This is totally false, or at best the existence of the "reports" is true, even though they have no basis in fact.
I think you should back this nonsense up or remove it from the article. We aren't Republican's here. You can't just repeat lies over and over until they are believed.
Other than a few nutbars with videos on YouTube of dubious authenticity, there are no "widespread reports" of problems with the iPhone screen scratching. The only serious attempts at testing the durability of the screen that I've seen show people scratching really hard across the surface with sets of keys without leaving a scratch. In fact, it's very very difficult to scratch an iPhone screen. It's tougher than any of the silly plastic coverings for sale that supposedly "protect it."
I wouldn't mind betting that Apple removed them because they don't want to get involved in a fraud lawsuit for selling products that actually don't do anything close to what they are advertised as doing. It's borderline fraud to be selling a plastic screen "protector" for a hardened, tempered glass screen.
You may want a full-fledged case for your iPhone and the chrome ring and the plastic back will certainly get scuffed, but the *last* thing you need protection for is the tough glass screen.
Honestly, removing screen protectors from apple stores is a boneheaded move. Sorry, i have several iphones in my household. it is very worth having. so are screen protectors for ipad probably.
anyway, there are issues that iphone screens CAN be scratched, no matter the surface advances they have done. i prefer the scratches to be on a film than the real screen. so i use them
probably because outside of sites such as this nobody really cares that much. Customers will ask after screen protectors, be told that apple doesn't stock them, customers will say "huh" and swing by best buy or order something online.
I doubt anyone is going to pitch a fit or demand an explanation.
This may be because when people buy these they made the employees put them on. If the employee messes up who's responsible? Instead of having to say "no we can't put them on for you" they can now say "no we don't stock them because they really aren't necessary, but if you really want them you can buy them online." Plus it takes time to do and isn't an apple product to begin with.
IMO, this ban is due to iPod/iPhone replacements/repairs done by Apple under warranty.
You put that film on there and then need a repair done where Apple ends up replacing the device, then you have a consumer trying to get Apple to replace his/her protective film as well.
So take it out of the stores which somewhat reduces the "but I got it at the Apple store" argument.
I could not live without the screen coating. The screen is very durable but....all it takes is accidentally putting your iPhone in the same pocket as your keys and then rubbing them together and your screen is scratched - forever.
I'm going to plug my solution:
9 bucks (11 with shipping) - looks classy as hell - haven't had a single scratch on 2 iphones while using it in 3 years.
iLounge often seems to have an anti-Apple, pro-accessory bias, possibly connected to their advertising revenue. I say “seems” because I’m not ready to pass definite judgement on that.
But leave it to iLounge to use the inflammatory word “ban” for a store simply deciding what to sell! I guess 99% of all Mac products are “banned by Apple” because they’re not found in Apple’s retail stores
In any case, these screen protectors are not good products in my view—not for glass screens. The odds of them helping your screen look better rather than worse are low. I’ve never heard of anyone scratching a glass iPhone screen. Plastic screens—sure. But glass is the future.
So... Apple decides not to sell that particular kind of product. Is that some kind of big deal?
It is indeed, but when you buy a iPhone 3GS and a week later it gets a considerable size scratch in the side of the screen by keeping in same pocket as coins, you wonder who is talking nonsense here ...
I think I know who's talking nonsense, and it's you.
I just don't believe that a coin, which is both round and made of soft metal, is going to scratch an iPhone's screen. No one else reports this that I've ever heard (except you), and none of the "iPhone stress tests" you can find around the net report anything close to this.
It was done for a professional tech website and the guy goes a hundred times further than just "putting it in a pocket that contains coins" (the point at which you claim damage), before even the slightest damage occurs. I mean this guy is really, really trying to screw up the iPhone and still he has a hard time.
I think the Apple store employee was just giving you a PR line, because he/she couldn't exactly tell you to your face that you are probably just lying about the damage.
I'm on my 5th iPhone and I also have two iPod touches. Not a single scratch on any of them. Although my daughter did drop one of my old iPhones into a bowl of dogwater rendering the touch screen, not so touchy.
Then my 3G[S] is an odd one with no oleophobicy as standard and now 4 scratches.
Oh, yes, I mistreat it by putting it in my pocket that has nothing else in. I think I have put it in with my keys about three or four times. Front trouser pocket. Don't do it, I know, but to talk as if it is some mega hard glass? No, it is not. Take care of it.
A friend of mine gave me one of their neoprene sleeves for my macbook pro for a gift and it is the best. Awesome construction and materials. Thanks for the link.
Transcript of above youtube ending left on the editing room floor:
"Next time, we'll use the same items to test whether or not all the negative hype about infants having a soft spot on the top of their head is really true. By the way, thanks to all the viewers who sent get well cards to my brother after we tested to see if a sledge hammer to the nads hurts as much as people say it does. I'll be back after my cornea replacement surgery to give you the results of the 'Is my eyeball as tough as my ipod' test video."
No, this is just about one product. Well, one type of product, but still.
Quote:
As I said, it's the impression that the Apple Store is a one-stop shop for everything you need.
And my point was that if this is true ? I've never heard the idea expressed before, but I'll go with you for purposes of conversation ? it'll still be true once these items aren't for sale in the stores any more.
Quote:
I think Apple is underestimating people's desire for this particular product, and they will end up undermining the overall impression of the Apple Store because of it.
Seeing as how Apple knows precisely how many of these they've sold in their stores, I'd say you're probably wrong about Apple's estimates. Whether the demand is high or low, Apple certainly knows what it is to a high degree of precision.
Quote:
Okay, it's a scratchable polymer coating bonded on top of the unscratchable glass surface.
It's the "scratchable" part that you're wrong about. Let me reiterate what I said before: This "coating," for lack of a better word, is thinner than a blood cell. Not a little bit thinner either; it's much thinner than a blood cell. You can't see it. You can't feel it. If you see a scratch on your iPhone's screen, that's a scratch in the glass, not in the submicroscopically invisible chemical layer on top of the glass.
Quote:
I appreciate the detail with which you explained the process, btw
Hey, no prob. I googled it up 'cause I was curious, found it interesting, and subsequently ran into an excuse to share.
having 3 iphones in our house, there is not a scratch on any of them. I suspect this ban is becuase of the severe performance degradation of the touch screen those these films. They are far less respsonsive than those without.
Bull$#!7
I have worked with a dozen iPod touches over the years and there is little difference between the performance of the touch screen with/without a 'protective' film. If anything the film makes them a little more consistent in their response.
Finger marks are also less noticeable on film than bare glass screens.
Keys aren't hard enough to scratch glass but plenty of common minerals are. Dropping your iPhone on the sidewalk is almost certain to scratch it.
I also wonder how durable the oleo-phobic coatings are. They can't possibly be as hard as glass and cannot be quickly and inexpensively replaced like a plastic film can.
More and more, Apple seems to be ignoring what people want in favor of what Steve Jobs is convinced they should want--Flash on the iPhone/Touch/iPad, user-replaceable batteries, support for more audio and video codecs. And now this.
Your attempt at posting a snarky comment would have been stronger if you had used the plural instead of possessive. But good effort. Everyone loves lame political digs on a technology website.
As for the substance of the article, in my experience, the screens scratch very easily without a protective covering.
Your attempt at posting a substantive rebuttal would have been stronger if you had provided any actual evidence. But good effort. Everyone loves lame grammar critiques on a technology website.
As for the substance of your assertion, there are numerous objective tests that prove that iPhone screens don't scratch very easily and don't need a protective covering.
More and more, Apple seems to be ignoring what people want in favor of what Steve Jobs is convinced they should want--Flash on the iPhone/Touch/iPad, user-replaceable batteries, support for more audio and video codecs. And now this.
I have to say, using "doesn't sell screen protectors in their stores" to bolster a contrived list of terrible controlling behavior by Apple makes me laugh.
What next? "Won't accept Diner's Club cards for purchases?" It's practically like Soviet Russia!
More and more, Apple seems to be ignoring what people want in favor of what Steve Jobs is convinced they should want--Flash on the iPhone/Touch/iPad, user-replaceable batteries, support for more audio and video codecs. And now this.
Saying "what people want" is a pretty broad stroke.
According to the recent sales numbers, people want Macs and iPods and not having these "features" doesn't seem to be dissuading them.
Ask Google how all these things are helping the Nexus One's sales.
Comments
This is totally false, or at best the existence of the "reports" is true, even though they have no basis in fact.
I think you should back this nonsense up or remove it from the article. We aren't Republican's here. You can't just repeat lies over and over until they are believed.
Other than a few nutbars with videos on YouTube of dubious authenticity, there are no "widespread reports" of problems with the iPhone screen scratching. The only serious attempts at testing the durability of the screen that I've seen show people scratching really hard across the surface with sets of keys without leaving a scratch. In fact, it's very very difficult to scratch an iPhone screen. It's tougher than any of the silly plastic coverings for sale that supposedly "protect it."
I wouldn't mind betting that Apple removed them because they don't want to get involved in a fraud lawsuit for selling products that actually don't do anything close to what they are advertised as doing. It's borderline fraud to be selling a plastic screen "protector" for a hardened, tempered glass screen.
You may want a full-fledged case for your iPhone and the chrome ring and the plastic back will certainly get scuffed, but the *last* thing you need protection for is the tough glass screen.
Honestly, removing screen protectors from apple stores is a boneheaded move. Sorry, i have several iphones in my household. it is very worth having. so are screen protectors for ipad probably.
anyway, there are issues that iphone screens CAN be scratched, no matter the surface advances they have done. i prefer the scratches to be on a film than the real screen. so i use them
probably because outside of sites such as this nobody really cares that much. Customers will ask after screen protectors, be told that apple doesn't stock them, customers will say "huh" and swing by best buy or order something online.
I doubt anyone is going to pitch a fit or demand an explanation.
qft..
. . . The move, which goes into affect in May. . .
Time to go back to school. It should be "effect", not "affect."
You put that film on there and then need a repair done where Apple ends up replacing the device, then you have a consumer trying to get Apple to replace his/her protective film as well.
So take it out of the stores which somewhat reduces the "but I got it at the Apple store" argument.
I could not live without the screen coating. The screen is very durable but....all it takes is accidentally putting your iPhone in the same pocket as your keys and then rubbing them together and your screen is scratched - forever.
I'm going to plug my solution:
9 bucks (11 with shipping) - looks classy as hell - haven't had a single scratch on 2 iphones while using it in 3 years.
http://www.sfbags.com/products/iphon...uedejacket.htm
Made in the US, and their customer service rocks. I'm getting one for the iPad too.
(this is for scratch protection - won't help if you run it over or drop it from a high building)
But leave it to iLounge to use the inflammatory word “ban” for a store simply deciding what to sell! I guess 99% of all Mac products are “banned by Apple” because they’re not found in Apple’s retail stores
In any case, these screen protectors are not good products in my view—not for glass screens. The odds of them helping your screen look better rather than worse are low. I’ve never heard of anyone scratching a glass iPhone screen. Plastic screens—sure. But glass is the future.
So... Apple decides not to sell that particular kind of product. Is that some kind of big deal?
It is indeed, but when you buy a iPhone 3GS and a week later it gets a considerable size scratch in the side of the screen by keeping in same pocket as coins, you wonder who is talking nonsense here
I think I know who's talking nonsense, and it's you.
I just don't believe that a coin, which is both round and made of soft metal, is going to scratch an iPhone's screen. No one else reports this that I've ever heard (except you), and none of the "iPhone stress tests" you can find around the net report anything close to this.
Check out this one for instance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkXlriABfOo
It was done for a professional tech website and the guy goes a hundred times further than just "putting it in a pocket that contains coins" (the point at which you claim damage), before even the slightest damage occurs. I mean this guy is really, really trying to screw up the iPhone and still he has a hard time.
I think the Apple store employee was just giving you a PR line, because he/she couldn't exactly tell you to your face that you are probably just lying about the damage.
Oh, yes, I mistreat it by putting it in my pocket that has nothing else in. I think I have put it in with my keys about three or four times. Front trouser pocket. Don't do it, I know, but to talk as if it is some mega hard glass? No, it is not. Take care of it.
I'm going to plug my solution:
9 bucks (11 with shipping) - looks classy as hell - haven't had a single scratch on 2 iphones while using it in 3 years.
http://www.sfbags.com/products/iphon...uedejacket.htm
A friend of mine gave me one of their neoprene sleeves for my macbook pro for a gift and it is the best. Awesome construction and materials. Thanks for the link.
Yup. Totally insane.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8yNh0N2qbs
Transcript of above youtube ending left on the editing room floor:
"Next time, we'll use the same items to test whether or not all the negative hype about infants having a soft spot on the top of their head is really true. By the way, thanks to all the viewers who sent get well cards to my brother after we tested to see if a sledge hammer to the nads hurts as much as people say it does. I'll be back after my cornea replacement surgery to give you the results of the 'Is my eyeball as tough as my ipod' test video."
-
Because it's not simply about one product.
No, this is just about one product. Well, one type of product, but still.
As I said, it's the impression that the Apple Store is a one-stop shop for everything you need.
And my point was that if this is true ? I've never heard the idea expressed before, but I'll go with you for purposes of conversation ? it'll still be true once these items aren't for sale in the stores any more.
I think Apple is underestimating people's desire for this particular product, and they will end up undermining the overall impression of the Apple Store because of it.
Seeing as how Apple knows precisely how many of these they've sold in their stores, I'd say you're probably wrong about Apple's estimates. Whether the demand is high or low, Apple certainly knows what it is to a high degree of precision.
Okay, it's a scratchable polymer coating bonded on top of the unscratchable glass surface.
It's the "scratchable" part that you're wrong about. Let me reiterate what I said before: This "coating," for lack of a better word, is thinner than a blood cell. Not a little bit thinner either; it's much thinner than a blood cell. You can't see it. You can't feel it. If you see a scratch on your iPhone's screen, that's a scratch in the glass, not in the submicroscopically invisible chemical layer on top of the glass.
I appreciate the detail with which you explained the process, btw
Hey, no prob. I googled it up 'cause I was curious, found it interesting, and subsequently ran into an excuse to share.
having 3 iphones in our house, there is not a scratch on any of them. I suspect this ban is becuase of the severe performance degradation of the touch screen those these films. They are far less respsonsive than those without.
Bull$#!7
I have worked with a dozen iPod touches over the years and there is little difference between the performance of the touch screen with/without a 'protective' film. If anything the film makes them a little more consistent in their response.
Finger marks are also less noticeable on film than bare glass screens.
Keys aren't hard enough to scratch glass but plenty of common minerals are. Dropping your iPhone on the sidewalk is almost certain to scratch it.
I also wonder how durable the oleo-phobic coatings are. They can't possibly be as hard as glass and cannot be quickly and inexpensively replaced like a plastic film can.
Your attempt at posting a snarky comment would have been stronger if you had used the plural instead of possessive. But good effort. Everyone loves lame political digs on a technology website.
As for the substance of the article, in my experience, the screens scratch very easily without a protective covering.
Your attempt at posting a substantive rebuttal would have been stronger if you had provided any actual evidence. But good effort. Everyone loves lame grammar critiques on a technology website.
As for the substance of your assertion, there are numerous objective tests that prove that iPhone screens don't scratch very easily and don't need a protective covering.
See how easy it is to do that?
More and more, Apple seems to be ignoring what people want in favor of what Steve Jobs is convinced they should want--Flash on the iPhone/Touch/iPad, user-replaceable batteries, support for more audio and video codecs. And now this.
I have to say, using "doesn't sell screen protectors in their stores" to bolster a contrived list of terrible controlling behavior by Apple makes me laugh.
What next? "Won't accept Diner's Club cards for purchases?" It's practically like Soviet Russia!
More and more, Apple seems to be ignoring what people want in favor of what Steve Jobs is convinced they should want--Flash on the iPhone/Touch/iPad, user-replaceable batteries, support for more audio and video codecs. And now this.
Saying "what people want" is a pretty broad stroke.
According to the recent sales numbers, people want Macs and iPods and not having these "features" doesn't seem to be dissuading them.
Ask Google how all these things are helping the Nexus One's sales.