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Phil Schiller Says iPhone 5 Scratching 'Normal' for Any Aluminum Product

SandboxGeneral said:
Yes, normal. If a surface, such as aluminum, has any type of coating applied to it, it is then susceptible to coming off and being scratched. It's no different than the paint on a car.
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True. But I must say, it seems an odd design choice for a phone. Perhaps I'll spray on a clear coat on the back and wax it.
 
There's a difference between scuffs out of the box and the phone wear and tear over time. Someone posted on apple insider that an Apple customer service rep told them they had a manufacturing issue which caused a bad batch of phones. I'm assuming that will be fixed. If Phil is defending out of the box scuffs than he's an idiot.
 
Blomkvist said:
True. But I must say, it seems an odd design choice for a phone. Perhaps I'll spray on a clear coat on the back and wax it.
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Was it a weird design choice for the iPods? They see similar abuse that a phone sees( not accusing anyone here of abuse, just stating in general).
 
Do hard cases really protect the edges from scratches? That anodized paint is fragile as hell.

I was thinking about using felt cases, but that friction will eventually fade the paint.

I'd love to see how the black one will look in 3 months.
 
kas23 said:
Wait, you leave your iPhone outside at night, exposed to the night sky? You drive your iPhone on the road, with all the pebbles in the road and other cars driving around it? Does your iPhone face other car doors when parked at the store?

Mine is not exposed to any of these hazards. It sits in my pocket, is held in my hand, or sits on my night stand. The only law of physics my phone faces is gravity if I drop it. In this case, then I would expect damage.
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I'm talking about the context of physics, not the context of circumstances. It's cause and effect: one item (key or coin; rock or branch) can and may scratch or ding an iPhone or vehicle.
 
Rogifan said:
There's a difference between scuffs out of the box and the phone wear and tear over time. Someone posted on apple insider that an Apple customer service rep told them they had a manufacturing issue which caused a bad batch of phones. I'm assuming that will be fixed. If Phil is defending out of the box scuffs than he's an idiot.
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Which I don't think he is defending it. Phil states that it will scratch with use implying he isn't talking about it being damaged out of the box.
 
snowcrash said:
Guess this is the problem when people start using a toy as a status symbol and not as what it's intended to do. Again, factory defects out the box aside, take care of your stuff and expect something you use every day, throw in your pocket, sometimes drop etc, its going to have wear on it. Almost everyone I know with a cell/smartphone the damn thing looks like it went to war and back. It's a phone. It's not a car, it's not a motorcycle it's a phone. Stop thinking your pretty iPhone works better then a banged up one. If you aren't careful things happen. Seriously people. Do you really need your hand held this much and are you this childish that you really get upset if your phone has a little nick in it? Really don't see what people are so emotionally invested in a phone.
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haha, this explains it :D

http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/17/bbc-loving-apple-looks-like-a-religion-to-an-mri-scan/
 
super tomtendo said:
I don't understand why people are complaining about this. Things scratch over time. The iPhone 4/4S(GLASS) would scratch as well. Unless they are delivering scratched up and dented(Which some people say... who knows), then get over it. Buy a case...

#FirstWorldProblems
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My iPhone 4S is caseless, and has zero scratches.
 
djstile said:
I have...but Apple isn't recalling iPhones to fix the issue, so I'm not sure if this applies here.
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Yeah but phones have a return policy, cars don't. I've read posts of people opening 3 or 4 boxes until they find the "perfect" iPhone after coming back with scratches. Try doing that with a car. So yeah not a "recall" but you can get a replacement or just return it totally.
 
musio said:
Then make it out of something else!


I don't want to spend that much money on something that is prone to scratching.
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What do you want them to make it out of? They did glass that is scratch resistant, but shatters if dropped. Plastic? That can scratch and crack.
 
Next time you idiots buy a brand new car that is painted black, you should also do a scratch test and see what happens!!!

Maybe you should then go to your car dealership and complain about the scratches and see what happens :D

And please do post a video on youtube of you scratching your car, that would entertain a lot of people...

Just for the record and if you have been hiding under a rock for the last 500 years ... YES, its absolutely normal that painted metal scratches, anything else would have been a miracle by Apple!
Some people are having quite a distorted vision of the world it seems and should have been awake at their physics classes.

Comment from an iphone drop test video: "Oh... Now its broken" ... Yeah go figure genius, stuff breaks when it falls :cool:

In case of scratches right of the box, you should be able to go to the next apple store and get it exchanged. I had a similar issue 5 years ago with a brand new ipod and the back was scratched. I went back to the dealer and they immediately exchanged it without any questions asked.

It seems that some people get more stupid by the day... *shaking my head*

Case closed!
 
Zombie Acorn said:
The guys defending the poor quality will be upgrading to the iPhone 6 in a year anyways.
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Without a doubt they will. Apple could sell a unibody turd and people would line up still.

I bought an iPhone 5, the white color though. I still feel bad for the people who bought the black expecting it to look respectable even after a few months of normal wear. They're not though. They're going to look terrible. And I just hope mine doesn't have a dent in it right out of the box. That's a whole other story.
 
I had the first aluminum-backed iPhone and I put in my left front pocket and nothing else EVER. I used that phone from February 2008 until October 2011 and it never scratched once. I was just very careful with it and stayed looking great.

If you like something, take care of it.
 
Two facts:

1. Metal scratches.
2. If your phone has a problem out of the box, taking it back to Apple is the ONLY course of action that will have any effect whatsoever. Posting your sadness here does nothing.
 
SandboxGeneral said:
Yes, normal. If a surface, such as aluminum, has any type of coating applied to it, it is then susceptible to coming off and being scratched. It's no different than the paint on a car.
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Not if they anodized it better. Apple uses a subpar quality anodizing.
 
Still not as easily scratched as the iPod backs, who CARES if it scratches... it wont shatter like a glass back
 
The More I see responsed from Apple like this the more I think about going to another platform when my 4S contract is up
 
kenypowa said:
Every time there is a defect in its products, Apple call it a feature.

#iLost with Apple Maps is a feature. It will improve over time.
Antenagate is a feature; you're holding it wrong.
Aluminum back is easily scratched, it's normal.

Apple would never apologize, just like Mitt Romney. ;)
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There is no reason to apologize when you take both sides of the issue.
 
daneoni said:
People blamed Apple for using Glass because it shattered too easily. Now they're blaming them for using Aluminium saying it scratches too easily. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
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Seems to me that Apple have selected at least twice and entirely inappropriate material/coating for a device intended to be handled continuously?

Notwithstanding that, for interest, my Motorola RAZR which is nearly 6 years old is made from "black' metal and has no noticeable marks or scuffs; so it is possible?
 
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