iPad Air glass break

I started a new discussion on the problem of iPad Air screens cracking for no reason. It was up for a few minutes, then disappeared. I received an email stating 'We’ve removed your post iPad Air screen cracks for no reason because it contained either product feedback or feature requests.' This seems like blatant censorship of someone who is unfortunate enough to have bought a faulty product.

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jeremyevans wrote:

This seems like blatant censorship of someone who is unfortunate enough to have bought a faulty product.

This is a user-to-user technical support forum. If you believe you have faulty hardware, you need to take that up with Apple directly as there is nothing that can be done to help you here. Make an appointment at the Geninus Bar at your local Apple Store or call Apple directly. There is a Contact Us link at the bottom right of every page.

According to the Terms of Use to which you agreed when you signed up for this forum, Apple may delete anything at any time.

Best of luck. .

Just returned from Apple store, my less than 2 month old ipad air slid off a computer table into the keyboard tray, glass feather cracked, looks like peacock plumage. Did not purchase Apple care based on my experience with its predecessor ipad4 being much tougher, so wasn't surprised when the Apple genius said I was out of luck, needed to pay $299 for a replacement. However, they didn't have replacements in stock so could not even get same day exchange. Have purchased an ipad4, the air, and an ipad mini as a gift all within 15 months but am rethinking everything if the current models are more delicate. Left the store without any resolution. Looks like I can get $100-140 for the broken air from Gazelle and other resellers, the genius said the apple recycling program value for a broken air is zero. Thanks for letting me share/vent.

I had a cracked iPad Air screen as well. I had to pay $299 for replacement.

Now the new replacement ipad screen has cracked!

After owning every iPad since they have come out this has never happened.

I am going to bring this to the apple store to see what they gave to say. There is no sign of impact whatsoever.

This replacement didn't even drop.

Good luck to you at the apple store, your second breakage is discouraging. I went to another apple store a few days later and paid for the replacement from a genius that didn't make me feel like they were doing me a favor letting me fork over another $299. I'm actively looking for a case now, especially hearing about your experience. I guess in hindsight AppleCare would have been less expensive. Hope you post back after you bring the second tablet in.

I have a 32gb ipad air with 4G which is only 2 months old. Without any drops or knocks two cracks appeared overnight on my screen. Because there were two cracks they said it must be accidental damage and refused to help. I cannot afford £250 for a replacement screen so I'm left with £700 worth of iPad that is damaged and may well get worse over time, due to a design flaw.

They say I must have knocked it without realising, but the glass on the air is way too thin if even the slightest thing can damage them.

This is my first ever experience of apple customer support, and TBH I felt like I was being called a liar when I insisted that there had been no knocks or falls, they just kept repeating that they could tell it had been accidentally damaged by the cracks on the screen. I walked out in disgust and don't intend to deal with aplle support again - it's a waste of time.

Why should I pay £250 to fix the results of Apples design flaws and what guarantee do I have that it won't simply break again? I'm seriously reconsidering getting another apple product when I upgrade my contract in three weeks time, if the iPhone 5 is as flimsy as the iPad air then I don't want one.

My iPad had a 10 cm drop (being cover protected) with a horrifying result, cracks all over the screen. I am an engineer, I have worked for a competitor and no way such a fragile product would be allowed to be released to the market. The iPad Air that I have is my first (and definitely the last) Apple product. When I bought it I was quite hesitant due to the price but I have been indoctrinated that this product was worth the money. I would never have expected such a badly built product. And what you get apart from the brand is nada, what you do need is to pay another 300 euro to get it fixed, or actually, to get it exchanged because it cannot be repaired. Jesus, how much money Apple will earn on bad quality. Normally you loose money on bad quality...well, in the long run users will go elsewhere. What I did was that I bought a plastic protection film and put it on the cracked screen so I can continue to use it, for the 300 Euros I will buy he another slate, if that will be a MS or an Android I have not decided yet.

Sympathies to both Graham and MMigel. I ultimately got the Apple Air replacement rather than switching because I already have Apple apps, and the Genius Bar did previously switch out my iPhone when the headphone jack died 11 months into its 12 month contract. I asked the genius whether the Air's glass was more fragile than its predecessors in order to get the Air's thiness/lightness, and he said no, the glass was the same. However, I can say that I dropped my uncased iPad4 numerous times without cracking.

It's interesting that Apple has replaced the iPad2 in their lineup with the iPad4, so rather than 'repairing' the Air for the $299, I would have been tempted to buy a new iPad4 for $399 (and sell the broken Air for parts which would have made up some of the $100 difference.

It sounds like our choices are MS/Android, an older iPad model that is less fragile, or an extra $100 for AppleCare with the ability to fork over additional $49 x 2 for two accidental breaks in two years.

Just to chime in - the same thing happened to me. Picked up my Air, which had been on a high shelf untocuhed for a couple of days with no way it could have been dropped or banged. Hairline crack right across the screen. The device has always been kept in an expensive Apple smart case.

As I used the product, which still work, another opened up and finally a spot shattered on the bevel opposite the home key.

I'll go to the Genius bar and argue my case but I'm not hopeful - £249 repair at an Apple store or 100-120 from an indie repair shop, EU consumer law says products must be fit for purpose. Imagine a thermos flask only as durable as a champagne flute. Seems that's the iPad Air.

Sorry to hear about the problems. We have an Air, too-- in a Fintie ultra slim case and it's doing fine--no screen cracks, so far.

One other option--get a Square Trade warranty for the iPad Air with NO deductible! We've had good luck with them and for just about the same cost as Apple Care+, you get a third year of coverage and no out of pocket expense. If you need a repair, they send you a mailer, pay for shaping both ways, and do it all inside a week. It covers loss, dropping, accidents, etc. The repair service works well, too.

Spontaneous cracks are one thing--i.e., normal use and cracks appear--that's bad and Apple should cover that whether in or out or warranty. However, when someone drops their iPad and the glass cracks, that's quite different.

"1- Answering to your post, my $700, and less than 3 weeks owned, ipad air fell from my hands -at waist height- to the flat floor and the glass shattered."

Drop most any glass item from 3 or 4 feet and it's likely to break, crack, shatter, etc. One can hardly expect the manufacturer to replace the item free of charge! Ever dropped a drinking glass? CRASH, SHATTER!

That's why it's always smart to get warranty coverage, including accidental damage, for any glass mobile product--such as the iPhone, iPad.

Eric, that's really strange. Is it possible that someone at Apple was misinformed? In any event, try Square Trade. They'll warranty used and exchanged products-- without a deductible. (And, no, I have no connection with them.)

1- The iPad slipped from my hand at about waist height. It was inside a well padded slip case. It didn't even made much of a sound, but the glass shattered like it was hit by a truck.

2- I have an iPad 1 which has had it much worse several times, it has a few dents in the aluminum, but the glass is like new.

3- Apple's own video promoting the Air shows a lab test where the iPad is thrown down on a hard surface from about 4 ft high. The video shows the ipad bouncing up and shaking in slow motion, completely unharmed. I think this is deceiving.

4- The ipad is marketed as an everyday use device, not like fine china or drinking glasses. Everyday use, unavoidably, involve an occasional small drop which the iPad should resist. I haven't found any warning in the ipad packaging saying "Handle with Care."

5- At this point, I don't even want Apple to replace my ipad. I'm just angry and dissapointed that, for all the talk about "design is how it works," in the end, Apple surrendered robustness on behalf of prettiness, and then pretended that the device was just as strong.

This thread was started in December. I wish my family had seen it before they bought me this great little iPad Air for Christmas, because by January 20, my screen was cracked. It had been placed directly into a Zaggfolio and has never been taken out, never dropped, never left the upstairs as a matter of fact. We called Apple and were accused of dropping it. We finally gave up and put some tape over the cracks. So much for my new ipad. This is my second ipad. I had the First Generation for 4 years with no problems. So disappointed in Apple that there has been no response to all these posts and many more on the internet on this screen. It is not a coincidence that so many people are having the same issues.

I hear you. What Apple don't realise that when you're faced with a haughty Apple Store manager baldly stating 'that's 'accidental damage' when your device suffered no obvious trauma and is in mint condition, aside from the broken glass, AND you take care of your equipment and have owned dozens of Apple products since the 1990s it really sticks in the throat.

I'm a big believer in voting with my feet when wronged and will probably buy a Nexus 5 instead of a new iPhone - don't use more than the obvious apps, which are available on Android too - on my phone extensively and I can recoup the money I spent repairing Apple's fragile iPad Air.

Wish I could get a refund on the stupid overpriced Smart Case too as now I'm thinking of getting some sort of tank-like US military cover to compensate for the Air's fragility.

Sorry Apple. I'll use your Macs because they've never given trouble and work better than the compeititon but I'm no longer a brand enthusiast after this treatment - the FIRST time in getting on for 20 years I ever had to return an Apple product under warranty.

Meh.

The crack in my Ipad Air glass was similar to a picture shown - diagonal across one corner, but likely to worsen. I reported it immediately to Apple and got a case number. We were on holidays and I could not resolve it for some 5 weeks, when we returned to Canada.

My experience was wonderful. With Applecare (Canada) coverage is great. You are allowed two non-catastrophic glass breaks, which gives you a brand new IPad for the very reasonable sum, in my case, of $49.00.

YEAH Applecare. I never buy extended warranties except for my Apple products, and it has paid off numerous times, especially in telephone support.

That said, the glass DOES seem to be extremely fragile.