Oh dear, i see the iPhone 4 has that oleophobic coating

[STEVESKI07]

Oh, and in general the idea of screen protectors and cases just doesn't make sense to me. I like to have nice looking things, I really do. But that doesn't mean I need or should cover them up so as to never see them dinged or scratched. Could you imagine wrapping your fine watch in plastic and using a "crystal protector" over the sapphire? Right, you can't - because that is completely inane. If someone can wear and enjoy their $12000 Rolex Sub and not fret over every ding and scratch, well then damn, I think I can handle a fingerprint on my $199 phone THAT I KNOW I WILL BE REPLACING ON A YEARLY BASIS. Going on 4 years with iPhones. Zero cases and zero protectors.

You also don't pull your Rolex in and out of your pocket 100 times a day. It sits on your wrist. Why don't you calm down and let people use screen protectors and cases if they want to? Nobody is forcing you to use them, so why are you getting so upset?

 

[Mark Booth]

Omg, I love your sign off! I survived too!

If you love the signature, you'll REALLY love the T-shirt:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/937942/



Mark

 

[DravenGSX]

I prefer the feel of the anti-glare protectors on the front of the phone. It has less to do with protection and more to do with look and feel... for me.

 

[iPhone 4 Me]

Calm down? Ok...so because I respond to baseless claims I can't be as rational as you are, right?

Let me ask you - in the claim below, you state that even if the coating wears off, 'it's not like you can visually tell that it is gone". OK, how do you know that it is actually gone? Did you take it back to the lab or something?

Haha calm down Tiger. I use a screen protector so I can't speak for this, but I have heard reports of people's oleophobic coating wearing off over time. I was saying it's not a big deal even if it does because it's not like you can visually tell that it is gone. Take a few deep breaths...

 

[Mosco]

I also use a screen protector.

I was looking at my gf's screen the other day and it has scratches all over it.

Some protectors are better than others. Some are more noticeable. If you get a good one you barely notice they are there.

 

[LordOBoogie]

I've never used a screen protector on my first gen iPhone or my 3GS, and I've never had a single scratch.

 

[iPhone 4 Me]

You also don't pull your Rolex in and out of your pocket 100 times a day. It sits on your wrist. Why don't you calm down and let people use screen protectors and cases if they want to? Nobody is forcing you to use them, so why are you getting so upset?

It's funny that you think I'm upset - I just like stopping the spread of misinformation on internet forums. I'm just calmly typing away. I am chuckling lightly, though, if you'd like some kind of visual reference of my frame of mind.

 

[DataRiff]

Oh, and in general the idea of screen protectors and cases just doesn't make sense to me. I like to have nice looking things, I really do. But that doesn't mean I need or should cover them up so as to never see them dinged or scratched. Could you imagine wrapping your fine watch in plastic and using a "crystal protector" over the sapphire? Right, you can't - because that is completely inane. If someone can wear and enjoy their $12000 Rolex Sub and not fret over every ding and scratch, well then damn, I think I can handle a fingerprint on my $199 phone THAT I KNOW I WILL BE REPLACING ON A YEARLY BASIS. Going on 4 years with iPhones. Zero cases and zero protectors.

I totally agree with you and am trying to get out of my ridiculous case mentality. I've always had a little case on it (not the kinds it doesn't come out of, but the slip in and out cases)... I am REALLY going to try to NOT get a case this time and to stop freaking out about it!

 

[iPhone 4 Me]

I've never used a screen protector on my first gen iPhone or my 3GS, and I've never had a single scratch.

Same here. I'm just moderately careful with my phone, that's all. I have absolutely nothing against people that use protectors or cases - it's your phone and you can use it however you like. It's that people don't understand what the oleophobic coating is and how it is supposed to work that bothers me. It's a very useful thing and I applaud Apple for realizing it's value. It's not something I would have asked for as a customer - I was getting used to just wiping my screen down on a weekly basis. That was a very cool upgrade...

 

[thelumpya2]

I take no offense to be calling Mr. Perfect. Honest, I don't!

But, given your story, wouldn't it be more appropriate to call yourself Mr. Imperfect?

I suppose, but can you really tell there's a screen protector on my phone? nope.. aside from it not having the magic coating, it looks exactly the same..

so rather than chance me being perfect or imprefect, i'll spend the 7$ on a crystal clear screen protector.

 

[iPhone 4 Me]

I totally agree with you and am trying to get out of my ridiculous case mentality. I've always had a little case on it (not the kinds it doesn't come out of, but the slip in and out cases)... I am REALLY going to try to NOT get a case this time and to stop freaking out about it!

Cool! Go for it...I had the same problem with all my stuff. Shoes, cars, you know - whatever. I like stuff to look good. But you can't account for everything, so in the end, you should just ENJOY these things. Personally I love the industrial nature of the iPhone 4, and throwing protectors and cases at it makes me cringe, like wrapping a new car in plastic wrap and taking it for a spin. My opinion...

 

[Geckotek]

The other day my co-worker came to me with her iPhone that had a "cracked" screen. She wanted to know how much it might cost to repair.

I told her I'd repair it for free.....I removed her jacked up screen protector..VOILA! FIXED! The screen protector had pulled away and the adhesive it uses plus a lot of pocket lint or something had it looking like the screen was all jacked up under the protector. After looking more closely I just realized her screen protector had pulled away from the screen and gotten all messy.

 

[yegon]

My 2 yo 3G is in mint condition, no case, no screen protector. Never babied it, dropped on concrete once, got lucky - a case wouldn't have made any difference. I just make a point of putting it in an empty pocket.

Actually, I did have a case for the first month until I realised a) it ruined the form factor and b) it's phone, nit a precious jewel!

 

[fastblack]

Ive never used a protector on my iPhone. My front left pocket is for my phone, and nothing else, except my headphones sometimes.

 

[lankox]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7E18 Safari/528.16)

I can tell you as fact that the coating on my 3GS has worned off. It is just as difficult to clean the screen as any other phone. Big difference from now and when it was new. As far as the guy asking for lab evidence, where is yours? If the coating is applied on top of the glass, it's ridiculous to think that it will not wear off over time.

 

[virx]

have 3g for 1.5 years, never had any screen protectors and glass is still perfect. Plastic backside has a million tiny scratches, but I do not really care as long as glass is good

 

[jkozlow3]

My 2 yo 3G is in mint condition, no case, no screen protector. Never babied it, dropped on concrete once, got lucky - a case wouldn't have made any difference. I just make a point of putting it in an empty pocket.

Actually, I did have a case for the first month until I realised a) it ruined the form factor and b) it's phone, nit a precious jewel!

I'd beg to differ that if you dropped it on concrete that it's in mint condition. There HAS to be a scrape on it SOMEWHERE. Unless it was some kind of magic concrete!

 

[amammad]

Screen protector for what? To protect against your sharp beard?

The screen is GLASS. Screen protectors are a waste of money. I've owned every iPhone since 2007 and I've never had even the slightest scratch on any screen. And that includes one iPhone that I dropped on asphalt.

Mark

That's because you have the magical iPhone and the Moon Ponies (TM) protected it.

 

[jclardy]

My 3GS still is clean after one swipe on my pants leg, just the same as launch day.

I had an 1st gen iPod touch before that, and it was a pain to clean the screen, wiping it just seemed to push the oils around.

 

[Vertigo50]

If you are prone to scratching or damaging your electronics, than you should probably still use a screen protector.

If you have a history of never scratching or damaging them, as I do, then you won't.

It's that easy.

 

[iPhone 4 Me]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7E18 Safari/528.16)

I can tell you as fact that the coating on my 3GS has worned off. It is just as difficult to clean the screen as any other phone. Big difference from now and when it was new. As far as the guy asking for lab evidence, where is yours? If the coating is applied on top of the glass, it's ridiculous to think that it will not wear off over time.

My evidence is sitting right beside me. My coating is still working as it should. What exactly do you know about the coating? How many microns thick is it? Are you wiping your phone down with steel wool?

I don't think it's preposterous to assume that a coating could degrade after some time, so I won't argue that point. I do, however, find it somewhat stupid to put a screen protector over a glass phone so as to protect a COATING that is supposed to make the glass resistant to fingerprints. That is amazing! It really is like wrapping your car in plastic wrap to protect that fresh coat of wax (which is funny because the wax is there to protect the clear coat)! That's all I'm saying.

The lab comment was taken out of context. The guy said something like, well, I can't visually tell that it's gone, but I think it's gone. OK. Prove it. Sounds like the whole, "wow, this iPhone update made Safari all snappy!". OK, prove it.

 

[John T]

Neither do I have anything against people who use screen protectors - after all they are just being careful.

No doubt they have protectors over the windscreens of their car and the windows of their house (assuming they're old enough to own them!)

 

[jav6454]

That amazes me. I had my 3G for just a few weeks before I had somehow managed to scratch the screen from just keeping the phone in my pocket!

What this person said. Basically, glass can be easily scratched. Investing in a $14 screen protector will ensure the resale value stays up for $100 or more... just check ebay for unscratched screens, those have higher resale value.

 

[Blueline29]

wont some parts get the coating off faster then other parts. for example if u touch the phone more in one section the other.

I know a few weeks or a month after the launch of the 3GS there was some guy who landed in the news because he'd already created 2 huge worn spots on his screen from obsessively playing some game or other that apparently involved flicking or touching the screen in the same place repeatedly.

FWIW, I've had my 3GS since launch day without screen protection and the coating is exactly as it was the day I got it. No wear whatsoever.

 

[caligurl]

Screen protector for what? To protect against your sharp beard?

The screen is GLASS. Screen protectors are a waste of money. I've owned every iPhone since 2007 and I've never had even the slightest scratch on any screen. And that includes one iPhone that I dropped on asphalt.

Mark

OK..... we all need to have that GREAT avatar you have!

I SURVIVED, too!!! WOOT!

as for the rest.... i'm putting a screen protector on... and i'm debating on doing whole body protection with a bumper... unless i find a case as much as i love my ifrogz!