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Oh geez, I should have gotten a skin from Day One

A

aequitas1234

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 12, 2010
48
0
So I got the phone intending to get a skin for the back and leave the front. I got it last week and, like I do with any phone I have, I have a dedicated pocket for the phone. Nothing else goes in the pocket.

For my Nexus One and my Palm Pre, I never got a skin and followed this procedure forever. Never had a problem.

With the iPhone, I noticed that there were a couple small scratches on the back already! Maybe it's just bad luck, but it seems to be that th eback glass is pretty weak. The scratches are minor and can probably be polished out, but it's annoying. No scratches whatsoever on the front. So I went and got a skin from Best Buy.

Luckily the skin was super easy to install. I always dread putting on skins because there is always a curve to the phone so you have to hold the side of the skin while it dries around the phone's curve. Clearly this isn't an issue with the iphone because it's flat.

But hopefully this serves as a warning to those of you without any protection on the back: GET A SKIN!!
 
The glass shouldn't just scratch while its in your pocket... well unless you have sand or diamonds loose in your pocket.
 
Are you sure you don't have rocks in your pocket?

I mean, honestly, are you even sure it's your pocket causing this? NOTHING else is in there you claim, yet, somehow, it's scratched up.

Where are you sitting your phone down when it's not in your pocket?

I've had the phone in my pocket with no case or shield or any of the other junk people think you need, and it's just fine. I've kept it in the same pocket with another iPod, or with my keys, or my garage door opener, or change...
 
JustinP81 said:
Are you sure you don't have rocks in your pocket?

I mean, honestly, are you even sure it's your pocket causing this? NOTHING else is in there you claim, yet, somehow, it's scratched up.

Where are you sitting your phone down when it's not in your pocket?

I've had the phone in my pocket with no case or shield or any of the other junk people think you need, and it's just fine. I've kept it in the same pocket with another iPod, or with my keys, or my garage door opener, or change...
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's weird. When not in my pocket, it sits on top of a soft surface at work. I mean, it's possible that it came from something else.

Absolutely nothing else in my pocket. I'm so used to having a dedicated phone pocket that I am in the habit of keeping nothing but my phone in there.

But, correct me if I'm wrong, the back is not made out of Gorilla Glass, right? The front is absolutely pristine. I installed the front skins as well, but will probably end up removing it.
 
My iPad got a small scratch on the screen before it had ever left my house - and before I got a chance to get a screen protector. Yes, glass does scratch and you don't need rocks, diamonds or sand to do it.
 
JustinP81 said:
Are you sure you don't have rocks in your pocket?

I mean, honestly, are you even sure it's your pocket causing this? NOTHING else is in there you claim, yet, somehow, it's scratched up.

Where are you sitting your phone down when it's not in your pocket?

I've had the phone in my pocket with no case or shield or any of the other junk people think you need, and it's just fine. I've kept it in the same pocket with another iPod, or with my keys, or my garage door opener, or change...
Click to expand...
You keep your garage door opener in your pocket?
aequitas1234 said:
Yeah, it's weird. When not in my pocket, it sits on top of a soft surface at work. I mean, it's possible that it came from something else.

Absolutely nothing else in my pocket. I'm so used to having a dedicated phone pocket that I am in the habit of keeping nothing but my phone in there.

But, correct me if I'm wrong, the back is not made out of Gorilla Glass, right? The front is absolutely pristine. I installed the front skins as well, but will probably end up removing it.
Click to expand...
The back should be super strong, so you either have sand or something in your pocket or you accidentally dragged it across a surface with sand/rocks on it.
 
aequitas1234 said:
Yeah, it's weird. When not in my pocket, it sits on top of a soft surface at work. I mean, it's possible that it came from something else.

Absolutely nothing else in my pocket. I'm so used to having a dedicated phone pocket that I am in the habit of keeping nothing but my phone in there.

But, correct me if I'm wrong, the back is not made out of Gorilla Glass, right? The front is absolutely pristine. I installed the front skins as well, but will probably end up removing it.
Click to expand...

I dunno what the back is made of. It's glass. What kind, that's for someone else to say.

Sorry about your luck, but, I mean, at least the front still looks great, so it's not a total loss!
 
aequitas1234 said:
But, correct me if I'm wrong, the back is not made out of Gorilla Glass, right? The front is absolutely pristine. I installed the front skins as well, but will probably end up removing it.
Click to expand...

The front and back are the same Aluminosilicate with oleophobic coating.
 
The back glass scratches easily. No amount of denying will change that. My ip4 wrapsol package arrives on wed. Until it is applied, my phone will sit in it's box.
 
STEVESKI07 said:
Did you read the post you are responding to? He does have scratches and that's why he bought a skin.
Click to expand...

The OP is warning others to get a skin. I haven't had any significant scratches on the screen of either the original iPhone or the 3GS while they were naked in my pocket, and I expect the same with the glass back of the iPhone 4.
 
Don't believe it...the glass scratches pretty easily

iPhone 4 glass (front and back) scratches very easily. If it is so-called "scratch resistant" it is only a bit more so than 3G or 3GS.

I was extremely careful with my iPhone 4 for the first 24 hours. Only went in an empty pocket on the way to work, then sat in a cradle at work the rest of time. At home it was mostly in my hand but when it wasn't it was lying on its back. I was almost obsessive about not sliding it on any surface and only wiping with a soft lense cleaning cloth. By the end of the second day, it had a nice scratch right across the edge of the screen. Not noticable when the phone's screen was active and viewing from straight on but very noticable when it was off or light was reflecting at any angle. I don't know exactly what caused the scratch but given the fact that I was so careful, I would have to say that the scratch resistant claim is mostly BS. This glass WILL scratch and it doesn't take much. Go skinless/caseless at your own risk.

There is a good ending to this story. I went to Best Buy immediately after seeing the scratch and bought an Invisible Shield for front and back. Once applied the scratch can not be seen at all in any angle of light. No big deal now. You barely notice the skin. I had planned on getting one anyway as all portable devices will scratch eventually due to the way they are used. I just wish I would have done it immediately, but since I can't see the scratch at all now, I am happy.
 
uberamd said:
You keep your garage door opener in your pocket?
Click to expand...

I live in an apartment complex, and we have a garage. I went out of my way to find the smallest garage door opener I could, so I wouldn't have to waste my time punching in my code to open the door (which doesn't work half the time because the batteries are dying!)

See?

clicker.jpg


Fits nicely in a pocket!

(That photo was taken with a 4, btw!)
 
JustinP81 said:
I live in an apartment complex, and we have a garage. I went out of my way to find the smallest garage door opener I could, so I wouldn't have to waste my time punching in my code to open the door (which doesn't work half the time because the batteries are dying!)

See?

Fits nicely in a pocket!

(That photo was taken with a 4, btw!)
Click to expand...

Wow, thats a really small garage door opener. Most of the ones I have seen are huge so I was trying to figure out how massive your pockets must be.
 
TitanApe said:
The back glass scratches easily. No amount of denying will change that. My ip4 wrapsol package arrives on wed. Until it is applied, my phone will sit in it's box.
Click to expand...
You have proof do you, given that your phone is still (pathetically) still in it's box? Diddums.
 
apockalipse said:
I had planned on getting one anyway as all portable devices will scratch eventually due to the way they are used. I just wish I would have done it immediately, but since I can't see the scratch at all now, I am happy.
Click to expand...
My 5 year old SONY Ericsson that gets used and abused every single day has got barely a mark on it, apart from where the "plastichrome" is wearing around the thumbstick area due to normal use.

Clearly, you didn't look after your iPhone well enough.
 
+1 OP...
I have been pretty careful with the iPhone 4 and have never dragges or pushed it while it was sitting on a surface, surprisingly enough i have one large, very noticable scratch and 2 minors already...
Still, if the front is more durable i have no problem with this, if it happens after just a few days, it was gonna happen anyway and I have no interest in using an ugly case or handling it like the crown jewels, it is a phone intended for everyday use...
 
The glass takes some real force to get any scratches. What I believe you scratched is the oleophobic coating, the one that resists fingerprints. IMHO, Apple should not even have put that coating on. It wears off after a while, and it does not really help much in getting rid of fingerprints.
 
Shawnstra said:
IMHO, Apple should not even have put that coating on. It wears off after a while, and it does not really help much in getting rid of fingerprints.
Click to expand...

I disagree. It's one of the best features of the 3GS over the 3G and helps tremendously with smudges. I didn't notice any wearing off after one year of being naked in my pocket.
 
Gryzor said:
My 5 year old SONY Ericsson that gets used and abused every single day has got barely a mark on it, apart from where the "plastichrome" is wearing around the thumbstick area due to normal use.

Clearly, you didn't look after your iPhone well enough.
Click to expand...

If that's what you want to think, that's fine. I'm not selling anything and I couldn't care less if your phone gets damaged. I am simply giving a friendly warning.
 
The back of mine also has a tiny little hairline scratch, and it has been in my pocket (with nothing else) for no more than 10 minutes. The front i have a screen protector on thankfully.
 
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