Speculation about the iPhone is hitting its peak as we draw closer to its release. The first few reviews are out and the feedback has been generally positive. The question as to whether the iPhone scratches is of particular interest, and received a fair amount of analysis. There seems to be a general consensus among the reviewers that while the screen may collect smudges easily, it is pretty much scratch resistant.
Steven Levy remarks, "Another concern is that constant use of fingers on the touch screen will make it mucky. I’ve found that the glass screen cleans easily with a damp cloth or baby wipe. As for wear and tear, I’ve been jamming it in my pocket with keyrings, coins and pens, and so far it’s nearly as good as new."
The ever Apple friendly Walt Mossberg review says of scratching, "The display is made of a sturdy glass, not plastic, and while it did pick up smudges, it didn't acquire a single scratch, even though it was tossed into Walt's pocket or briefcase, or Katie's purse, without any protective case or holster. No scratches appeared on the rest of the body either."
David Pogue remarks, "The glass gets smudgy — a sleeve wipes it clean — but it doesn’t scratch easily. I’ve walked around with an iPhone in my pocket for two weeks, naked and unprotected (the iPhone, that is, not me), and there’s not a mark on it." As it turns out, Pogue was either not observant enough or failed to mention that his iPhone did in fact have a mark on it. Thanks to his plucky video review, we're able to see glimpses of the wear one short week has done to the iPhone. Because David handles the iPhone with light sources behind him, we're able to catch glances of the reflection of this light off the surfaces of the phone.
The Screen
We get a few great reflections off the surface from Pogue's review.
Notice the lighter color on the right 4/5 the iPhone. That's primo-reflectivity there and narry a scratch.
Pogue's finger is reflected off the surface in this shot, and again we see no visible scratches.
Here the entire surface is awash in light and it looks fairly pristine to me.
I did find what could possible be a scratch, but because it didn't seem to show up in more than one of the other scenes I'm personally ruling it a focal aberration or straight-edge smudge. You be the judge:
Notice the light line on the upper right corner of the screen.
Here it is in a completely different scene in which Pogue is demonstrating a different capability. This is the only other time I found it.
Here it is in a completely different scene in which Pogue is demonstrating a different capability. This is the only other time I found it.
It looks like a smudge to me, and speaking of smudging, what we see in David's video review is definitely a confirmation of this issue. Observe:
The smudges collect where you would expect them to, on the button 1/5 of the phone near the home button.
As most of the reviewers note, smudges are easily removed with a quick wipe of the sleeve, and smudging will always be the drawback of shiny gadgets.
The Back
So if the iPhone's surface doesn't scratch easily, does the back? My analysis shows that it clearly does scratch, although this scratching seems localized to the shiny Apple logo, the one part of the phone most Apple fans wouldn't want to cover up with a case.
Here we see the logo with multiple scratches because of a direct reflection of some sunlight behind Pogue.
As he tilts the iPhone towards the camera, the scratches become more distinct, although the matte surface surrounding the logo appears to be scratch free.
On full tilt most of the scratches disappear with the loss of reflected light except for one big glaring scratch down the middle; shining, glimmering, taunting Pogue and Apple fans everywhere (myself included). There you have it. Aside from the Apple logo, it would seem to me that the iPhone has avoided all the problems that surrounded its first rev nanos. Smudging is an issue but a small one in my humble opinion, and if the Apple logo collects a few scratches it's no skin off my back. I'll be in line on Friday all the same. Tune in to NuttersMark late Friday night for an equally nitpicky early review of the iPhone.
