as well as point out a few interesting new poll numbers.
First, regarding how widespread slide-on case induced cracking already is (or rather, isn't). I initially introduced the issue as something "brewing behind the scenes that's sent Apple's iPhone engineering team back into the bunker for preemptive damage control" (the key word here being "preemptive"), described Apple's extreme sensitivity to any new issues that might further tarnish the iPhone brand, and recounted the steps the company has taken to deal with this issue (i.e. internally leading a serious investigation of the matter while externally attempting to suppress sales of slide-on cases). Since I had no way of knowing precisely how severe this issue is, my assumption was that this wasn't necessarily something that a lot of people have experienced yet -- likely in large part due to Apple working to prevent it from BECOMING an issue.
However, some publications took the story to mean that there is already a massive and widespread issue with slide-on cases causing cracks in iPhone 4s, and that Apple already has a very serious situation on their hands. Apple definitely seems to be taking this matter seriously, but I am skeptical that this is an issue of epidemic proportions right now. Again, the key word here is "preemptive."
I was, however, extremely surprised to see some of the poll results related to this issue on Engadget and Cult of Mac. That's the second bit, I wanted to mention. Here are those numbers (as of a few minutes ago):
www.engadget.com/2010/10/07/apple-afraid-of-a-shat... Has your iPhone 4 back shattered?
* No. - 27147 (29.7%)
* No, but it's scratched. - 6813 (7.5%)
* Yes, and I use an Apple bumper. - 4282 (4.7%)
* Yes, and I use a third party case. - 1632 (1.8%)
* Yes, and I use a slide-on case. - 2061 (2.3%)
* Yes, and cases are for wusses. And I'm not a wuss. Get it? - 2917 (3.2%)
* I don't have an iPhone 4. - 46409 (50.9%)
www.cultofmac.com/are-slide-on-cases-cracking-your... Has a Slide-On Case Cracked Your iPhone 4?
* No. I use a slide-on case and I've had no problems at all - 640 votes (30.93%)
* Yes. Trapped dirt has scratched, cracked or broken my iPhone - 1,429 votes (69.07%)
Web polls are obviously unscientific and strongly prejudiced by the audience at hand, but given the thousands of users claiming to have had this very problem, it sounds like it might actually already be a lot more widespread than even I had expected (I would have guessed well under 1%). Cult of Mac's numbers are particularly stunning, especially considering the publication.
Still, at this point I'm not expecting to hear much more on this issue so long as Apple is working to suppress slide-on cases in the market. As far as damage control goes, they seem to have done their job so far. As I stated yesterday, I think the lesson hard learned here is that glass on the back of a phone is an unnecessarily risky design decision that I'd be surprised to see Apple make more than once.
Discussion about
Following up on yesterday's "Glassgate" story, I wanted to clarify something a couple of publications seem to have concluded based on my report,…
Ryan - I noticed many of the people attacking your story are also attacking the Antennagate scandal. These people are overly skeptical when they aren't affected personally. I had an iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPhone 3GS which all worked fine in my house, yet the iPhone 4 will not work anywhere in my house if I am touching the metal band, but works fine with a case on. As you said, Antennagate is/was a real issue, the proof is out there, yet they ignore it too. So even if you gave proof, or gave away your sources as they wrongly expect you to do, they would still call your story BS. I say ignore them. Haters gonna hate ;)
Besides general incredulity, I'm still waiting to hear a single response that credibly refutes this report. Gruber's response, like the Macalope's, was a total red herring; pretty much else has been ad hominem and/or stating I have no credibility for publishing something like this.
i assumed, the day the iPhone 4 was released, that the glass back was used to allow more or better radio transmission, an effort on Apple's side to control something it couldn't driectly, that of dropped calls. i admit i have no idea how radio waves transmit through glass versus plastic versus metal etc, but that was my assumption. now though i wonder if it was anything more than a design decision that they regret. add in the fact that the white one seems to b on hold indefinitely, if i were in charge i'd get to pumping out some high grade plastic of some sort and start offering replacement panels.
The Cult of Mac poll seems poorly worded. For all we know most of the people that said "yes" just had scratches and nothing more.
It's also worth noting how more people responding to the Engadget poll had the back shatter with the Apple bumper or no case than with a slide-on case, which could mean that a slide on case is actually helping (or it could just mean less people use them). There's also nothing in the question about cause—it's possible most of those people dropped their phone or otherwise hit it against something.
It's also worth noting how more people responding to the Engadget poll had the back shatter with the Apple bumper or no case than with a slide-on case, which could mean that a slide on case is actually helping (or it could just mean less people use them). There's also nothing in the question about cause—it's possible most of those people dropped their phone or otherwise hit it against something.
I use one of our Incipio gdgt snap-on cases. (Image here: www.flickr.com/photos/ryanblock/4832942730/ ) It works well, but after I found out about the issue I reported this week, I slapped a screen protector on the back of my iPhone 4 just in case.
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Here's the thing, Ryan. Whether or not you think these are preemptive measures being taken by Apple, whether or not you think this is a real issue, whether or not you think internet polls are accurate----it's all immaterial. Search iPhone 4 on Google, and besides the Verizon iPhone stories, the "Glassgate" stories are prevalent and they're all just rehashes of your post some of them embellishing and spinning the way the need to in order to get hits, and almost all of them have titled their posts in a way that people think that this is already the next "gate" to hit Apple.
This story was irresponsible at best. How much do you really care that other sites have taken this and run with it? Be honest. Why don't you run an actual headlining follow up story to the first one if you really think this has gotten out of hand instead of just a follow up thread on only this website? Call it gdgt-gate if you want to. I have a feeling you won't do that. It would stop the presses. It would make people angry that they were buying this whole thing in the first place.
I don't necessarily care for Apple. I've always hated their computers, especially anything running OSX. I don't care for the iPad too much. But the iPhone 4 is a great phone and now we're on the second round of bloggers trying to tear it down with a story that isn't even a story. If you truly care that many assumptions and fabrications have been made with the "information" that you gave in the first story, you would write a true headlining follow up and make it clear that this is not even an issue yet and may never be one, rather than proclaiming it the next big Apple crisis.
Oh, and "one more thing": Internet polls are the last thing that you should care about regarding anything about the iPhone 4. Most of the people that vote negatively against Apple products don't even own one. I have always thought exclusive users of Apple products were annoying, but the Android army is obnoxious too. Keep that in mind next time.
This story was irresponsible at best. How much do you really care that other sites have taken this and run with it? Be honest. Why don't you run an actual headlining follow up story to the first one if you really think this has gotten out of hand instead of just a follow up thread on only this website? Call it gdgt-gate if you want to. I have a feeling you won't do that. It would stop the presses. It would make people angry that they were buying this whole thing in the first place.
I don't necessarily care for Apple. I've always hated their computers, especially anything running OSX. I don't care for the iPad too much. But the iPhone 4 is a great phone and now we're on the second round of bloggers trying to tear it down with a story that isn't even a story. If you truly care that many assumptions and fabrications have been made with the "information" that you gave in the first story, you would write a true headlining follow up and make it clear that this is not even an issue yet and may never be one, rather than proclaiming it the next big Apple crisis.
Oh, and "one more thing": Internet polls are the last thing that you should care about regarding anything about the iPhone 4. Most of the people that vote negatively against Apple products don't even own one. I have always thought exclusive users of Apple products were annoying, but the Android army is obnoxious too. Keep that in mind next time.
Sounds like you didn't read either of my posts (which isn't really a surprise). Either way, I stand by my reporting. You may not like or even fully understand it, but the piece I wrote was honest and based on facts. (Alternately, I do not stand by internet polls, but I did find them interesting.)
Actually I did read both several times. Your goal was accomplished and your story is all over the web. I'm sure not nearly as many people will read your clarification because it's too late now. You let the press run with this for a full 2 days before saying anything at all, and wasn't that kind of the goal? Your name is all over the news now, and the iPhone 4 bashing has started fresh. Luckily, people haven't made as big of a deal out of it as they did with the antenna issue, but I'm sure it will hit full steam once the new week starts.
When will the tech bloggers be fully satisfied? Will it be when people just stop buying iPhones? Is that the goal? Seems like it sometimes.
When will the tech bloggers be fully satisfied? Will it be when people just stop buying iPhones? Is that the goal? Seems like it sometimes.
I didn't write the above post because I felt I didn't do a good enough job explaining things in the original piece. I wrote it primarily because some pubs misinterpreted the story -- so it's not like there was some way for me to have written it any sooner than I did, since the occasion was to respond.
What would have been optimal is for me to not have needed to write it at all because no one made assumptions or additional conclusions beyond what I wrote, but try though I might, I just can't control how all journalists think. All I can do is write about things as crisply and effectively as I know how -- and again, I stand by my original piece.
The fact that you think there's some hidden agenda here, though, kind of says it all about the perspective you're coming at this from. If you believe there's some nefarious conspiracy here, then perhaps it's best you just find another site.
What would have been optimal is for me to not have needed to write it at all because no one made assumptions or additional conclusions beyond what I wrote, but try though I might, I just can't control how all journalists think. All I can do is write about things as crisply and effectively as I know how -- and again, I stand by my original piece.
The fact that you think there's some hidden agenda here, though, kind of says it all about the perspective you're coming at this from. If you believe there's some nefarious conspiracy here, then perhaps it's best you just find another site.
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How about the goal being to hold tech companies to a higher standard? Sure plenty of bloggers sensationalize, but not all. Apple has a relatively solid track record, but they aren't perfect and there are plenty of brands releasing absolute CRAP. The mobile phone industry is still pretty new and carriers have no problem taking you for all you are worth, selling you a half baked piece of garbage (not that the iphone is, i'm not saying that) and locking you into a contract using that crap. I'm glad there are journalists willing to critically analyze not just build quality but how a company/brand handles shortcomings.
There is a HUGE difference between critical analysis and a hit piece. Peter and Ryan have a history of excellent critical analysis, but you sound like you come from the school of thought that we should just give out "Great Job" awards to every company who releases a product. The iPhone4 is a success in the ways it is because of critical analysis of the previous iterations, by users and journalists alike.
There is a HUGE difference between critical analysis and a hit piece. Peter and Ryan have a history of excellent critical analysis, but you sound like you come from the school of thought that we should just give out "Great Job" awards to every company who releases a product. The iPhone4 is a success in the ways it is because of critical analysis of the previous iterations, by users and journalists alike.
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