Apple Reportedly Heading Off iPhone 'Glassgate'

alphadogg writes "Apple is reportedly working behind the scenes to address scratching and cracking of the iPhone's glass back panel by certain third-party cases. This 'Glassgate' story got rolling with a report in the gdgt newsletter by Ryan Block, who says he spoke with sources inside and outside of Apple about this issue, but was unable to get an official Apple comment. Block writes: 'Apple has apparently found that non-bumper style cases — specifically those that slide onto the iPhone 4, which are occasionally prone to particulate matter getting caught between the rear of the phone and the case — can cause unexpected scratching that could quickly develop into full-on cracking or even much larger fracturing of the entire rear pane of glass. To put it another way: Apple is afraid you might buy a standard slide-on iPhone case, put it on your phone, and then discover the next time you take it off that the entire back of your device has been shattered by no fault of your own.' Apple is said to be taking it seriously, looking to avoid the sort of backlash it got when reports surfaced over the summer that the iPhone 4's antennas didn't work correctly when users gripped the phones in a certain (and quite natural) way."

Comments

Re:ok seriously

[bsDaemon]

And Watergate was a case of not enough oversight... so yeah, these are pretty much exactly the opposite of each other.

Bumper rules

[dave024]

Everybody wants free cases for the antenna thing, and Apple gives in. Now people use the free cases and the back of the phone breaks. Oh great. Haven't had any problems myself.

Re:Bumper rules

[dave024]

Why is my comment a troll? I was just pointing out that its funny the free cases are causing these issues. I'm sorry people are having trouble. I believe Apple will replace the back for $30. It is not the end of the world.

Not to worry

[Dunbal]

All of these problems will be fixed with the iPhone 5, scheduled to be released Q4 next year for $600. Get your credit cards ready, you mindless consumers of Apple products. Lines are shortening at the Apple store.

Re:Not to worry

[sexconker]

Yeah! And keep that stock price going up and up!

I just wish Steve would sell his sperm so I could just artificially inseminate my wife and have a little Steve Jobs of my own!

The better option is to claim he raped your wife, and offer up the DNA evidence of that fetus to "prove" it. You'll be given untold millions to quietly agree to shut up and abort the fetus.

If you can't get his sperm, simply get some DNA - a loose hair, a handshake, whatever. Head over to Korea or some other country that doesn't let ethical bullshit get in the way of science, and mix up some of his DNA into some of your wife's eggs. Bingo-bango. Just make sure you're registered in a country that has joint property laws so she can't run off with the settlement money.

As long as the payout exceeds the cost of making the fetus, you end up ahead.

Re:ok seriously

[Nimey]

Because your average person is a fucking retarded mouth-breather.

Then you get away from Slashdot and into the general population...

Re:The seriousness

[sexconker]

"Gushing blood caused by iPhone" isn't something Steve can explain away with "He was sliding it in wrong".

1 Guy 1 Jar --> 1 Guy 1 iPhone 4 ?

1 Guy 1 Jar viewable at efukt.NSFW.com (remove ".NSFW").

Re:Quality

[gilesjuk]

People who buy Apple moan more, they expect it to be better than anything else. It's not so much that Apple has inferior products, it's that the owners are very vocal in their dissatisfaction at even the slightest problem. Things that owners of other brands would just live with.

Try reading Apple forums sometime, it's full of people who are annoyed that Apple won't give them a new phone because they dropped it and it broke. Or they left it in their pocket and washed it in their washing machine, but Apple won't give them a new one.

Re:How About the Front Glass?

[DocSavage64109]

No protective cover of any sort and I just carry my iphone 4 in my front pocket. It's in as-new shape after 2 or so months. I also have coworkers with all kinds of other phones, and I've seen a few with shattered screens. I'd say your anecdote is just random chance.

Re:Why not sapphire?

[Altus]

Maybe I'm poor, or maybe I just prefer to spend my disposable income on other things. I have purchased motorcycles for less than the cost of his watch.

Re:Crazier Idea!

[hawguy]

At the very least, mercury exposure could explain the behaviour of die-hard Apple fanboys :)

However, Liquid Metal is not mercury even though mercury is liquid metal.

Re:i guess

[tyrione]

This isn't flamebait. What the crap is "made for iPhone" supposed to mean if not "we've tested it and it works as advertised"? That means either Apple or the case supplier has a major fault in their QC, or more likely both.

How are you insightful, when you don't know the scope of the made for iPhone, branding?

Re:i guess

[Sir Holo]

Why should they waste any effort in vetting third-party products?

If something is an Apple product, you expect things to work together seamlessly (although oddly this principle doesn't apply to other companies).

If it's a "third party" thingy, then all they can do is verify that it will fit on your stupid phone, not block the plugs, and not goof up reception.

They are not the cops of the world. Nor should they be. There is no more that any manufacturer can do for you, the lazy consumer.