If there is anything to be learned from the popular television series "Mythbusters", it's that when something sounds too good to be true, investigate.
There has been plenty of talk, blogging, and of course Twitter about the iPhone 4, Apple's latest incarnation of its part-phone-part-computer gadget. Complaints about the phone dropping signal during calls and home remedy style suggestions to help those who own the device are abundant. Numerous videos of people who have "hacked" their new iPhone for the purposes of using software or operating systems that Apple doesn't provide are on YouTube and appear on the news and review pages of many tech blogs.
Another widespread problem with the iPhone 4 is its durability, or lack thereof. Upon its debut, Apple released a manufacturing video of the iPhone 4 which included footage of screen testing procedures for the device's glass casing as a way to quell any suspicions about durability. According to a PC World article written about the new iPhone in June, the glass, which Apple claims is 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than regular plastic, is chemically enhanced to improve its strength.
On previous versions of the iPhone, the glass covering the display was set below the chrome rim that runs around the edges of the phone. This set-up protected the glass from damage caused by dropping the device. The article points out that the problem with the iPhone 4's durability comes from the way the phone is assembled. The iPhone 4 is covered front and back with the chemically strengthened glass, but the front display is raised above the chrome edges of the phone, which exposes the glass to more damage.
Just like the crew on "Mythbusters", a team of testers at iFixYouri.com, a company that provides tech support for Apple products, has emerged to literally bust Apple's claims about the iPhone 4's durability. In what the iFixYouri team calls a "non-scientific" test, tech blog Softapedia.com reports that the phone was dropped onto concrete from a height of about three feet. Only two drops rendered the phone useless, making the internal components fail to respond to user commands. Two more drops shattered the front glass panel.
When asked for their opinion on the iPhone 4, some Shepherd University students seemed to be uninterested in it altogether. One student expressed a general lack of interest in Apple products, while another felt that the iPhone 4's price tag was a deal breaker. As political science major Phil Carter put it, "If a phone costs more than $200, I don't want it".
Others had heard about the damage problems with the latest version of the iPhone. Communications major Mike Kramer said, "The new iPhone is glass on both sides, which is not practical for something meant to be carried around with you. I work for a major retailer, and many people have already reported needing to replace their new iPhones for damage caused by dropping the devices".
While there were no explosions during the drop testing of the iPhone 4, there is speculation that Apple may recall the iPhone 4 or compensate by sending customers $100 in store credit. Consider the iPhone 4 busted.
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