Apple to remove screen protectors and films from online store

If you need a screen protector for your iPhone, prepare to go to Best Buy to pick one up: Apple will no longer be selling screen protectors — including protective cases and screen films — in either its online store or retail outlets starting in May

Both MacWorld and iLounge are saying that Apple is likely pulling screens in order to emphasize the durability of the forthcoming iPad… not exactly the sort of working theory that makes a lot of sense to anyone paying attention to the dozens of spiderweb cracked iPhone displays you might see in random strangers’ hands on any given day wandering around a big city.

An iLounge comment coming from an Apple Retail employee makes more sense: “I’m an Apple Retail employee who has applied roughly a million of these films. A couple months ago, it became our policy not to help apply them, because they’re so difficult to get perfect and it became a liability issue (“There’s a speck of dust, give me a new one free.”). Unless you’re in a vacuum, there’s a chance of picking up dust between opening the package and putting the film down”

That makes sense, but Apple’s banning more than just film here. John Gruber’s theory is that this is just a move to emphasize that Apple’s touchscreen devices are meant to be used as is. I think that’s the most compelling theory, but it’s also a joke: while Apple’s screens are about as durable as you can expect glass to be, they still crack pretty easily, and if you ever want to resell your device for a good price, a protective case is pretty much a must.

This isn’t likely to affect many people: iPhone cases are available pretty much at every big box retailer, and I doubt Apple declining to sell them through their various retail outlets is going to make much of a dent on the market. Still, it’s a rather bold and pig-headed move for Apple to take: while I don’t think anyone out there is denying they’d rather not have to use a case or film with their iPhone, the bottom line is that they are still a necessity, barring Apple’s perfection of force field technology.

Update: One of our commenters, an Apple store employee, has some interesting thoughts on the possible reasons behind the removal:

As an Apple store employee myself, I can confirm the ban on putting on the films. When we screw up the customers yell at us that we ruined the film and demand we return it and give them a new one. And half the time demand we put that one on also (even though we screwed up the last one). Also people coming in for repairs yell about the films on their old phones when they are replaced. Plus we typically have 5 shoplifted for every one that we sell…

This comes down to one of several possibles.

DON'T MISS
Apple To Sell Distribute Film Exclusively Through iTunes

1. the next iphone and touch will use screens that don’t need the films and/or negate the film attachment

2. this is just bitter pills from smaller companies that were rejected for space in the stores

3. my vote for most likely: Lower selling items are being cut from the stores due to a need for display and stock room space for ipad accessories most of which will hit later in April. These films and cases are part of that lower selling collection.

11 comments »