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never realised how good the oleophobic coating was....

Sir Ruben

Sir Ruben

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 3, 2010
1,929
1,279
UK
....until it was gone!

Now a year on since launch my screen is awash with greasy smudges! Its crazy just how bad it is.

Example: I clean the screen with a microfiber cloth until its immaculate, I wash my hands with soap and water so they are completely dry with no grease. I touch the screen and watch it getting smudged up instantly.

I used to think the oleophobic coating was a bit of a marketing gimmick, but now I can honestly say its very effective. Just a shame that it wears away.

If you are a skeptic, trust me, when its gone you will really notice it!

Wish there was some way you could get it re-coated, just glad that i'll be changing it for an iPhone 5 if Apple ever get around to announcing/releasing it!
 
I have noticed the same recently and it drives my OCD something sick.

I thought it was grease still left on my fingers (even after washing thoroughly), I didnt even think the oleophobic coating could have worn off.

Currently in the process of inventing microfibre gloves that we can wear all the time to avoid it.
 
Cravendale said:
I have noticed the same recently and it drives my OCD something sick.

I thought it was grease still left on my fingers (even after washing thoroughly), I didnt even think the oleophobic coating could have worn off.

Currently in the process of inventing microfibre gloves that we can wear all the time to avoid it.
Click to expand...

Sad....
 
I always use a screen protector, so thankfully I never have to worry about mine wearing off. The screen protector smudges a little but it's seriously not that bad. Plus, my screen will look mint when I take the protector off. :D
 
My phone usually cleans itself in my pocket.

On a related note, when did OCD start meaning "Everything has to be clean"? People use it as an excuse to be anal about meaningless things, and it annoys me to no end.
 
boss.king said:
My phone usually cleans itself in my pocket.

On a related note, when did OCD start meaning "Everything has to be clean"? People use it as an excuse to be anal about meaningless things, and it annoys me to no end.
Click to expand...

THIS. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a terrible mental illness that involves having intrusive, unpleasant thoughts and performing various actions (called compulsions) to appease them. Sometimes the compulsions are directly related to the obsession, sometimes not.

It doesn't mean always wanting a clean cell phone. :eek:
 
Does not matter whether its an iphone or another handset fingerprints will always be a magnet for these things.

Fact of life no matter what coating/shield is on it !!
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)

I had the same thoughts at approx 1 year into ownership. A few days later, I accidentally cracked the glass and had Apple replace it. The difference was huge from my 1 year old iPhone to the new one they gave me. The coating is for real! Like you, I wish they could re-apply it after awhile.
 
CosmoPilot said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)

I had the same thoughts at approx 1 year into ownership. A few days later, I accidentally cracked the glass and had Apple replace it. The difference was huge from my 1 year old iPhone to the new one they gave me. The coating is for real! Like you, I wish they could re-apply it after awhile.
Click to expand...

You could always buy a new digitizer/LCD assembly whenever it wears off. :p
 
awadeee said:
THIS. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a terrible mental illness that involves having intrusive, unpleasant thoughts and performing various actions (called compulsions) to appease them. Sometimes the compulsions are directly related to the obsession, sometimes not.

It doesn't mean always wanting a clean cell phone. :eek:
Click to expand...

Look up the term for "nomenclature".

Stop being OCD about other people's OCD.
 
Orion126 said:
Look up the term for "nomenclature".

Stop being OCD about other people's OCD.
Click to expand...

Perhaps we can all agree that OCD is not being used in the strict clinical sense, but rather in an informal sense meaning "fussy" or "overly attentive to small details". :p

I use the acronym in my work - but I understand that it is used differently here.

However, I can also understand how it might be offensive or hurtful to have it used so casually to someone experiencing this difficult, and at times, devastating disorder.
 
Shrink said:
Perhaps we can all agree that OCD is not being used in the strict clinical sense, but rather in an informal sense meaning "fussy" or "overly attentive to small details". :p

I use the acronym in my work - but I understand that it is used differently here.

However, I can also understand how it might be offensive or hurtful to have it used so casually to someone experiencing this difficult, and at times, devastating disorder.
Click to expand...

Yes. I get slightly annoyed when I hear people "omgz lulz im ocd!". People have no idea what OCD can actually do to a person until they live with it or live with someone afflicted. It doesn't bother me too much though, as it is akin to saying "What are you, blind? You missed the turn!" - Of course the offender is not "blind".
 
Some people just have the ability to wear the oleophobic coating away, and some don't. Unfortunately, I'm one of the people who can wear it away easily. It happened with my 3GS, and it happened again with my iPhone 4. I now use a screen protector.

Here is an old thread that I started a couple of years ago about the issue I was having with my 3GS. People didn't believe my story, and attacked me. It was quite entertaining.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/791230/
 
You can buy a hydrophobic kit made for Oakely sunglasses... I'm sure it would work just as well on the iphone.
 
Surely said:
Some people just have the ability to wear the oleophobic coating away, and some don't. Unfortunately, I'm one of the people who can wear it away easily. It happened with my 3GS, and it happened again with my iPhone 4. I now use a screen protector.

Here is an old thread that I started a couple of years ago about the issue I was having with my 3GS. People didn't believe my story, and attacked me. It was quite entertaining.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/791230/
Click to expand...

It will definitely wear away quicker if you play games. My coating was fine for ages until I got addicted to a certain game. Its since worn out on two area's of the screen.
 
Sir Ruben said:
....until it was gone!

Now a year on since launch my screen is awash with greasy smudges! Its crazy just how bad it is.

Example: I clean the screen with a microfiber cloth until its immaculate, I wash my hands with soap and water so they are completely dry with no grease. I touch the screen and watch it getting smudged up instantly.

I used to think the oleophobic coating was a bit of a marketing gimmick, but now I can honestly say its very effective. Just a shame that it wears away.

If you are a skeptic, trust me, when its gone you will really notice it!

Wish there was some way you could get it re-coated, just glad that i'll be changing it for an iPhone 5 if Apple ever get around to announcing/releasing it!
Click to expand...

Completely agree!

I find it annoying that a piece of kit that is beautifully designed and costs a small fortune, ends up looking like a mess.
 
VictorKahn said:
It will definitely wear away quicker if you play games. My coating was fine for ages until I got addicted to a certain game. Its since worn out on two area's of the screen.
Click to expand...

Well I agree with that, for me it happened way too quickly to blame it on wear and tear from playing games. IIRC, I read that some people have skin that is slightly more acidic than others. I think I fall into that category, and this is why the coating wore off so quickly both times (on my 3GS and then on my iPhone 4). It literally happened within 4-6 weeks both times. Also, when I had the 1st gen iPhone, I experienced some pitting on the aluminum back.....again, most likely from skin contact.

I could agree with blaming it on wear and tear if it took longer than, perhaps, 6-8 months for it to start wearing away.
 
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