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

106-gal-sharpie_300.jpg


next you'll see apple sending these out, much like the antennagate.
 
soco said:
No, not fail. If that car is parked in that garage up against a rake, broom, bin of old clothes, and maybe my kid's skateboard stored on a shelf falls on it too, I completely expect marks and dings.

Just as I would if I stored my phone in my pocket with keys, loose change, paperclips, and a picture of Alan Alda.
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So your car had all of the above after one week? Alda I wouldn't mind since MASH is my all-time favorite show, but I just bought a car 1.5 months ago and it has gotten no damage yet that can't be detailed away (water spots). I doubt the phone can receive such massaging to bring its youthful good looks back. That said, I'm a case guy. This thing is being treated like a Faberge egg until Incase ships. :) Yet it shouldn't *have* to be.
 
Scratching plastic screens is normal too

Which is why jobs insisted on Gorilla Glass. He expected this screen wouldn't not scratch with normal use of putting it in his pocket with his keys.


This is ********.
 
WannaGoMac said:
Never ever buy a 1.0 release of an apple product (or any other manufacturer for that matter).
This is why I like my iPhone upgrade cycle -- 3GS, 4s -- or what I call, the bug fix releases. All you fans going for the "big update" versions, thanks so much for helping apple make my "tock" cycle iphones rock solid and bug free :)
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This has nothing to do with the topic. Your 4s "bug-fix" release has the same glass backing as the 4. Your 3GS "bug-fix" release had the same plastic backing as the 3G. The iPhone 5 is a return to the aluminum backing found in the original iPhone.

While the various materials used to construct the shell of any manufacturer's phones will vary with how easily it scratches, ALL materials used by EVERY manufacturer will scratch profusely if you throw it into a purse or pocket with other items.

If you can't handle normal wear and tear that EVERY single smartphone is susceptible to, buy a case already. That's it. No retreating to magical fairy land where you can put phones in pockets with other items and they don't scratch. That place doesn't exist.
 
if its "normal" then apple should have used a different material duh

isnt apple supposed to be all about "quality"

ecib said:
This has nothing to do with the topic. Your 4s "bug-fix" release has the same glass backing as the 4.
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to be fair, the iPhone 4 had to worst home button ever that broke on literally every iPhone 4 i came across. that "bug" indeed got fixed on the iPhone 4S
 
Titanium81 said:
Why didn't Apple use the plain uncoated Aluminium that they use for all their laptops? Seems like that would be less scratch prone and would look very classy. :D
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That's clear anodized like the back of the white iPhone 5 and the original iPhone and the iPads. You cannot use bare aluminum. It starts to oxidize right away and is much softer than anodized aluminum.
 
cRuNcHiE said:
They probably did it on purpose to reduce the re-sale of used phones.

If the phone looks scuffed/scratched then people are more likely going to go for a brand new phone and line apples pockets, rather than buy used where apple doesn't get anything.
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You know, I hadn't thought of this before but it makes perfect sense and sounds like something Tim Cook would do.

Unfortunately I think the brand takes a big hit on this one...and not just amongst the relatively small macrumors community, but I have had non-geek friends who know squat about technology ask me about these problems Apple is having with the iPhone 5, so the problems are 'out there". It was even one of the top stories a couple of times last week on local tv news.

This won't be the downfall of Apple by any stretch, but we may be witnessing the beginning of a long term slow descent of this brand under current leadership.
 
iAppl3Fan said:
Phil must be trying the reality distortion field.
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There is no RDF here. The emailer asked Phil about the aluminum scratching. Which he responded with a very accurate answer that aluminum scratches. The emailer didn't say it was scratched, nicked, etc out of the box(which I think he intended to do). Given the email, Phil was assuming the user scratched the iPhone through normal use.
 
If I scratch my iPhone, it scratches. Is this normal? I'm also a bit disappointed that the display doesn't seem to be hammer-proof. Am I holding it wrong?
 
I plan on buying AppleCare+ just for this reason. However, I wish they would of put a thick clear coat or something on the back. Whats the point of having a beautiful phone if you have to cover it up with ugly cases all the time to protect it?
 
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SeniorGato1 said:
Is the white iPhone any better?
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It seems to be much better. The reason the black ones shows it more is because it appears as though the surface on the back and sides is effectively painted on, or is at least only on the top layer of metal. The white one is effectively the 'naked' aluminium, so cant have its paint scratched off as there isnt any.
 
Okay Phil, then tell me why are some people receiving iPhone 5's scratched right out of the box?
 
I've kept my iPhone 4 in my left pocket along with my keys for 2 years with no case, and it still looks literally like the day I got it. The simple trick I use should work just as well with the iPhone 5. I just keep it in an old microfiber sunglass bag I had laying around. You can get them very cheap if you don't already have one.

http://www.amazon.com/Microfiber-Cl...&qid=1348586384&sr=8-2&keywords=sunglass+bags

The anodized aluminum does look nice, but I'm somewhat wishing they'd stayed with stainless steel. It would be more durable, and I like the weighted feel of the 4/4S.
 
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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?

I'm a HUGE Apple fan and have had / currently have a lot of their products, however; this arrogant attitude that "nothing is wrong" and in the past "if something IS wrong - it's due to your actions" is why a lot of people still hate on Apple.
 
tekno said:
Seems an odd choice of material for a portable gadget that is going to be kept in bags/pockets.

My four year old car has been used as the manufacturer expects and I can safely say none of the paint has scratched or chipped off.
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Ur telling me your cars paint has no rock chips and is perfect?

Maybe the iPhone isnt for you....look into the samsung s3 or nokia lumia

Are android fans this obsessed and ocd?
 
Hey, you could go get a Samsung Galaxy S III, where the plastic casing cracks entirely:

galaxy-s3-metal-case-crack-1.jpg


Of course, you won't hear about that issue on the evening news. Unlike Apple's "Scratchgate," which is sure to become a talking point on all the major networks in the near future.

Oh, and with Samsung you also get nice corner seams that are there "by design."

1190d1342727499-samsung-galaxy-s-iii-may-experiencing-some-build-quality-issues-casing-img_0532.jpg


Enjoy! ;)
 
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