iCracked
After all that, I broke it. See for yourself (yes, that’s Megan McArdle — and her unbroken iPhone — in the reflection):
First night, too. Hung up the phone while talking to a friend, and as I reached to put the phone in my pocket, it slipped out of my hand onto a hard tile floor.
It still works, but the person who picked it up first cut himself on the glass, meaning I don’t have much choice but to replace it — and it looks like it’ll have to be at full price.
Oddly, it seems I won’t be able to take much action to guard against future mishaps. I’ll be able to buy a case for it, but as far as I can tell, there’s no obvious way to insure the glass casing of an iPhone. Apple offers no warranty or insurance plan that covers damage, for any reason, to the exterior casing. AT&T offers a cover-everything insurance plan for all of their phones except two — one of which is the iPhone. My credit card company only insures against this particular type of damage — a cracked casing — to these sorts of products if the damage is caused in a riot.
Patrick Ruffini’s been tracking iPhone lines via Summize. Apparently they actually shut the line down at one of the stores in Arlington this afternoon. This story isn’t over yet.
Someone’s already cut himself on your phone? Rob Enderle was right — these things are killers!
— Matt Frost · Jul 13, 11:43 PM · #
At least iPhone v2 is $200 cheaper than its predecessor. I was originally annoyed at how the one-time cost had been (somewhat deceptively) folded into the higher monthly AT&T costs, but it’s really a good thing. I was never comfortable with the idea of carrying around a $400/$500 device in my pocket, particularly because I’m prone to dropping things. The idea of carrying around a $200/$300 device makes me a bit less apprehensive.
— Trieu · Jul 14, 12:54 AM · #
Trieu — Sadly, the new lower price tag only comes with a new AT&T contract, which I’ve now already got. I’m going to have to pay full price — either $400 or $500 — for the replacement.
— Peter Suderman · Jul 14, 03:21 AM · #
Yikes! That’s quite unfortunate. I did not realize. Thank you for the sharing the information. My apprehension returns.
— Trieu · Jul 14, 03:31 AM · #
By the way, I checked on eBay, and it looks like iPhones with cracked screens are selling for somewhere between $100 and $200 (perhaps more, hard to say because eBay doesn’t show old auctions). Some of the phones on there were cracked worse (e.g., where the crack was right in the middle of the screen). You can search for “iphone cracked screen.” Also, these are all first-generation iPhones. The search for “iphone 3g cracked screen” does not yet return results. Yours could be the first! (Pardon the gallows humor.)
— Trieu · Jul 14, 03:45 AM · #
Ouch, that sucks.
Since there has been so much iPhone talk on here as of recent has anyone mentioned the iPhone controversy North of the border? (aka: where I live)
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/07/08/tech-iphone.html
— Dave · Jul 14, 04:00 AM · #
Peter, you ought to be able to get your iPhone covered for damage under your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance.
— Miles · Jul 14, 04:58 AM · #
Oh, no! I’m sorry to hear it. Maybe you can use the sharp part to defend yourself in the event of a mugging.
— Joules · Jul 14, 05:25 AM · #
Yikes. That really sucks. When you get your replacement, might I suggest a case like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/DLO-Jacket-Cable-Management-iPhone/dp/B000S37Q0Q/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1216045487&sr=8-2
That’s for the 1G, but I imagine there’s a similar 3G version. I drop my phone all the time, and the rubber/foam casing does a great job of protecting it. The jacket also does a decent job of maintaining the iPhone’s streamlined concept; it still fits nicely into even the tightest of pockets.
— Sonny Bunch · Jul 14, 02:30 PM · #
Wait, so the iPhone Reihan borrowed to write that Slate article was cracked? Shouldn’t he have disclosed that? Doesn’t it affect his emotional reaction to the phone?
— Sanjay · Jul 14, 05:00 PM · #
I hate to sound like a shill, but this is why I use an Amex card for all my electronics purchases: it doubles the warranty, and, unless I’m mistaken, it actually provides coverage for these sorts of accidents (up to a set yearly limit). A number of other credit cards offer this sort of protection, too. I assume you used a card — if so, go ahead and call up a CSR and see if there’s anything they can do for you.
— Tom · Jul 14, 08:39 PM · #
Adding: this is encouraging
http://consumerist.com/consumer/amex/american-express-extended-warranty-protection-buys-you-a-new-laptop-240020.php#c1028052
— Tom · Jul 14, 08:43 PM · #
Sanjay: I cracked it after Reihan returned it to me.
Tom: I tried my card company (not Amex). I’m normally a big fan, but in this case, their warranty didn’t cover the sort of damage my phone sustained.
— Peter Suderman · Jul 15, 01:05 AM · #