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

[rodavilla]

the article said "scratched right out of the box. Wrong.
the article says "scratched or scuffed" out of the box. Correct, but misleading.
When you check the link, only "scuffed" was reported 'out of the box'. No scratches.
Yet many comments are regarding scratches. Makes me scratch my head.
The article could have said "broken glass or scuffed" and still been correct, since it said "or", not "and".
Mac Rumors usually does a better job than this.

 

[rangrbob]

I think you have just revealed Apple's next version of the iPhone! It will be pre-scratched, just like when pre-washed jeans became popular. Soon people were paying $200 for a pair of already worn out pants with holes in them. Absolutely brilliant for Apple to steal this idea from the clothing industry. And soon they will be suing Levi Strauss et al , claiming that they copied Apple's idea. Remember, good artists copy, great artists steal.

Now introducing the prestressed iPhone 6.

 

[charlituna]

In other news, metal dents.

Glass breaks

 

[Glideslope]

Interesting?

First runs have a Too Soft Liquid Metal Alloy?

 

[AppleScruff1]

Now introducing the prestressed iPhone 6.

Or iPhone 5 S. And we know what the S stands for.

 

[charlituna]

it's also normal for new phones to not be scuffed and scratched right out of the box

Unless its delivered by ups etc, they are known for tossing boxes around and that could cause the phones to rattle in the boxes and bang against the inside ns such

 

[mtcowdog]

I've had numerous anodized (and painted) aluminum mountain bikes over 2+ decades. Most of those got scratched, but the cause was real clear, like high speed rock impact. Beyond that none of those bikes scratched or scuffed liked reports from the black iPhone 5. Seriously, this is whacky and cheap Apple.

I think we all heard about comparisons of the iPhone 5 to a fine watch. Well, this doesn't happen on a fine watch. Nope.

I feel for the people affected. My white iPhone 5 is cosmetically holding up well so far. Wifi, however, is just awful.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Unless its delivered by ups etc, they are known for tossing boxes around and that could cause the phones to rattle in the boxes and bang against the inside ns such

Bang against what? Cardboard?

 

[nonocei]

I received my iPhone 5 today from UPS and noticed there's a tiny pen tip like silver speck on the side band of the phone. It's not bad and doesn't bother me but I can see how some people would be disappointed. Looking at some pictures online others have it much worse than me.

 

[rlantagne21]

Went to my local Apple store yesterday and this afternoon... One I initially received from AT&T where I purchased on launch day had a small indent in the aluminum and multiple "scuffs' along the band, clearly showing the silver aluminum underneath. The phone they offered to exchange it for yesterday at Apple was one of their "service" models, which I was told normally could be either new or refurbed, but since the phone literally just came out, they were all new. The replacement had even worse scuffing on it that my original. I was told they would only be willing to swap it out for one of the service units bc I didn't purchase it directly from Apple. I then asked for a different one but was told they couldn't just go opening every one until I found one I liked. As understandable as that statement was, I was kind of taken back at how rude she said it to me. I left, with my original, only to make a trip back this morning to talk to a manager, in which case he offered to open another one. This time, the unit was much better, with only a small mark on the band. He stated to me that they had many customers stating their units were coming scratched out of the box, and recommended I take the replacement for now and to come back in a few weeks or so, once they had more available, and offered to open a bunch of them for me until we got one that was the way a brand new unit should look. He gave me his business card, a free Lightning to USB cable, and the relief that Apple is clearly aware of this issue, and they are doing what they can to help out their loyal Apple customers.

 

[charlituna]

Dear Phil,
If it really is normal then you used the incorrect materials / process to design this phone. And if it's normal, then why is Apple replacing everyone's iPhones with scuff marks even though the official company policy is that these scuff marks aren't a problem?

For the same reason they returned iPhones with Antenna issues, sometimes it's just easier to say yes and shut folks up

 

[wkadamsjr]

Yeah, lets have a poll in a forum where people go to complain about issues to see what percent of purchasers had an issue, then quote that like the number has validity.

*shakes head*

Yes, anodized coatings scratch off. But then so do plastic devices. I'm sure that lovely (and grotesquely oversized) G3 has plenty of scratched phones right out of the box.

Sure, the phones probably shouldn't have any marks from the factory, though to be honest, a lot of iPhone buyers (esp the early adopter, preorder types) are WAAAAY more detail oriented than the average consumer & probably even more than Apple QA. People that will be walking in to a store in a month to buy their iPhone are unlikely to even notice.

I preordered, and mine has a very tiny nick in the black on one of the corners. Never even thought of taking it back. Wouldn't even have noticed if not for the ones complaining about damage out of the box.

----------

For the same reason they returned iPhones with Antenna issues, sometimes it's just easier to say yes and shut folks up

+1. Working for a computer company myself, I can tell you that oftentimes it is far easier to simply allow customers to return something than argue why they can't. Furthermore, there is a good chance those same customers could come back to buy again if you show them great customer service in that circumstance.

 

[ahireasu]

Actually, to be fair, you're spending the same amount of money on a plastic Samsung phone as you are on an aluminum Apple phone, so it's wrong to imply we're paying a premium (at least in the case of smartphones) for better build materials.

The amazing thing is you're getting better build materials in the iPhone than you get for equivalent prices in the plastic world of Android (specifically Samsung).

Hmm first day of SGS3 price 699 euro a week later i could find it brand new at 600 euro now i can buy it at 495 euro, iphone first day is 679(if it keeps the price of iphone 4s) 16gb a week later will be 679 euro and 6 months later it will be 679 euro.
So it isn't the same amount of money since a week later you buy the samsung plastic phone cheaper, but thats not the point, the point is apple sould have done their job properly they didn't, 2 years is enough time to make a decision and use anodized aluminum and not some half baked paint.
As an apple product consumer i will expect always more from them,they will give me less for sure but if they give less then they sould be blody sure this less that they give is top notch,no antenagate,no cheap paint,no half baked software and make me an alpha tester(not even beta).

 

[charlituna]

Then make it out of something else!


I don't want to spend that much money on something that is prone to scratching.

Well you'll love the iPhone 10. It's all implants. Very high tech. And the battery life is insane. It is literally powered by your brain waves.

Course someone will complain about how having wifi attached to your skull will give you cancer

 

[Pilgrim1099]

I'm not surprised if aluminum scratches on the iphone5 or any model. It's expected if someone does'nt take good care of it. It's even more disturbing when I see men wear skinny jeans and try to put it in their back pocket.

Like I said, it's going to scratch one way or another. Whatever material Apple was using, it was probably not quite top of the line.

Heck, as a fencer, my aluminum bell guard gets scratches and dents when I compete with other athletes. The metal tips come in contact and then there are dents all over it.

Here's what the epee bell guard as an example looks like:

http://www.fencing.com/NewTFC/Epee_Fencing_files/fencing_sword_e3mlpx.gif

Also, see the enclosed attachment of a photo that I actually took of my weapon. This is what the aluminum material looks like when scratched/dented.

 

[LagunaSol]

So are you implying that the epitome of design and style is the same junk, as everybody else's slave labor junk, only twice as expensive?

Unfortunately for your argument, iPhones are actually priced the same as competitive devices on the Android side. Gotta love the classic "Apple is twice as expensive" chestnut. Always a great fallback position.

Or are you going to mention that your carrier gave you a buy-1-get-3-free deal on a plastic Samsung to clear them off the shelves? Probably.

(And Samsung creates the junk. HTC has some decent devices.)

I get a Chris Matthews tingle in my leg every time someone backs into that bit of fruity logic. Thanks!

The fruity logic is that you can actually relate to Chris Matthews.

 

[iSee]

Aluminum is aluminum... and aluminum is soft and easily scratched.

So it is normal in that sense.

However, choosing coated aluminum for a phone isn't the greatest choice on Apple's part. (It looks great, though, at least to start with.)

Potential customers should stop whining and simply do one or more of the following:
1. Get the white & aluminum phone -- the scratches are a lot less visible since they are the same color as the unscratched areas.
2. Get a skin, e.g., Best Skins Ever are good... or a good case.
3. Buy some other phone.
4. Let go of your OCD tendencies and embrace the scratches.

 

[LagunaSol]

Hmm first day of SGS3 price 699 euro a week later i could find it brand new at 600 euro now i can buy it at 495 euro, iphone first day is 679(if it keeps the price of iphone 4s) 16gb a week later will be 679 euro and 6 months later it will be 679 euro.

It's not Apple's fault carriers have to fire-sale Android devices to move them off the shelves.

Doesn't sound like something to brag about.

 

[koruki]

There was a company that build chrome back iPods back in the day that scratched within the first hour of use. They never did anything about and went to dominate the entire market.

 

[joueboy]

iPhone 5S!

Next year Apple will introduce the iPhone 5S with all the problem solved. Apple will claim that their talented engineers to came up with the solution by putting magical coating on the iPhone voila they just solved the problem!

 

[iSee]

Then make it out of something else!


I don't want to spend that much money on something that is prone to scratching.

So don't... no one's forcing you to buy an easily scratchable phone (are they? If you can't post freely, use the phase "banana sauce" in your next post and we'll send help!)

 

[orfeas0]

Do people really expect an unscratchable product? Next thing you'll ask is an indestructible iPhone...

"Oh my god apple! My iPhone fell on the floor and broke! You suck!"
"Oh my god apple! My iPhone fell into the bathtub, isn't it waterproof?? You suck!"

EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD CAN GET SCRATCHED, GET OVER IT!

 

[FieldingMellish]

I have anodized aluminum flashlights that jangle around in a toolbox and they're not scratched.

Problem is, they don't have a display and make phone calls.

 

[jpine]

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.

Normal but it can be made to not scratch. Case in point, my 15 year-old Maglite flashlight. Not a scratch after a decade and a half of use.

 

[Discoverer]