iPhone 4: Is Glass-Gate the Next Antenna-Gate for Apple"s iPhone 4?
Just when all of the hysteria was starting to die down from Antenna-gate the iPhone 4 is experiencing another problem.
Apple has admitted they are looking in to claims that slide on cases for the iPhone 4 actually scratch and damage the back glass of iPhones.
It is interesting that it has taken this long for the problem to surface, since the iPhone 4 has been out for several months now.
When the iPhone 4 first came out everyone loved it except for one big, glaring problem.
That problem was many people were dropping calls.
Without explanation and with apparent full signal people were unable to connect.
The root cause was eventually pinpointed to the stainless steel antenna, and "Antenna-gate" was born.
When the antenna is covered on the lower left hand corner the iPhone 4 can completely lose its signal.
Steve Jobs had to hold a press conference defending the iPhone 4's design and also told consumers how to "fix" the problem.
First he simply suggested holding the device so as not to short the antenna with the fingers or palm.
This suggestion did not go over very well with customers so a second solution was a bumper to go around the phone.
The bumpers allowed for the necessary space between hand and antenna and corrected the drop in connectivity.
Apple went on to offer a free bumper or case to all who purchased the iPhone 4 prior to September 30, 2010.
When the iPhone 4 was released many people remember that there was not a huge selection of cases available.
The bumpers were the only real accessory besides several pop on phone covers.
Now, the market is flooded with different kinds of covers that are available for purchase.
The time it took for new slide on cases to reach market could be the cause for the delay in the breaking of the latest news.
The "ultra-tough" Gorilla glass that is on the back of the iPhone 4 is very easily scratched.
In fact, a recent survey by Cult of Mac shows that three fourths of respondents with a slide on case for the iPhone 4 report scratching and cracking of the glass.
Only one fourth of the people said that they did not have a problem using slide on cases.
It still remains to be seen if the new defect for the iPhone 4 will be as huge of an issue as antenna-gate, though I'm not the first to use the term "Glass-gate".
People are usually more forgiving of a cosmetic defect than one that destroys the usefulness of the phone.
Still, the phone is not meeting the ridiculously high expectations that people have for it.
Through standard use of the device with cases recommended by Apple, it is being damaged.
Furthermore, Apple has already pushed back the release date for the white iPhone 4 several times.
Could the glass scratching and cracking be the real reason they have had "manufacturing issues?" In any event, Apple will have to address and fix these problems if they are to remain on top of the smart phone game.
Apple has admitted they are looking in to claims that slide on cases for the iPhone 4 actually scratch and damage the back glass of iPhones.
It is interesting that it has taken this long for the problem to surface, since the iPhone 4 has been out for several months now.
When the iPhone 4 first came out everyone loved it except for one big, glaring problem.
That problem was many people were dropping calls.
Without explanation and with apparent full signal people were unable to connect.
The root cause was eventually pinpointed to the stainless steel antenna, and "Antenna-gate" was born.
When the antenna is covered on the lower left hand corner the iPhone 4 can completely lose its signal.
Steve Jobs had to hold a press conference defending the iPhone 4's design and also told consumers how to "fix" the problem.
First he simply suggested holding the device so as not to short the antenna with the fingers or palm.
This suggestion did not go over very well with customers so a second solution was a bumper to go around the phone.
The bumpers allowed for the necessary space between hand and antenna and corrected the drop in connectivity.
Apple went on to offer a free bumper or case to all who purchased the iPhone 4 prior to September 30, 2010.
When the iPhone 4 was released many people remember that there was not a huge selection of cases available.
The bumpers were the only real accessory besides several pop on phone covers.
Now, the market is flooded with different kinds of covers that are available for purchase.
The time it took for new slide on cases to reach market could be the cause for the delay in the breaking of the latest news.
The "ultra-tough" Gorilla glass that is on the back of the iPhone 4 is very easily scratched.
In fact, a recent survey by Cult of Mac shows that three fourths of respondents with a slide on case for the iPhone 4 report scratching and cracking of the glass.
Only one fourth of the people said that they did not have a problem using slide on cases.
It still remains to be seen if the new defect for the iPhone 4 will be as huge of an issue as antenna-gate, though I'm not the first to use the term "Glass-gate".
People are usually more forgiving of a cosmetic defect than one that destroys the usefulness of the phone.
Still, the phone is not meeting the ridiculously high expectations that people have for it.
Through standard use of the device with cases recommended by Apple, it is being damaged.
Furthermore, Apple has already pushed back the release date for the white iPhone 4 several times.
Could the glass scratching and cracking be the real reason they have had "manufacturing issues?" In any event, Apple will have to address and fix these problems if they are to remain on top of the smart phone game.
