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Who isn't going to use a case? Hell who isn't going to buy a Mac without getting a shell for it?

Scratch, fingerprint, and dent city. I need to get some Novus Polish for my MacBook.

Macs are meant to be used. A scratch and a dent are but battlemarks.
 
Agreed

Might be time to get some higher quality chassis materials. It feels like the yellowing MacBooks all over again.

Yer taking a lot of crap for this comment because the cause of the discoloration is (for now) being blamed on 3rd party cases. However, you make a very good point.

It's a high end phone that should have a high end case. A plastic case that's been prone to scratching and cracking isn't what you'd expect on a premium phone. It'd be nice to see Apple come out with a design comparable to what the unibody has done for the MBP... i.e. (arguably) increased both the durability and appearance at the same time. They're prolly working on it... well hopefully.
 
Apple execs must be taking a deep breath now lol.

I bet that shut all the critics up.
I wish "all the critics" were so smart.

You can prove something is wrong beyond a reasonable doubt and there will always be some jagoff repeating it and repeating it 'til the end of time as if it was still true, because they heard it once.

And then there will still be idiots who blame the iPod's case materials for problems caused by ****** third-party cases. ahem
 
Yer taking a lot of crap for this comment because the cause of the discoloration is (for now) being blamed on 3rd party cases. However, you make a very good point.

It's a high end phone that should have a high end case. A plastic case that's been prone to scratching and cracking isn't what you'd expect on a premium phone. It'd be nice to see Apple come out with a design comparable to what the unibody has done for the MBP... i.e. (arguably) increased both the durability and appearance at the same time. They're prolly working on it... well hopefully.
I didn't really expect to take so much flak for it. There is a market for cases for the iPhone/iPod, etc. Many users are going to end up buying cases and there's a chance of experiencing this discoloration.

I'm not solely placing the blame on Apple either. We also have the wonderful made for iPod/iPhone logos too. There needs to be coordination over this. Much to the dismay of some users, people are going to put cases or other forms of protection on their products. I don't want to feel like I'm voiding my warranty to maintain the cosmetic appeal of my hardware.
 
Who isn't going to use a case? Hell who isn't going to buy a Mac without getting a shell for it?

Scratch, fingerprint, and dent city. I need to get some Novus Polish for my MacBook.

I don't routinely use a case for my iPhone. It stays in my pants pocket and has remained in perfect condition for a year now. Though I do have a clear contact for the screen. Otherwise I use a latex soft case when I take the iPhone on bike rides. Again, never damaged nor dropped.
 
IPHONE-3G-OB2600-LG.jpg
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ahh hahahahahaha
 
I was in two minds about getting a case for my iPhone, but decided not to bother as I too thought it seemed crazy to have such a nice looking device and keep it hidden away in a case - 6 months on and there is hardly a scratch on it - I think the materials they use seem to be getting far better.

I can understand why people might use one for, say, impact protection but its all solid state, so unless you drop it out of a 4th story window its probably going to be alright for the odd knock off the table. I guess each to there own preference.

As for the MBP never used a case/shell for that either.

I agree fully. How about this one? I left my 3GS on top of my car this weekend and drove off! It slid off my car onto the pavement at the intersection in front of my house, and I didn't realize it until later when a cab driver called my friend and told them he had found it.

This is a phone that hit the ground from the top of a car, going probably 20 mph, and had to slide across the pavement! It had ONE knick - on the corner where it first hit I'm sure. Otherwise, NOTHING. No sign that it had had ANY contact with asphalt other than the single corner.

People who use these bulky cases are hypochondriacs.
 
I'm glad to see that this was not a result of overheating and simply just the color of the case rubbing off onto the phone. However, as processors get faster and faster in the future and phones do not have cooling fans like computers, phones will only get hotter and hotter. Perhaps cases should be designed to allow the phone to cool off better. An example of what case designers might consider is attached.
 

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Ok. So we can use alcohol. But what do we use to apply/wipe it with? Lint-free cloth, tissue, etc..?

I wonder if you can use those alcohol wipes, you know the wipes you get at the doctor's office right before the shot or IV? You can buy a box of alcohol wipes at your local pharmacy.

That is if it will work. :cool:

Of course , you'll have some 'splaining to do if pulled over by the cops and they see a box of alcohol wipes. :eek: Just tell them you're an iPhone junkie! :D
 
Further confirmation

I can confirm that the marks are indeed coming from cases. I have a white iPhone 3GS with a full body invisible shield installed. I also use a blue iSkin Solo case for some added protection. My phone is inside the case when I'm out of the house. Anyway, after using my phone heavily one day, I took the case off and noticed a blue discoloring on the back of my phone in the same shape as the one in the article's picture! I was very upset. However, I took the invisible shield off and found out that the marks were not on my phone. I never had this problem with my 3G so I am guessing the color bleeding must have something to do with how hot the 3GS gets?

Hope this helps!
 
I haven't read this whole thread, but if it's the covers causing this discolorization, why didn't we experience this with the white 3G's?

iphone 3g does not run as hot as 3gs. physical and chemical processes are function of temperature.
 
I always felt bad when my wine spilled on the table with my iPhone -- but maybe that's just what my new one needs now!
 
I agree fully. How about this one? I left my 3GS on top of my car this weekend and drove off! It slid off my car onto the pavement at the intersection in front of my house, and I didn't realize it until later when a cab driver called my friend and told them he had found it.

This is a phone that hit the ground from the top of a car, going probably 20 mph, and had to slide across the pavement! It had ONE knick - on the corner where it first hit I'm sure. Otherwise, NOTHING. No sign that it had had ANY contact with asphalt other than the single corner.

People who use these bulky cases are hypochondriacs.
I like having more of a grip on my phone thanks to the case. Also it's bright red so I don't risk leaving it on top of my car.
 
I agree fully. How about this one? I left my 3GS on top of my car this weekend and drove off! It slid off my car onto the pavement at the intersection in front of my house, and I didn't realize it until later when a cab driver called my friend and told them he had found it.

This is a phone that hit the ground from the top of a car, going probably 20 mph, and had to slide across the pavement! It had ONE knick - on the corner where it first hit I'm sure. Otherwise, NOTHING. No sign that it had had ANY contact with asphalt other than the single corner.

People who use these bulky cases are hypochondriacs.

That's a helluva story there...
 
Who isn't going to use a case? Hell who isn't going to buy a Mac without getting a shell for it?

Scratch, fingerprint, and dent city. I need to get some Novus Polish for my MacBook.

Heat transfer resistance coatings for the third party cases need to be improved, not the other way around.
 
Sorry but, it's from overheating. My friend is going bareback with his 16GB 3GS and the thing is turing brownish orange under the Apple logo (to the left). He's never had it in a case once. It just has an invisibleSHIELD on the front.

Two questions:
* Where does he carry it?
* What else does he have in that pocket?

Third question: How much does he sweat?
 
I just don't get why people feel the need to cover phones etc with crappy covers that take away from the overall design of the device.

Get over it - it's just a bloody phone that is totally scratch proof on the front (unless you seriously set out to deface it) and whilst the back does get scratched, so what ????

Mine has survived multiple drops including onto concrete - it's one of the best built phones around.

Sorry for the rant but phone covers and holders are just so 90's !

it's sort of the same as after buying a new car. the more effort you put into trying not to scratch or dent it, the chances of scratches or dents showing up on the new car increase - the scratches and dents are inevitable. my 3GS has a scratch. i got over it with a whatever.

if it gets bad, i'll get myself some hello kitty stickers to cover-up :)
 
I like having more of a grip on my phone thanks to the case. Also it's bright red so I don't risk leaving it on top of my car.

Yeah that was it - I looked at my car and the phone blended in so well that I didn't see it!

I also can't imagine how anyone would have trouble gripping the iPhone as it is, but whatever. It's not slippery....
 
However, as processors get faster and faster in the future and phones do not have cooling fans like computers, phones will only get hotter and hotter. Perhaps cases should be designed to allow the phone to cool off better. An example of what case designers might consider is attached.

You aren't accounting for improved power sources and shrinking die sizes. The chips become faster and smaller with lower wattage consumption which reduces heat. TDP will get lower and lower.
 
After about two weeks it hasn't gotten a scratch. I keep it in my pants pocket and have dropped it a couple times. But so far it looks as good as the day I bought it.

It'll start picking up the oils from your skin as you use it. Any matte case that's any color but white will almost always do this.
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16)

I wish all these threads about cases would stop. Some people like to to put cases on their phones to make them different and some don't. Not everyone likes white or black so they will get a yellow, red or orange case. Some get them for protection and some just like it naked. It's a preferance and people shouldn't rag on people for using a case if they want to. And for the people that are saying that they have never used a case and have dropped their phones on concrete without it taking damage is BS. I used to be a Mac Genius and I saw plenty of phones with dents and nicks on corners from drops. Sometimes I use a case and sometimes I don't. The times that I dropped my phone I was lucky to have a case on at the time because it scratched up the incase slider instead of my phone. I'm not OCD like most people on here and could care less about a few scratches on the chrome or the back. As long as it still works then that's all that matters. You think people with blackberrys and other devices complain or debate which case the should get? I don't think so. It's just a $200 phone that will keep coming out every year anyways so please stop with this case crap. Try spending time using all the great features and apps on the phone instead of worrying about this mess.
 
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