This tops any list of back-handed compliments: a woman leaves her iPhone 4 on the roof of her car. Drives away.
Comes back home after running errands to find the device in the middle of the street marked by tire treads, screen a little woozy from the sun, but still working.
“After I removed the case and its clear shield, my iPhone was unscathed. Unscathed, I say!”
So she writes to Apple CEO Steve Jobs to say: if the iPhone 4 was this good, why do I need an iPhone 5?
“This is my thank you note for making an incredible product that is also klutz-proof. If the iPhone 5 just happens to be nuclear war proof, I will have to upgrade, because I will inevitably find a nuclear war to drop it in.” And signs off: “An Apple fan for life, mostly because my iPhone will survive my hijinks.”
What do you think Jobs would answer?
Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco freelance writer who heads up Cult of Mac Magazine, our weekly publication available on iTunes. You can find her on Twitter and Google+. If you’re doing something new, cool and Apple-related, email her.
63 responses to “Dear Steve Jobs: My iPhone 4 Survived Being Run Over, Why Do I Need an iPhone 5?”
Definitely had to wait to on this one for Steve’ answer.
Just the other day I was in an Apple store and heard a guy swearing up and down that he just pulled his iphone out of his pocket and it slipped and hit the floor and shattered into dozens of pieces, blah blah.
Stories like this give the guys behind the counter ammo to say ‘i highly doubt it’
No, iPhone 5 better.
Steve
If you think the iPhone 4 is awesome, the iPhone 5 will BLOW YOUR MIND!
Steve
Same thing happened to me. The phone was on the trunk of the car and I forgot I placed it there. Drove off though I lost it. Tried to use my phone finder but the sun cause the phone to shut down due to the thermo sensor. Went looking for it and found it in the middle of the road with tire tracks on the case. It was ran over several times. Took it home, cooled it down and voila, it powered up no marks or scratches! Worked perfectly. The case (SwitchEasy) was dirty but fine too!
Steve won’t read her email. She rambled on way too much. If I’ve learned anything about emailing Steve Jobs, you keep it short, sweet and to the point. The overwhelming majority of emails that he responds to are no more than 3-4 sentences max, and his responses are usually 3-4 WORDS max.
Stay tuned.
Sent from my Ipad
Because it’s a five. Next.
Thank you for your note.
Unfortunately, Apple is now aiming toward the lowest common denominator in society (see: emphasis of big, dumb Hollywood movies in the iTunes store, glossy mirror like screens on our laptops and the desecration of the word ‘Pro’ with out latest release of FCP), so the next iPhone will also be dumber and cheaper. I’d keep your 4, because we no longer think it’s cool to ‘Think Different’. We’re trying to Think The Same As Everyone Else because filthy rich is just too much fun!
Yours –
Steve
Isn’t the moral of this story that a good quality case will save your phone from accidental damage? Without the case, she would have been hooped! Oh well, people misplace their loyalties all the time.
Because 4 is unlucky.
Sent from my iPad.
ditto
Hah! Awesome. I didn’t actually send that to Steve Jobs. Just some additional fodder for my blog that only my mom reads. And Apple enthusiasts now, thanks, home slices.
True life, that case took the brunt of the beating, except for the front of the phone, since it’s a bumper case.
I’m just really, really, really (as in, really, in case you weren’t listening) lucky it flew off before I hit the Interstate, like my husband did once. We retrieved pieces of his phone, and not in the good way. Retraction: there is no good way.
So. With or without a reply from Steve Jobs, I still win!
People have to learn not to put stuff on the roofs of their cars. I’ve heard so many stories of items placed there and immediately forgotten. It’s the ultimate out-of-sight-out-of-mind spot!..
Steve writes: “Who said we’re going to have a iPhone5?”
You do have a point, but the iPhone is definitely a solid little device physically. The only time I’ve seen substantial damage to an iPhone 4, is when I’ve seen one dropped and landed on one of it’s corners, but even then that gives you a spider-web type shatter and is still perfectly functional, just looks worse than it is.
Yes, and for that i could kill someone
Well.. not true.. it depends on the events.
A 1 meter fall on stones.. can kill your phone
My 3GS has been dropped on every corner, face, front, side, back, whatever. Still is working just fine. Unlike the iPhone 4 of so many friends I’ve seen who have cracked faces on their phone. 3GS was truly a well made product.
Especially Fragile McFragilePants iPhone 4.
yeap.
sent from my iphone
Isn’t it cool?
Steve
Sent from my iPhone
It sure would not have survived the car without the case no.
But mine has survived two drops this far without a visible scratch (without a very strong light shining on it to find some of course, then there are few tiny ones :p)
Well, I’d say it’s probably for the same reason we all aren’t using dumb phones from 95 or 04 even… Both perfectly able to make calls and the one from 04 even capable of video calls (in Europe at least)
Nicole, is not that we need an iPhone 5 or 6 or 7, simple Apple have a job to do and that one is to create, redesign and to update a product as many time as they want, problem here is the consumer.
Consumer don’t need a new iPhone simple they want it consumers wants the new technology on the block I would like to have an iPhone 4 but I am so happy with my HTC HD2 Android I am not craving for a new one this does more then enough for me and I believe does more that I had discovered just yet.
I am a Technology person but I like to wait for that new gadget to be clean and really Prime time ready.
Good.
I really, really hope that the iPhone 5 has the same form factor as 4. Update the insides, increase the screen size, take away the physical home button for a touch button. All fine. But I love the front/back glass and the general size and shape.
Got my iPhone G1 with a cheap silicon case still working after hundreds of falls & falling under water a couple of times. Only a few dead pixels on a corner, but after 4 yrs of use thats remarkable for me.
well how about having an A5 processor in iphone 5 which will also make it much faster on operating end. apart from other cool features like 8 MP camera and even better screen display.. or for that matter even a better case.. to make it say “Bulletproof” ;)
did that just last night… left the ol’ iphone on top of the car, heard it go thunk as it hit the trunk flying off…
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