Pick up any android or nokia phone and they are all plastic and cheap feeling. The iPhone looks and feels quality and to top it off it has got touch screen perfect. No other phone comes close in terms of usability.

 

[carysr]

Front glass cracks easily

A friend of mine is a total clutz. I saw him drop his Iphone4 5 times onto a concrete floor in the span of a few hours, without a case/bumper.

I saw my girlfriend drop her iphone4 without a case/bumper onto a concrete floor once. Her phone got a small scuff on the plastic trim around the glass, which is totally hidden by her case / bumper now (which she now uses, since the drop)

Also, I've personally seen zero cracked screens. I've seen pictures on the internet of cracked screens, and I'll accept that it's possible if you have really bad luck and circumstances lead to it breaking in your fall, and there's a good chance if you throw it as hard as you can at the floor that it will break.

I won't say it's impossible to break the screen by accidentally dropping it, nor will I say that I'd intentionally drop mine, but I do think it's certainly *reasonably* durable.

I'm still waiting for my free bumper. In the meantime, I use a rubber case and an armband while exercising. So I took my iPhone 4 out of the rubber case before going for a jog, put the phone on the hood of my car for a second while i was putting on the armband, and next think I know, it's on the ground with a shattered (but intact) front screen. The back is VERY slippery - much more so than the 3. Anything other than a totally flat surface, and it's on the ground. I had dropped my 3 several times, but the glass never shattered. So I don't know what Apple did, but it seems to me that their advertising of it as 20 times stronger, etc., is not accurate.

 

[chickdigger802]

I've drop my twice without case on concrete. Dented the little black plasticy thing.

Now I have a case to hide that up.

no biggie.

 

[Wrathwitch]

It's funny.

BTW iPhone 4 is my first iPhone and I LOVE IT!!!

I find only one thing retarded about the "apple experience" The fact that people do not use nice holsters for the iphone (virtually impossible to find a nice one that you can just pull the phone out quickly especially without magnetic closures), yes I understand it is a pretty product but I had my BB Storm for a year and it looks MINT because I have always kept it in a leather holster (incl screen protector) when out and about as well as treating it like the expensive piece of gear it is.

Why are people so surprised that when you expose something to wear and tear it gets all beaten up?

This is why we wear underwear ya know!!

WW