iPhone 4 survives 13,500-foot fall from skydiver's pocket
After slipping out of a skydiver's pocket, one of Apple's iPhone 4 units survived a 13,500-foot drop and can still make and receive calls.
Jarrod McKinney said he was in such a rush to "get out the door" of the plane on a recent skydiving trip that he forgot to secure his iPhone 4, CNN reports. "I just knew it was gone. Falling from that height? (What are) the chances of you finding something like that or even knowing where to look?" he said.
But, after touching down, McKinney used a "GPS tracking app" to locate the device, which had landed on the roof of a building roughly a half-mile away.
Skydiving instructor Joe Johnson called the phone as a joke and was surprised when the call actually went through. The device, which had been cracked once before after a tumble off a bathroom shelf, is still able to make and receive calls, despite the fact that its front and back glass surfaces had shattered. The handset had been protected by a Incipio-branded case that was broken on impact.
McKinney plans to fix the screen, but, for now, uses the BlueTooth connection in his truck to make calls.
Jarrod McKinney's iPhone 4 survived a 13,500-foot fall
Johnson was impressed by the iPhone's durability and said he plans to purchase one for himself. "It goes to show you if I crash land and need an ambulance, they can still track me down with the GPS," he said.
When contacted for the report, Consumer Reports editor Mike Gikas quipped that McKinney had found a way to resolve the phone's reception problems, which caused a firestorm of controversy last year. Dropping the smartphone from a plane is "the proved method for fixing the antenna problem," Gikas joked.
Last year, the consumer-focused publication ranked the iPhone 4 the best smartphone available, but it rescinded its recommendation after in-house testing showed the device was susceptible to signal-loss when gripped a certain way.
Jarrod McKinney said he was in such a rush to "get out the door" of the plane on a recent skydiving trip that he forgot to secure his iPhone 4, CNN reports. "I just knew it was gone. Falling from that height? (What are) the chances of you finding something like that or even knowing where to look?" he said.
But, after touching down, McKinney used a "GPS tracking app" to locate the device, which had landed on the roof of a building roughly a half-mile away.
Skydiving instructor Joe Johnson called the phone as a joke and was surprised when the call actually went through. The device, which had been cracked once before after a tumble off a bathroom shelf, is still able to make and receive calls, despite the fact that its front and back glass surfaces had shattered. The handset had been protected by a Incipio-branded case that was broken on impact.
McKinney plans to fix the screen, but, for now, uses the BlueTooth connection in his truck to make calls.
Jarrod McKinney's iPhone 4 survived a 13,500-foot fall
Johnson was impressed by the iPhone's durability and said he plans to purchase one for himself. "It goes to show you if I crash land and need an ambulance, they can still track me down with the GPS," he said.
When contacted for the report, Consumer Reports editor Mike Gikas quipped that McKinney had found a way to resolve the phone's reception problems, which caused a firestorm of controversy last year. Dropping the smartphone from a plane is "the proved method for fixing the antenna problem," Gikas joked.
Last year, the consumer-focused publication ranked the iPhone 4 the best smartphone available, but it rescinded its recommendation after in-house testing showed the device was susceptible to signal-loss when gripped a certain way.
Comments
wow.... how was that not completely destroyed?
People have survived over twice that, without a chute
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulović
Anyone want to fund me to develop a protective case that can use the iPhone accelerometer to detect a fall event and deploy a miniature parachute?
Looking at that picture, "survived" is a heck of an overstatement.
If I fell 13,500 feet and came out of it with a shattered face and perhaps a few broken bones, I still survived.
I'd probably call it a loss at that point, maybe he's not aware of the cost of parts. Yes, it still functions, but replacing the front display and the back glass is nearly $400 in parts. The frame is probably not straight anymore. The rear camera is probably junk. The main board and battery might have problems that won't manifest themselves right away. Somewhere, the tally of parts and labor easily exceeds the cost of a new unit.
lol DUDE.. 13,500 FT Free Fall... crashed into a HOUSE.. Still made phone calls! I mean come on lol.. do you have to be SO much of a nerd about it.. The article is on point, no matter which way you look at it, that's bloody impressive.
I also like how the consumer reports guy still after this long tries to make an attention grab with the whole antenna thing.. like get over it lol.
This is yet another testament to how well Apple products are made. I mean come on, 13,500 foot drop? This makes me proud to be a Mac user and Apple supporter! Way to go Mr. Jobs!
I had a Palm Pilot which i kept in a padded case, i set it on a night stand next to the bed, and knocked it off by accident. It dropped about 21 inches onto plush carpeting. It never turned on again.
I'd probably call it a loss at that point, maybe he's not aware of the cost of parts. Yes, it still functions, but replacing the front display and the back glass is nearly $400 in parts. The frame is probably not straight anymore. The rear camera is probably junk. The main board and battery might have problems that won't manifest themselves right away. Somewhere, the tally of parts and labor easily exceeds the cost of a new unit.
Maybe, maybe not. The actual cost to replace the front and back glass is $154, not $400:
http://www.iresq.com//iphone-repair/iphone-4.html
Granted, they might find other damage, but if it's only the broken glass, it might be worth the repair cost.
However, if it were me, I'd go into the Apple store and use the $199 replacement program. Only $45 more than replacing the glass and you get a fully refurbished phone.
there's an app for that
Just another example of the problem that plagues iPhones, dropped calls.
Hahahaahahha
I bet everyone's very happy it didn't land on someone. I bet from that height an iPhone falling on your head can kill you!
Either way, it's fun to see how durable the innards are, even if the glass front and back had to sacrafice themselves to absorb the impact. Good times!
I wonder what would be on that person's gravestone had they been hit...
What is also interesting having had a smashed glass scenario is that the touchscreen keeps on going, though you are at constant risk of getting a shard stuck in your thumb.
It is impressive.
As to the naysayers above. People may have survived twice the fall but not onto a roof, that would be way tedious. As for repair cost, like others said, walk in and pay the swap fee. My glass cost less than half that to replace.