Don't let this happen to your iPhone

It was a perfect brand-new 3G iPhone -- for 21 days, 10 hours and 22 minutes. I loved it, read books on it, praised it on Jacket Copy.

Then I dropped my iPhone -- it slipped! -- from about three feet, and it hit the sidewalk. Apple's design gurus had miscalculated -- one fall and the screen shattered across the top corner. Little bits of glass began to chip away.

The Apple store had bad news. The only way to replace a cracked iPhone screen is to buy a whole new iPhone.

You might think a component like a broken screen could be replaced -- nope. And AppleCare, the company's extended warranty plan, doesn't cover accidental damage. Alex in customer service said it was sad, but that nothing could be done. It was like the time he bought a brand-new car only to have someone immediately ding it in a parking lot. Um, no -- not the same thing, really, unless he had to replace the whole car.

How many other iPhone customers have shattered the screens of the month-old 3G? Hard to say. Apple's press office wouldn't: "I don't have that information for you," was the representative's response.

With 23 months left on the AT&T contract and a cracked iPhone, what's a Mac lover to do? Pony up another $299 for a new iPhone 3G, of course, and hope that the American Express buyer-protection plan comes through. Also, buy a bouncy protective case. And maybe adapt some mitten clips so it never falls again.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Kellogg writes about books at the LA Times' Jacket Copy blog

Photo by Carolyn Kellogg

Comments

[stupifoo]

not just whining for a new phone, but also misrepresenting the facts.

apple doesn't charge full retail for the replacement process. yes, they give you a shiny, brand new phone as a replacement, but no, they don't charge you the full sticker price to do it.

the analogy of dinging a car works. except, it would work better if:

when you paid the mechanic to fix the door, he felt so bad about your problems that he went ahead and got you a whole new car.

i'm tired of reading about people whining over these petty problems. everybody wants free lunch.

@ 1st comment: yeah. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.

I did the same thing last week sucks, the should recess the screen a bit or something.

[Macster]

This could happen to anyone. Its not a matter of responsibility but a basic expectation of durability/maintainability. What is the point of having firmware updates that make planned obsolescence a thing of the past if you have to replace the whole instrument for an event such as a drop a cellphone is surely expected to endure several times in its lifetime.

We love the iPhone and even if were to accept the fact that some parts like the screen are not durable and that an iPhone, once taken out of the box has to forever exist in a protective sheath of rubber, plastic or leather - that's fine if the design were made more adaptable to integrate with a carrying case. This is not the case and most of the cases available fall into three categories: 1) standard pouch; 2) Rubberized or plastic like piping that encloses the iPhone along the edge; 3) Case that completely encloses the iPhone and offers a panel that needs to be lifted to reach the screen. Any option that encases the iPhone (options 2 and 3 above) intend for the iPhone to be used with the case. The first option - while offering some protection when the iPhone is not in use never the less leaves it vulnerable to damage when not in the pouch.

Which leads me to the conclusion alluded to by the author that we should expect the designers to have thought of a way to replace the screen when damaged because they did not design to withstand the impact of a normal droppage event and they did not design for it to easily integrate into a case that allows for in-case usage without taking away from the design aesthetic.

[franklin]

thank you for again pointing out what is wrong with consumerism in America recently. Consumers have a whole new sense of self-entitlement that is amazing. it is not a design flaw or a warranty issue or a manufacturers hardware malfunction/defect. you dropped your iPhone and damaged it. period. buy a new phone, whatever kind want to buy, and try not to drop it this time!

[Eddie Simeon]

Get a new Glossy Screen Cover for iPhone 3G
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14833

[Christian De Santis]

I have a similar story, but it ends well.

So on my birthday my father bought me an iPhone. Within 3 months I cracked the screen. I didn't brake it though. The phone started to vibrate and long story short, cracked the screen. So I went to the Apple store and they said the same thing, I was about to fork down the cash tilll my mom said wait! Made a quick call to my dad. She then said "don't do it, it was bough on your fathers American Express. Now at the time I didn't know that that meant something. But apparently A.E. has a warranty with anything you buy with it, made a quick phone call to A.E. they said that they had put the $499 back into the back account, leaving us to go back to the Apple store and get it fixed. YAY! Now when we buy anything from Apple, American Express

[Christian De Santis]

I have a similar story, but it ends well.

So on my birthday my father bought me an iPhone. Within 3 months I cracked the screen. I didn't brake it though. The phone started to vibrate and long story short, cracked the screen. So I went to the Apple store and they said the same thing, I was about to fork down the cash tilll my mom said wait! Made a quick call to my dad. She then said "don't do it, it was bough on your fathers American Express. Now at the time I didn't know that that meant something. But apparently A.E. has a warranty with anything you buy with it, made a quick phone call to A.E. they said that they had put the $499 back into the back account, leaving us to go back to the Apple store and get it fixed. YAY! Now when we buy anything from Apple, American Express

[Nick Hill]

Hello,

It's always a sad story to hear of the destruction of such a device. However, you may have one saving grace. http://pdaparts.com/ provides replacement parts for most common handheld devices, as well as instructions on how to replace said parts.

I believe they may also offer a repair service if you are willing to send in your device.

If you are technically apt, you can replace the screen yourself. Granted, the replacement screens are still about half the price of a new iPhone. They also sell a small tool that is very useful for prying apart screw-less devices, such as the iPhone.

I hope this information helps!

[scott]

How frustrating... Apple Care should be apple total care. There is an obvious difference from one dropping an iphone to smashing one with a hammer. They should have replaced your phone IMHO.

[Andy]

You're defiantly not the first one that broke their iPhone. I have a first gen one and dropped it in the toilet. They wouldn't fix it so I had to buy a new one. So that's $800 in phones in one year. And you complaining...

[Micah Matthews]

If you have some time, and since you are writing about breaking your phone you probably do, go to www.ifixit.com and get the parts for the display and the touch screen for $150. Then take an hour and do the repairs yourself with the included step-by-step instructions. Simple fix.

[Warren]

I have a Verizon Wireless Casio GZ'One phone. It is built to military standards, and is dust, shock and water resistant. I have made phones in the shower. I have dropped it onto concrete from my ear. I have literally throw it across the room and had it land and skip on hard tile. I've had it for over a year, and it works perfectly, and aside from the obvious scratches, works just like new.

So if anyone out there is looking for a phone that doesn't break, and you have Verizon, check out the GZ'One line. Otherwise all of the Nextel phones are built pretty rugged, so there's a start. But if you're looking for a very breakable piece of flashy technology that might make you look cool, go for the iPhone.

Sorry I don't have any ideas on phones for AT&T but I'm sure someone will quip in about it.

[Shane]

Man, Mac snobs are mean.

IT"S A CELLPHONE. Not a piece from the Chuhuly gallery.

PEOPLE DROP CELLPHONES. This is something that every cell phone designer EVER has worked into their designs, somewhere along the way. Why Apple didn't consider it is beyond me. It's the same thing with the iPod. They make these pretty little electronics that scratch if you breath on them.

So you have to get a bulky silicone case to protect them (or an Invisible shield, which is cool but you pay a premium... oh wait, you're a Mac user, you don't care about cost). Kind of ruins the aesthetic, if you ask me.

That being said, dropping your phone is your fault. Buying a new phone is just the way of the world, sorry.

If you spend $300 on a phone (smartphone users of all kinds, I'm talking to you), then it's worth the price of the case.

[Shaman760]

Nice to see the vindictive, kool-aid drinking fanboys chastising someone for being human.

[Joe Bloggs]

I don't know of any mobile phone company that replaces a part in the phone (apart from the battery) When ive broken any part of a mobile phone, it's always been sent off to be replaced with a refurb.

[Mike Caprio]

I'm surprised that no one makes a case with a wrist strap on it (like the Nintentdo Wiimote). I don't care if a strap "looks" dumb, I care about not dropping the device!!

A $25 padded or shock-absorbing case may have saved the author $200.

[Randall]

I've owned iPhones for over a year now, and still haven't managed to drop them. Maybe I'm more careful than most, since a bunch of you seem to accept the fact that dropping a phone is a normal occurrance and should be expected. Or maybe there's a whole lot of people who are just careless and aren't as diligent about taking care of their stuff as they ought to be.

[evan]

Or, how about producing somewhat more rugged portable devices? Phones, MP3 players, etc all get shoved into pockets, bags, backpacks, brief cases and are moved around frequently.

Hell, I've dropped my cell phone and MP3 player more times then I can count, and the buggers still keep on trucking (note: not an iPhone). Hell, I've been pissed off before and chucked my old cellphone against the wall - and it didn't suffer anything more than a surface scratch.

While I dont expect to be able to drop my phone off of the grand canyon and have it survive the fall, having it fall out of my pocket while I fish for keys - I'd expect it to be in reasonably good shape when I picked it back up.

Now say, if my 22" monitor falls off of my desk and breaks - yeah, I'd rank that up there as acceptable damage, suck it up and replace it myself. I don't expect a monitor, that sits on my desk and NEVER moves to be particularly rugged. But, something I keep on my body at almost all times?

[H Huynh]

This is all about personal responsibility. It's not a secret that the Iphone screens are made of glass. If you know that you will drop your phone and that the screen is glass it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you're going to break it. Still deciding to buy the phone knowing these flaws ahead of time makes it the fault of the consumer. Stop crying over screwing up twice, first by buying the phone knowing this would probably happen, and second by dropping the phone.

[Don]

Amazing to read comments from so called engineers about poor design.

"I have dropped every phone I ever owned multiple times, and the screen has never shattered. It's an engineering design problem on the iPhone. And it's worthy of mentioning or complaining about." -Posted by Dan

Well engineer Dan, How many phones have you owned with optical-quality glass? Oh thats right, none! Your more of the fisher price style plastic made for the average child. How about you design optical-quality glass that is unbreakable. From the looks of the photo all other parts of the phone are functional. Last time I checked dropping any glass object three feet onto pavement will cause it to break. Not even apple can overcome the laws of physics and gravity.

[subtlereact]

that's not a 3g iphone....

you can tell by the buttons on the side, they are protruding much more than a 3g would be....

bummer though

[Satiated]

I've always wondered If every iPhone owner needs to buy a protective screen, why wouldn't that screen be part of the iPhone?

[Jonathan]

Yes it can be fixed!!!

http://www.irepairsquad.com/

It does void the warranty but then again they will sell you a warranty themselves.

[Nick]

Um, you dropped it.

AppleCare doesn't cover accidents.

The whole car thing the Apple employee brough up? Well, ok, let's say you drove your car for a few months then you were being careless and crashed it. Would you take it back to the dealership and expect them to give you a brand new car?

[JJ]

Duh.

You dropped your phone and broke the screen or button, and you can't figure out why it's a replacement.

Well let's think about it. I'm a tech. It costs at least $90 /hour to work on your broken gizmo, that I'm sure none of you could build by yourself. So I'm sure you know all about screen technology and what it should cost for the replacement screen. Add whatever your neophyte brain comes up with and add it to $180. That's 2 hours of labour. More like 90 minutes of labour, and 30 listening to your pathetic excuses.

Starting to understand why you might as well replace it?

And no, a ding in your car is not the same as a broken screen on your phone, but what kind of jalopy costs less than $299 for a windshield fix? Let me guess, Visqueen and Duct tape? You Redneck.