I get what you're saying semantically. It sounds like Apple simply wants to eat their cake and have it too. I am of the opinion that if they advertise and sell the iPhone 7 with a certain water resistance rating and it incurs water ingress within the scope of that rating due to a manufacturing defect, they should stand behind it and not refuse to cover the liquid damage on a no-charge basis. Otherwise, it's false advertisement in my book.
I agree fully. So if OP's phone broke because he was caught in some rain, some water splashed on his phone, etc., then I definitely think Apple should honor a warranty, or at worst, call it a good-will replacement.
But for OP, and all those others showering with their phones to watch Netflix (something Apple warns against because steam may break the water barriers), you deserve what you have coming to you.
As repeated MANY times in this thread, look up the IP67 rating again. "UNDER DEFINED LAB CONDITIONS...STATIC WATER" That does NOT equal submerging your phone in a pool with unknown solutions (Chlorine, etc.), under unknown conditions. You really think OP measured 1 meter and said "ok, I'm not going underneath this point?" Nah. OP was horsing around and recalled what he saw on a youtube video, and started taking pics and messing around under water. Just jumping into the pool will break the 1m mark, and also may force water into the phone at high velocity, something else Apple warns against (same with coming up from the bottom of a pool by pushing off with your legs).
Pool play was not used in the IP67 rating. How was it tested? They had a controlled container of water, a measuring device, and a timer. Probably also water without known additives like Chlorine and Salt.
My problem with OP, and people who are showering with their phones to watch Netflix: you are messing up returns and good will replacements for the rest of us. Do you know how many of these warranty replacements Apple will have to deal with because of these people?
It's like the Costco effect. You have a bunch of return/warranty abusers who cause the company to change its awesome policy, and ruin it for the rest of us. So if I go in because my phone died when I was caught in a rain shower (which I think should be covered), they automatically assume I was watching netflix in the shower or taking underwater photos, and deny my replacement.
[doublepost=1476734899][/doublepost]Can we all admit that Apple NEVER advertised the iPhone in situations like taking pictures under water or showering with the phone to watch Netflix? In fact, can we all admit that Apple specifically warns AGAINST those activities as posted earlier?
So, what is causing this impasse here? It is one singular thing: your interpretation of what IP67 means.
Now how did you find what IP67 meant? Did you do a lot of research, write a letter to the testing body, and look up scholarly legal constructions of the wording they used in the rating? No. You did a Google, or saw a third party reviewer say something [based on his Google], about how this means "...up to one meter," and you completely omitted terminology like "up to" "under controlled lab conditions" etc.
Your interpretation of what a third party's rating means, does not make Apple liable for damage you caused outside of those testing conditions.
Now, if Apple started marketing the phone like the S2 Watch, where they have commercials with a person taking underwater photos, and swimming with his phone...if they make an underwater photo app encouraging people to take underwater photos: then I agree with you 100%, regardless of what the rating says.