[schmiddi]

the other day my iphone accidentally fell out of my pocket and fell less than 1.6 feet onto a hardwood floor. the screen cracked.

while i find that for a mobile phone it is a design flaw that the screen cracks when falling down such a small distance, apple insisted that it was not covered by the guarantee.

a new screen? $250 plus $30 for a loaner phone. i honestly have no clue why everyone was so upset about the battery replacement cost. having to pay nearly half of the phone for a part replacement is just ridiculous.

[analogue SPRINKLES]

Seems pretty durable according to these tests and the extremely small number of internet ramblings about broken screens iPhone in depth: the Ars review: Page 13

[::maroma::]

The glass is very durable. Sometimes sh!t happens and things that are supposed to be durable break. Bad luck, bad timing, whatever you want to call it. Apple has to draw the line somewhere when it comes to returns and refunds/replacements. The first 2 weeks after release, Apple was taking back any iPhone that had any problem at all. I returned mine the 2nd day because of 1 dead pixel, and they swapped it out in 15 minutes. But that was the honeymoon period where Apple had to make every buyer happy. Now its back to business as usual. And Apple's customer service is top notch.

The glass screen is not a simple thing to replace. $250 is probably about right. Its not just any piece of glass, its a piece of glass thats treated with a bunch of stuff I don't understand. I could easily see how it would cost a lot to replace it.

Sorry to hear about your accident and your bill. But if Apple replaced every iPhone that someone broke on their own they'd lose a lot of money.

[richwig83]

Is there no insurance option, like you can get from any other cell phone retailer?

[-Q-]

AT&T isn't offering any iPhone insurance at this time, I believe.

[::maroma::]

There are 3rd party insurers for the iPhone. I've never looked into it, but they are out there.

[scaught]

You could add it to your homeowners insurance, I think.

[Mrjinglesusa]

This reminds me of the time I dropped my new digital camera and the lens broke. The company had the gall to ask me to pay for a replacement lens. No manufacturing defect, no flaw in the camera, I dropped it because I'm a clutz. What ever happened to companies fixing things you break for free?

[chabig]

You can replace your iPhone screen for $165 here. And these guys do it for $200.

[LeeG]

Wow. Sorry to hear that. I bobbled mine, and then dropped it about 4 feet, unprotected, onto concrete. The back got scratched up a bit, but otherwise works fine. I was pretty impressed with the durability, it took a big hit.

L