Your probably not gonna believe this, but the other day I left my phone on top of my car and drove off, It feel off. I ran back to go get it, assuming it was gonna be smashed to pieces, but to my surprise it still worked. The piece of plastic over the screen is busted into a million little pieces, but the phone is still completely functional. Guess these things are pretty tough.
I dropped mine from a height onto the marble floor of an hotel bedroom in Greece. It came down so hard on one corner that it actually bounced. A small network of cracks in a fan shape appeared in the bottom right-hand corner, below the glass surface. As with a car windscreen, I expected these to spread over the surface in time. But instead, over the next few days, they RETREATED. By the end of the week they had shrunk to a small white dot, and by the time I got home they had disappeared altogether. Is there some sort of self-healing technology at work here?
The phone's functions have not been affected in any way. Except that when I'm at home and ask Google Maps to pinpoint my position it insists I am in the ocean about 200 miles west of Alaska. True. (When I'm outside the house, Maps work perfectly, though.)
Ive actually done both drop scenarios several times. 3 times left on top of the car - actually drove about 100 miles in one instance and it was found wedged between the trunk and rear window. twice it bounced across the concrete.. bar a few dings - nothing broke.
Also - our local supermarket has a marble floor. dropped it several times from say 4 feet. in all instances has survived.
Very durable IMHO. probably not so when in contact with water.
Dave M. MacOSG Founder/Ambassador An Apple User Group iTunes: MacOSG Podcast Creator of 'Mac611 - Mobile Mac Support' (designed exclusively for an iPhone/iPod touch)
They will actually replace the phone with a complete different unit, but you will need to pay the accidental damage price, which is dependant on which phone you have. Its $199 for a 4gb, $249 for an 8gb and $299 for a 16gb iPhone replacement. If you call 1-800-MY-IPHONE they can arrange for you to send it in. Alternatively, you can also visit your local Apple Store and have it taken care of on the spot. Just be sure to make a reservation in advance, as they tend to be quite busy. You can make a reservation by going to
http://www.apple.com/retail and selecting your local store.
