Would most glasses shatter? Because it only slid off his lap. It wasn't from any sort of great height. I'm actually surprised it is as chipped up as it is. My iPhone Classic took the same spill (twice) and didn't have any glass problems, despite having "lower quality" glass. It also had a metal back and protective rim. Win for the 1g!
I would say that bumpers are a necessity if you use your phone in the real world (like outside your house). My wife drops her Sony phone all the time and it still looks great. It's made out of plastic though, but isn't a bad looking phone, even with the drops. But she visits the homes of autistic children in the surrounding 25 counties to train their parents how to deal with and improve their condition. She is always hauling stuff around, getting in and out of cars, stopping by the office, getting knocked over and attacked by out of control children, and calling parents: setting, confirming, and canceling appointments. I'm sure if she had an iPhone 4 with no case, she would have broken it probably twice since it came out. On the other hand, I work in an office doing design work and go to class. A bumper is fine for me, as I don't always have my phone out as I run around. But if I had her job, or some other job like on a construction site, you can bet that you need something better than a bumper. Probably an Otterbox. This new iPhone is essentially a slippery glass brick, and as sexy as it looks, it is very breakable. Like Samuel L. Jackson's character Elijah Price in Unbreakable.
Why do you think this is the first ever case from Apple for the iPhone? Most people need it! And it still looks really nice while providing a good grip. I can hardly stand holding the phone without the bumper. It's too sharp on the edges.
