Cases Might Break iPhone 4 Glass Due to Design Flaw

Now that Apple has shut everybody up about the iPhone 4 antenna with free cases, it faces another potential problem: Those cases could potentially cause damage to the handset’s glass body, according to Ryan Block of GDGT.
Block, a well-sourced tech journalist who was formerly chief of Engadget, claims sources both inside and outside Apple told him that Apple retail stores have stopped selling third-party iPhone cases that slide on to the iPhone 4. These cases are prone to particulate matter getting stuck between the case and the rear of the phone, causing unexpected scratching that can lead to cracking of the glass, Block said.
“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,” Block wrote in a post Thursday afternoon.
Defusing conspiracy theorists, Block added that halting third-party iPhone case sales is not in Apple’s best interest: accessories that have been approved byApple’s “Made for iPhone” program give a chunk of their sales (10 to 15 percent) to Apple in exchange for shelf room at Apple stores.
Despite its hot sales and glowing reviews, the iPhone 4 has seen its share of problems. Shortly after the handset’s July release, many consumers independently reported that covering the gap in the lower-left corner of the device caused significant signal loss. The media piled on this phenomenon, and in response, Apple’s Steve Jobs held a press conference to address concerns by offering free third-party cases to alleviate the issue (an offer that has since expired). The episode has been dubbed “Antennagate.”
Separately, the white model of the iPhone 4 still has not shipped, and Apple has not provided an explanation for the delay.
Weeks after the Antennagate press conference, The New York Times reported the departure of Mark Papermaster, the Apple executive in charge of the iPhone’s hardware. Multiple publications independently heard his departure was a firing over hardware issues related to the iPhone 4, which seems plausible when you consider that the mysterious delay of the white iPhone 4, the Antennagate fiasco and the new potential problem with the iPhone 4’s glass.
Apple did not immediately return a request for comment.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Source:wired.com







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Does your Twitter/Facebook/IM avatar suck? The answer is likely to be a resounding “probably”. You need a custom caricature, and being a proper geek, you should get it not from the dodgy street-artist with the portfolio of sample “work” downloaded from the internet, but over the actual internet.













Jun
28
By Journalist
In E-Mail, Steve Jobs Comments on iPhone 4 Minerals
Category: Gadget Reviews Tags: Apple, e-mails, In E-Mail, iphone 4, No OS 4 on Original iPhone, Roundup: Steve Jobs' Terse Replies to Fan Mail, Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs Comments on iPhone 4 Minerals, Steve Jobs: Sorry Leave a Comment
Despite last week’s flurry of bad press surrounding the iPhone 4’s antenna, Steve Jobs is still in a chatty mood about his company’s newest handset. His latest personal e-mail to a customer relates to minerals used to create the iPhone 4 and other Apple products.
In an e-mail to Jobs on Sunday evening, Wired.com reader Derick Rhodes inquired about whether Apple was using “conflict-free” materials to create the iPhone 4. Jobs shot back a reply an hour later stating that Apple was doing what it could.
Hi Steve,
I’d planned to buy a new iPhone tomorrow – my first upgrade since buying the very first version on the first day of its release – but I’m hesitant without knowing Apple’s position on sourcing the minerals in its products.
Are you currently making any effort to source conflict-free minerals? In particular, I’m concerned that Apple is getting tantalum, tungsten, tin, and gold from Eastern Congo through its suppliers.
Looking forward to your response,
Derick
Jobs’ reply:
Yes. We require all of our suppliers to certify in writing that they use conflict few materials. But honestly there is no way for them to be sure. Until someone invents a way to chemically trace minerals from the source mine, it’s a very difficult problem.
Sent from my iPhone
Rhodes was inspired to write the e-mail after reading a recent New York Times piece detailing the horrific warfare in the Congo, which sells minerals to the suppliers who create components for cellphones, computers and gaming devices. Grass-roots campaigns have dubbed minerals from such origins as “conflict minerals.”
Jobs has been known to occasionally respond to customers’ e-mails, though in recent months the CEO has sent at least one e-mail each week. Many of these e-mails make their way to blogs. Some social media experts told Wired.com that they believe Jobs’ casual replies have evolved into a PR strategy as a means for the CEO to communicate with the world.
Jobs’ e-mail to Rhodes contains a typo conflict “few” rather than conflict free presumably because he typed it with his iPhone. Wired.com was able to verify the authenticity of the letter.
Rhodes said he felt grateful about receiving an e-mail from the famous CEO.
“I thought it was really cool,” he said. “His e-mails are really concise, so I really appreciate the thought he put into it.”
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Source:wired.com