Tougher Than an 18-Wheeler’s Treads

11:20 pm, February 3rd, 2008, Pete Mortensen

Mike Beauchamp’s iPhone has been through hell and back – and it’s still working. He tells the story in graphic detail at Flickr.

As the last pair of headlights approached, the semi got over to the far outside lane because he saw me standing on the side of the road. I knew this was trouble. As I watched helplessly from the shoulder, the semi plowed my phone at full speed, throwing it to the ditch on the other side of the highway. At this point, I figured I’d retrieve it just for the purpose of seeing the crushed iPhone in disarray, mangled and crunched lifeless in the grass.

Much to my surprise, as I approached, I heard the familiar sound of my ringtone — the iPhone was alive and ringing! As I picked it up and cradled it gently in my hands, I saw the screen displaying my caller ID — the screen still worked! I slid my finger gently over the answer slide and paused as I held the tattered and torn device to my ear — my heart must have skipped a beat when I heard my mom’s voice at the other end of the phone — the phone still worked!

Glorious. Apple should hire him.

Via Daring Fireball

Posted by Pete Mortensen in Top stories, iPhone | Comment on this article

About the author

Pete Mortensen is the communications lead for growth strategy firm Jump Associates and the co-author of Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy, a book and blog that are significantly more interesting than you might initially think. Pete's particular Apple avocations are both around design--interface and industrial. Follow him on Twitter!

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7 comments

I heard that Apple’s PR actually got ahold of him to possibly do an ad. Seams like a strange angle for Apple to take though, when I think of the iPhone I don’t think “Hey! I’ve got to get that phone; it is so DURABLE!”

Great story, though. Reminds me of all those people who were worried that just dropping it would shatter the device.

Church of Apple, on February 4th, 2008 at 9:27 am

Yeah.
My wife’s phone shattered after less than a 3 foot drop. After hearing how bulletproof it was, I was quite disappointed in that performance, and I was disappointed that Apple wouldn’t stand behind it.

I wonder why Apple didn’t ask my wife to do a commercial.

bc, on February 5th, 2008 at 8:36 am

Why exactly should Apple “hire him?”

I’m tempted to swear for you being so… ridiculous.

nak, on February 7th, 2008 at 5:10 am

[...] the guy who dropped his iPhone on an interstate where it was subsequently run over by a semi-truck should be hired by Apple. Uh, [...]

Hack This Mac : What’s wrong with you… Mac pundits?, on February 7th, 2008 at 5:53 am

My last patient was a bull rider who fell off his bull and then got stepped on by said bull, squishing his liver. While we were cutting his clothes off in the trauma bay, his iPhone slipped out of his pocket.

Who exactly goes bull riding with their iPhone?

andrew, on February 14th, 2008 at 12:03 am

Um, Andrew…why go bull riding at all is more the question that comes to my mind.
But the bull made a good choice of where to put his “foot”