What does the need for a third party case tell us?

[njchris]

Just about all phones have cases you can get for them....

Are you seriously questioning JUST the iPhone regarding this? Electronics can break. Some people want a case for peace of mind.

Does this really bother you or are you just instigating?

My car has bumpers... what does that tell you?

Some sports have protective equipment on the players.. what does that tell you?

Packages have protection in them.. what does that tell you?

seriously....

 

[jmgregory1]

And we don't need to wear clothes either - but it's a choice we make. Cases give people the chance to personalize a commodity item in the same way we buy different shirts, pants, shoes, etc.

The OP's question was most likely made to elicit a certain response. Perhaps we should tell Apple to make their iPhones unbreakable/scratchable/waterproof using some as yet undeveloped material sourced from shot-down alien spaceships.

Or better yet, forget a physical phone and make the chip implantable in our brains so that we hear and see things that aren't really there - it would be "Real 3-D" and tactile with wireless sound...

But then we'd be reading posts about "what does it tell us about the clothes we wear?"

 

[whiskeyvol]

my need for a 3rd party case tells me i like to protect my investments

 

[ijohnbro]

If I drop my iPhone 4S and it breaks, I will consider it my fault for dropping it, not the phone's fault for not being a tank

But that's just me

Same with auto insurance. Don't need it and if the car gets wreaked consider it my fault. It's not the cars fault for not being a tank. I don't blame ya I wouldn't get a case for my phone either. I don't know why they put bumpers and airbags in cars??? Kind of silly

Sounds like the bottom line is, if something happens to the phone it's all your fault, to many " my faults" in their and not the phones fault. I'd say just put a case on the phone that way you don't have to be accountable and feel bad if something happens and the phone always wins and gets off Scott Free LOL. Like a condom wrap it up. Be safe cause if you don't wear one you're the Arsehole

 

[M87]

I used my iPhone 4 for 16 months and never even bought a case for it. The only sign of use was a very small amount of light scratching on the bottom and top area of the metal band, extremely minor. The glass still looked perfect. I didn't baby it at all either and even dropped it onto concrete once as well as several times around the house. The fragility of these devices is extremely overstated.

 

[whiskeyvol]

The fragility of these devices is extremely overstated.

also see: battery-gate, antenna-gate, et al

 

[Apple OC]

Wouldn't the number of broken phones you hear about indicate that yours is not the typical situation?

the stories of people breaking their phones are not the majority ... most people do not break their phones

 

[ericg301]

There is no need for a case.

I don't use one.

My phone is fine.

I haven't dropped a phone in the 10 years I've been using them.

Just look after your stuff.

Sadly I wish it were that simple. I baby the hell out my stuff, but that doesn't stop it from occasionally slipping out of hand or pocket on accident. I'm sure there's a brain surgeon or two that have accidentally dropped their phones.

 

[Manzanas]

You can enjoy the beauty of the iphone naked if you want. But I think the naked iphone is for the business person who stays clean and doesn't really encounter environmental hazards.

The iphone cases are for the man that works in a auto repair shop (where filth is everywhere), and also for the fireman that may bang it everywhere when he responds to a call, and the police officer who may damage it during a fight.......

In the end, it depends on how much danger your lifestyle will put the phone in.

 

[jollyreaper]

What's with the assumption I'm trolling? This is just a question I had.

My last smart phone was through work. I used two el chepo phones since then, the last was a family surplus Nokia flip phone. Light and durable, could take plenty of drops. Wasnt a smart phone, though. Barely net capable.

Like I said, getting the iPhone is a treat for myself. I'm aware of the trade offs. I'm going to be careful. I'm getting the case because I don't trust the base model.

In my annedotal experience, I've seen more dead iPhone-like smart phones than the more durable, cheaper phones.

Not everyone needs a 4x4 but it's nice to know you can buy one if you need it, when a subcompact won't do. It'd be nice if apple could just build a rugged iPhone instead of us having to jerry-rig it with cases.

 

[thelatinist]

It tells me some people can't take care of their phones.

 

[MacDawg]

I am not against having a case or protecting the investment with one
Especially if one is accident prone or has a history of dropping devices

But I hardly think the iPhone is flawed and has to be placed in one
Yes, accidents do happen and things do get damaged
But I don't think the iPhone needs to be constructed for worse case scenarios

Build the iPhone the way the OP wants it, and I doubt it sells the millions the 4S has sold

 

[ericg301]

plus i like cases to change the character of my phone. getting a new case is ALMOST like getting a new phone, if it changes the color, style and feel.

 

[fallenfeenux]

if you want rugged you could make it rugged, and if you dont then don't use a case, why limit yourself to either or? if a rugged iphone = iphone with a case then id rather get the latter.
resale value would also go up if the phone looks like new.

 

[wordoflife]

You don't even need a case. People just buy them because they are anal about their phone getting a hairline scratch from wear and tear.

 

[jollyreaper]

if you want rugged you could make it rugged, and if you dont then don't use a case, why limit yourself to either or? if a rugged iphone = iphone with a case then id rather get the latter.
resale value would also go up if the phone looks like new.

So you're saying that a purpose-built ruggedized iphone would appear no different from an iphone with a case? I think not. It would certainly be bigger than the current model but smaller than the cased version by virtue of not having a duplicate eggshell beneath the hard case.

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You don't even need a case. People just buy them because they are anal about their phone getting a hairline scratch from wear and tear.

So why are they using a scratchable exterior in the first place?

 

[deeddawg]

What's with the assumption I'm trolling? This is just a question I had.

The condescending / inflammatory choice of words in the first two paragraphs of your initial post in this thread are the main thing, especially coupled with the thread title.. Take a step back and reread what you wrote.

 

[rkahl]

Dumbest thread of the day.

 

[Jagardn]

Did you use Siri to post this?

Are you using an Android phone to post this?

 

[nastebu]

What's with the assumption I'm trolling? This is just a question I had.

The condescending / inflammatory choice of words in the first two paragraphs of your initial post in this thread are the main thing, especially coupled with the thread title.. Take a step back and reread what you wrote.

Not to mention the deep pointlessness of your post. What are you asking anyway? As far as I can tell, your point can basically be summarized as, "Apple's product is wrong. My idea is better. Isn't Apple stupid for not releasing *my* version of the iPhone?"

 

[jollyreaper]

Are you using an Android phone to post this?

Nope. Iphone 4s. I think Siri's pretty damn cool. All the revolutionary changes start out as useless gadgets that nobody could possibly take seriously. Voice recognition has been a pointless exercise in frustration for years. Siri's finally hit that transitional point where it's becoming marginally useful/marginally awesome. This is the first time voice recognition has seemed less like a gimmick and more like a tool. At the same time, it's not quite up to the point of taking serious dictation. Setting alarms, sending really brief text messages, asking for the weather, setting appointments, awesome. But it falls down for longer stuff. But it's [holds fingers apart] this freakin' close. And since the brains are off in the cloud, we'll see the improvements without needing to buy a new phone or even wait for an OS update.

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Not to mention the deep pointlessness of your post. What are you asking anyway? As far as I can tell, your point can basically be summarized as, "Apple's product is wrong. My idea is better. Isn't Apple stupid for not releasing *my* version of the iPhone?"

And the reaction here seems to be the dogma of apple infallibility. It's technology, not a religion. We're allowed to question doctrine.

 

[dweezle3]

So why are they using a scratchable exterior in the first place?

So you're proposing Apple make it out of something unscratchable, like diamond? Wonderful idea, very cost effective. Next we'll have them gold plate the antenna for better reception

 

[fallenfeenux]

cases varies in size from 1 mm and up. and if you want to drop it off the roof then here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGe76JmyrhE
i can't imagine it being a lot bigger than the blackberry 7250

 

[wordoflife]

So why are they using a scratchable exterior in the first place?

Did you seriously just ask me that? that's like asking me why do they use rubber on tires that wear down.

Umm.

 

[cababah]

Also, a heavily fortified case will limit the amount of heat the battery can dissipate during heavy operations (games, charging, etc). It would be a pain to keep taking this thing out of the case when CPU tasks get intensive.