14 DAY TRIAL // A poll ran by the folks at CultOfMac reveals that Apple may have another iPhone 4 issue on their hands, although the site does admit that such online surveys are far from scientific, therefore should not be relied upon.
The site notes that the vast majority of readers reported in a poll ran on Friday that slide-on iPhone 4 do cause scratches and cracks on the device’s back.
The iPhone 4, as many of our readers should know, features an all-glass-and-metal enclosure. The back of the device is particularly prone to getting shattered, according to various reports dished out around the web.
The Cult notes that almost 75 percent of respondents said their iPhone 4 had been scratched, cracked, or damaged by a slide-on case. Just 26 percent said their device was ok.
Prompted by a report authored Ryan Block, of GDGT, the poll tried to determine whether Apple is looking at another PR disaster.
The GDGT founder reportedly heard that Apple was actively investigating whether or not slide-on cases cause damage to the handset.
Citing sources both inside and outside the walls at 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California, Ryan reported last week that “after Antennagate the iPhone engineering team identified another potential design flaw that appears to have sent them into a quiet lockdown, and has them working behind the scenes in what's been described to me as something of a quiet panic to preempt any further tarnishing the iPhone brand.”
According to Ryan, Apple has learned of an issue caused by what he calls “non-bumper style cases”. Seemingly, some models are “occasionally prone to particulate matter getting caught between the rear of the phone and the case.”
According to his post, this is what’s causing all the scratching and cracking of Apple’s iPhone 4.
After outlining that “online polls are far from scientific surveys,” Cult of Mac also points out that most commenters on Ryan’s post report that they’ve had no problems with their case-equipped iPhones.