My iPhone 3GS Diary

On June 19, I paced the halls at work and had a constant eye on the front door as I waited for UPS to deliver my new iPhone 3GS. Around 10:00 AM, I saw that beautiful brown truck pull into in the parking lot, and I ran to greet the driver. When he handed me a single flat envelope, I said, "That's not my iPhone." The driver told me that he didn't have any more deliveries at my address, but someone at the business next door was getting one, and he was the only truck scheduled to stop there for the day. My beaming smile faded from my face.

The driver went outside to check the iPhone designated to go next door just to make sure, then he returned and handed the box to me after he saw it was addressed to my name. Apparently, when my job relocated to a new building a few months ago, everyone was given the wrong address, and no one thought to later inform all the employees of this oversight. But it didn't matter, I had my iPhone in hand.

I ran back to my office to unbox my new most prized gadget. I took the iPhone out of the box and carefully removed the screen protective cover. In awe, I held the phone in my hand, but what was this? I rubbed my finger along to narrow sides around the case. It was not smooth like my vintage 2G iPhone. Where the silver met the plastic back (in my case black), there was a raised, slightly sharp edge. This did not set right with me. In fact, the new iPhone felt cheap. This was supposed to be a day of joy, but I was starting to regret my $299 purchase. I LOVED my 2G iPhone. I was even a little teary-eyed about replacing the original iPhone with the 3GS. That thing was a tank and had been so good to me, and here was this cheaply put-together device mocking me.

I thought, maybe I was just being overly picky and tried to accept the new iPhone. I went home from work and plugged the iPhone into my iMac to activate it and set it up. However, I couldn't stop rubbing my fingers along the edge. I could feel it as I held the phone in my palm, and my disappointment had not diminished. When my husband got home, I asked him to take a look at my 3GS, and he agreed it didn't look or feel right.

Feeling justified in my complaint, I decided to call Apple support. After a ten minute hold time, I got on the line with an agent. I explained the problem and was quickly informed it was a factory defect and to take my iPhone 3GS to the nearest Apple Store for an exchange. The agent scheduled me an appointment at the Genius Bar for Sunday. I let out a sigh of relief knowing in a couple of days my iPhone woes would be woos.

On (Father's Day) Sunday, I went on a field trip to the Apple Store with high hopes of leaving with a perfect iPhone 3GS. I waited for over a half hour only to kindly be told that they can't swap out my iPhone because they do not have any replacement units in the stock yet for online orders, and I would need to call Apple support again to have a new unit mailed to me. My smile faded again. What a waste of time! Plus, I lost a valuable jump start on the shipping process.

On Monday, I called Apple support again and got another friendly agent who arranged my iPhone replacement by mail. The new phone would be shipped overnight priority and he waved the $29 fee. The only catch was I had to provide a credit card number so Apple could secure they would get an iPhone (or the cost of an iPhone) back, and a hold for the non-subsidized price of $699 was placed on my card. That was enough to make me gulp but not enough to keep me from getting a perfect iPhone.

The next day and a half was painful as a waited for my replacement iPhone. I never bonded with defective one and I couldn't wait to finally have my iPhone. Plus, I was tired of babying the thing because if anything happened to it, I would be stuck with it.

Then finally, my delivery showed up while I was at work on Wednesday, June 24. I immediately did the unboxing, and was thrilled to run my fingers along the silky smooth edges of my new iPhone 3GS. It was beautiful and love at first sight. As soon as I got home, I synced my new iPhone, put on my Mindbender Gelaskin, and prepared the defective phone to ship back to Apple.

As I played with my perfect 3GS, I knew this was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I was loving it! That was until yesterday (July 2) when I discovered a scratch on the screen. A tiny millimeter hairline scratch at the bottom of the screen. I couldn't believe it! I was so careful with my iPhone. It stayed in my pocket all alone. I've never dropped it. I even lined its assigned cup holder in my car with tissues to make sure my iPhone stayed safe and secure.

Was the oleophobic coating on the screen to blame? I stuck by my decision to not degrade the picture quality by using a screen protectant film, as I discussed in my blog: Do iPhones Need Screen Protectors? The post included a link to a video of an iPhone endurance test that showed how scratch resistant the iPhone 3G screen was. Not to mention, I used my 2G iPhone for two years and never got a scratch on it. So how was it possible that I got a scratch on my iPhone 3GS screen in less than two weeks of ownership? The only physical difference was the addition of the oleophobic coating.

The scratch was extremely minor and was not even visible when using the phone, so eventually I will get over it. The first scratch on any new device is always the hardest. However, this minor imperfection made me wonder if I should buy a screen protector. I'm waiting for someone to do scratch test on the 3GS to confirm if it's more prone the scratches or not.

My first two weeks with the iPhone 3GS have been a roller coaster of emotion, but in the end, I'm happy with my new phone. I'm curious about other iPhone owners' experiences. Has it been painless or eventful? And has anyone else noticed any scratches already on their 3GS and would you recommend using a screen protective film?

UPDATE: Poll Results 7/4/09 - 7/11/09

Which iPhone(s) do you own?
66% 2G (Original)
50% 3G
66% 3GS
16% No iPhone

Does your iPhone wear protection?
00% Screen protector only
14% Case only
00% Case & screen protector
14% Skin or sticker
42% No protection needed
28% No iPhone

Do iPhones Need Screen Protectors?

I have had my iPhone for over a year now, and ever since I first bought it, I had a screen protecting film defending my precious iPhone against scratches. I have had good and bad experiences with different brands of screen protectors. Yes, they all worked as promised and my iPhone screen looks as glossy as the day I bought it, but some protectors applied easier and sealed better than others. As a perfectionist bordering on obsessive-compulsive disorder when it comes to how my electronics appear, I can not stand any bubbles or misalignment in my screen protecting films.

I had a terrible experience with the Rocketfish screen protectors I bought from Best Buy. I cheaped out and thought they were a better bargain. When it comes to screen protectors, I can say you definitely get what you pay for. The Rocketfish films were impossible to apply without bubbling around the top edge. It was so annoying, and I was relieved when I finally finished the last one in the pack and could get better quality screen protectors.

Last weekend, I went to the Apple Store to buy the Power Supply Film Set they carry. This was the brand I used when I first bought my iPhone and had great success with. They are not the best price on the market, but they are most certainly the best quality in my experience. When I arrived at the Apple Store, I was semi-shocked to find that they no longer carried screen protectors for the original iPhone and only supplied the store with accessories for the 3G iPhone. I say "semi-shocked" because I feared this would be the case even before making the trip to the Apple Store. I even asked one of the guys working there if they carried screen protectors for the original iPhone, and he confirmed they did not and said I could go online and buy them directly from the manufacturer. What he failed to mention was Apple still carries them on their website, so the Apple employee basically gave me information that could lead me to spend my money else where.

Apple's online store charges an extra $4 for shipping and Power Supply charges and additional $7 for shipping for a product that weighs next to nothing. Being the penny-pincher I am, that is just unacceptable.

After doing a little online searching, I started to question the necessity of the screen protecting films in the first place. The iPhone screen is made of glass similar to a car windshield. That is pretty durable and resistant to scratches.

Here is a video of the stress test PC World put the iPhone through. It's pretty brutal, so I'm warning those who have weak stomachs when watching perfectly good gadgets get tortured to not watch the video. Basically, the conclusion was if you plan to abuse your iPhone, you may want to invest in a sturdy case. However, they did not advise one way or the other on needing a screen protector. The scratch test in this video proved the screen itself was amazingly resistant to scratches.

I also found numerous forum postings of others asking about the necessity of the iPhone screen protector. Some replies strongly advocated using a screen protector and a few brave souls argued against it. Usually, most comments said they put a screen protector on their iPhone "just in case".

I think we justify the extra protection because of past experiences with many products getting damaged and dinged up very easily, and that is what we are used to. However, the iPhone is a high quality product unlike any other phone or PDA I owned in the past. At first, I thought I needed to baby my iPhone, but I am learning it is very durable and maybe the screen protectors are a little over kill. So I am boldly stripping my iPhone and letting it be bare. Well almost. I did get a GelaSkin to apply to the back since that is the most vulnerable spot. I must say, it is taking some getting used to. I went from a silicone case and screen protecting film to only a GelaSkin. That is quite a difference.

So now, I am curious how many other iPhone owners out there swear by their screen protectors or think it is an unnecessary accessory?

UPDATE: Poll Results 10/20/08 - 10/27/08

Do iPhones need screen protectors?
50% It's a must
00% Just in case
50% Not necessary
00% I'm unsure