iPhone 4 glass breaking 82% more than iPhone 3gs - four months in

SquareTrade ^ | October 12, 2010 | SquareTrade

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Synopsis: SquareTrade analyzed iPhone accidents for over 20,000 iPhone 4s covered by SquareTrade Care Plans and found a 82% increase in reported broken screens compared to the iPhone 3gs.

Highlights of the study include:

* iPhone 4 owners reported 82% more damaged screens in the first 4 months compared to iPhone 3gs owners.

* Overall, the reported accident rate for iPhone 4s was 68% higher than for the iPhone 3gs.

* An estimated 15.5% of iPhone 4 owners will have an accident within a year of buying their phone.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Glass on the back was a bad idea... Now you have two pieces to shatter!

And the higher accident rate - I wonder if it's because the back and sides tend to be more slippery than previous versions. Not just the materials, but the shape - highly rectangular shapes tend to not fit as well in the hand, it's harder to grip securely.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Ping!

[Yo-Yo]

And the higher accident rate - I wonder if it's because the back and sides tend to be more slippery than previous versions.

I think people are trying to grip their iPhones in such a way as to not short out the perimeter antenna, and as a result are losing their grip and dropping them more.

[4rcane]

i have ppl on here keep telling me that I don’t know what I’m talking about, apple use “gorilla glass” which is very strong and not easy to break. Yet in real world usage, they break just as easily as any

[Plutarch]

That can't be happening, because the 4G features Corning Gorilla Glass on the front.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Facts always trump fandom... Apparently the Gorilla glass isn’t as strong as it was touted, OR the design Apple used was less than optimal. Leaving the edges of the glass exposed as it is, leaves me to consider more the latter than the former.

Regardless, it’s pretty irrefutable that the iPhone 4 is more fragile than the previous generations.

[BereanBrain]

uh, the weight of the 4g is heavier, so this translates to more force on the glass when dropped......

[PugetSoundSoldier]

3GS is 135 grams, 4 is 137 grams. Are you seriously going to claim that the increase of 2 grams - a 1.5% increase in weight - doubles the crack rate?

[Wayne07]

Lots of good theories on why it breaks more - all seem plausible. This my theory (i have a 3gs). The 3g construction with the plastic side and back has a little bit of flex, and can absorb some of the energy when dropped. The 4 has metal frame and glass back so it is much stiffer and apt to transfer energy to the glass and crack it. Also, the glas it self is a bit more exposed, so it is more likely that an impact will be directly on the glass.

[dangerdoc]

There was an article at Engadget a week or so ago delving into this problem. According to them, there is a problem with certain kinds of cases scratching the glass in such a way as to increase the probability of breakage.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/07/apple-afraid-of-a-shattering-followup-to-its-antennagate-woes/

[PugetSoundSoldier]

And not surprisingly, there was a thread here at FR calling it all FUD and lies. Apparently the crack rate IS higher, and it could very well be due to increase scratching of a stronger - but more brittle - material used for the screens.

I'm still holding out that it's a flaw in the way the phone was designed - hard, brittle pieces of glass mounted rigidly and with hard aluminum edges. No shock protection means it is more susceptible to cracking because of increased stresses. Add a few scratches to the glass and you get even more breakage problems...

Don't worry, though, I'm sure this will also be dismissed as FUD...

[driftdiver]

Its all FUD man

[Chode]

bingo...

[Domangart]

Most of the people who use cell phones need a rope attached to them. The only problem is 15% would manage to hang themselves with the rope while damaging their phone..

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Thankfully my HTC has proven to be extremely reliable - it hasn’t broken, and the non-slip rear, and curved shape makes it very “sticky” in the hand so the fear of dropping it is greatly reduced!

[PugetSoundSoldier]

It’s OK. I’m a hater, I’m allowed to spew FUD, even when it is, in fact, reality!

[BunnySlippers]

You’re on a Mac thread again. So much for your faux outrage. You broke your second promise!

[RegulatorCountry]

the non-slip rear, and curved shape makes it very “sticky” in the hand so the fear of dropping it is greatly reduced!

Does it have extra-large, backlit buttons, too? You should go into marketing for Jitterbug™

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Are you seriously that ignorant?

I STARTED THE THREAD, AND I INVITED HIM IN.

Yes me, PugetSoundSoldier, called the antichrist, Satan himself by the Apple legion on FR. If it’s a “MAC” thread then you’re Steve Ballmer’s chambermaid!

Go stir up crap somewhere else... Your personal attacks are NOT welcome here.

[BunnySlippers]

Talk about attacks.

You like to stir it up as you HATE Apple.

Do you mean that if you invite people who are TOLD to stay off Mac threads trumps Jim’s directive? And people who have SWORN they do indeed STAY OFF those threads?

They lie.