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The iPhone 5′s gotten a lot of stick of late for the fact that it’s really easy to chip off and scratch its black coating, leaving the exposed metal poking through and making a brand new iPhone look like it’s 5 years old in a matter of days. Now, it seems like the iPad Mini‘s got the exact same problem.
It’s hard to tell whether that’s normal wear and tear, though, or whether the tablet’s been attacked by keys for instance. Anyway, that’s a mighty big chip right there, regardless of how it was caused. If anyone’s a lucky owner of a shiny new Mini, have you guys noticed any chipping or scratching of the coating? Do we have a scratch-gate on our hands? [Reddit via Macgasm via Ubergizmo]
Phil Schiller: That iPhone 5 Scratching Is Totally Normal
Another Reason to Never Use an iPhone Case: It Can Scratch Your iPhone Too
Is This the iPad Mini's Display?
I’m running a black Mini with the same red smart cover and no scratch’s at all.. i use mine every day. I am quite careful with it though
Are you making love to it every night? If not, that may be why yours isn’t ruined.
There isn’t any ports big enough !
There wouldn’t be a problem if people looked after their stuff. If something costs hundreds of pounds and you don’t want it to get damaged, don’t chuck it in a bag without a case….
Some people don’t care about the design complexity and fragility of their possessions.
I remember when the iPhone 4 came out. About 2 weeks after it went on sale I was standing behind a guy in a queue at Tesco. He pulled out his new iP4 and it was absolutely ruined; covered in scratches, cracked back etc. People like that should really just stick to nondescript black plastic slabs and leave the nice looking things for people who find such things pleasing to own.
But it looks like the guy with the ipad in the photo IS careful. He’s got a screen protector and that red case.
But look where the damage is, I’d say he’s taken that case off to get the mark. I don’t see how he could damage it there that badly with the red case on.
Maybe shoddy plating by Apple?
I would say he’s dropped it on the side or scraped it, there is no way something like that would constantly fall on the part with a screen protector and a smart cover
But I bought my shiny gadgets BECAUSE they look good. I don’t want to go whacking a cover on it, which then looks shit.
I don’t care how nice a cover it is, the naked (ooop) device is better.
My One X and old skool (yes, with a k) Kindle are totally coverless and look great. My iPad 2, with smart cover, is in an absolute state. It doesn’t even go in my bag! I know it’s now old but the Kindle is older and actually leaves the house every day, unlike the iPad which just sits on the coffee table.
My iPhone 5 has never seen a case and is in perfect condition – I’ve had it since launch day but I look after it. Pocket on its own, no coins or keys….
Almost exactly the same here. My iPhone 5 arrived with a pin head sized chip that flashes in the right light like a diamond. I considered sending it back but decided not to bother because of all the damage reports in the press and I didn’t want a white one. Three months later and it’s still the only mark on my phone!
My ipad mini has also happily taken to life at the bottom of my bag without a mark, my red cover however looked terrible after 3 weeks, with the batteries clearly visible and was returned (without receipt) for an instant no quibble exchange.
The iPad mini black finish appears much thicker/tougher than the black iPhone 5 (of which I rejected 3). My black mini is mostly used by my 4 and 7 year olds. Still unmarked, so I think that say’s something.
Is there no edit function here… “says”
1. Had my black iPad mini since launch and it spent the first week caseless, then inside a smart cover (which was useless – not as robust or magnety as 9.7″ iPad version – so returned cover to Apple Store), and now inside a superb CYGNETT silicon rubber case that surrounds all but the display. This provides a lip over the bezel that a) Makes a nice grip, b) Protects the display if iPad lands facedown on a flat surface.
2. No scratches or damage at all to date.
3. People are being silly. Cars, bikes and other painted items are ALL subject to scratches so need to be looked after. I do agree the iPhone 5 (like the iPhone 4 & 4S) are way too fragile as a whole, but the iPad mini is in fact one of the most robust tablets/devices I have ever owned. My niece throws it around – albiet in the aforementioned case, but it’s handling it like Silvester Stalone! (Note that I know a few people with Nexus 7s – and all have suffered hardware failure and had to be returned for repair under warranty!) Surprised because ASUS gear is normally robust, but it could be specific to early versions that may have had a design flaw.
I noticed chips on my iPhone 5 after a couple of days. I was gonna take it back but what’s the point? They won’t give me a white one and if I get a new black one the same thing will more than likely happen again.
I was determined to get a black iPhone 5, but the delivery dates were so much longer than the white I decided to go with the white, and i’m so glad I did. Grubby fingermarks on the back and screen (with a protector for that very reason) but no noticable scratches or dings. Looking at the black now i’m glad I didn’t get one, both because I now prefer the white/silver look, and the lack of obvious marks.
That’s the exact same thing that happened to my ipad I don’t know how it got scratched.