httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW_swJiebIA
Third-party warranty sellers SquareTrade want to make you cringe (and pull out your wallet) by showing you just what happens if you drop your iPad.
Or maybe your toddler drops it, face down. Or an irate spouse makes a smashing exit.
They tested the iPad 2, the Motorola Xoom and Samsung’s Galaxy by dropping them on pebbly concrete. The iPad 2 screen shatters, the Samsung cracks. The results are pretty well what you’d think: screens smash, computers kaput.
Was it a fair test?
Here’s what SquareTrade said in response to Cult of Mac’s questions about it.
Cult of Mac: A lot of people think you guys rigged the test. How do you answer them?
SquareTrade: Any article or video post will always generate a broad range of reactions, include the skeptics, the antagonists and the conspiracy theorists.
It’s impossible to respond to these skeptics in a way that will always satisfy them. The tablets were brand new when we dropped them. The results in the video are consistent with the results from the previous video, where the front of the iPad is shown.
CoM: How do you respond to the comments that the video edits mean it’s a fake?
ST: It’s not fake. We have nothing to gain by trying to stage a fake drop test. The results are comparable to our previous iPad drop test, where you can see the front of the iPads in that video.
CoM: Do you think the reactions (the Xoom was dropped higher etc.) reinforce the general feeling that “it can’t happen to me?”
ST: Not sure how this would reinforce the feeling. We are just trying to show a demonstration of how the devices compare to each other; we’re not trying to use this as a warranty-selling point.
CoM: You state in the video description that you don’t cover intentional damage — but what about the “whoops” factor?
ST: Yes, we cover accidents and clumsiness. So the “whoops” factor is covered.
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.
38 responses to “iPad 2 Fails Drop Test Against Motorola, Samsung Tablets [Video]”
My iPad 2 flew from the top of a car into traffic a couple weeks ago. It was then run over by three cars and one school bus. I was sure it wouldn’t function at all. The glass was smashed and the back had some serious dents in it. However, it turned on fine, the LCD was flawless and the touchscreen still worked. As far as I could tell it was fine besides the obvious bruises it had. This speaks to the quality of the device.
Just to add to the quality of the Apple experience; Apple replaced my iPad 2 for FREE as a one time courtesy even though this was clearly not a warranty issue.
-Joe
of course it’s a warranty selling point. why would they destroy over 2 grand in tablets otherwise? even his quick little quip, “As you can see, these things are really fragile”. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but own up to it.
The iPad didn’t “fail” any more than the others in this “test.” All the screens cracked. End of story.
What can we learn? Don’t drop it!
I let my ex-girlfriend’s kid play with my ipad2 once. He dropped it face down on the hardwood floors. It’s fine. A few nights before that I knocked it off my bed-side table with the smartcover on and it got a little bent where the connector goes, but it’s fine.
The difference in price between fixing a slightly broken screen and a fully broken screen is nothing – the whole screen has to be replaced… if it’s gonna break it might as well go out in style!
Translation: ALL THREE FAILED.
Does it really matter how smashed the glass was? Broken glass is broken glass.
Now there’s a thought!
These things are expensive, so just don’t drop ’em!
There was no “before” shot of the iPad, while there were “before” shots for the others. Not that it matters very much. Broken is broken. All three tablets would need major repairs, although I could imagine using the Samsung for a short while. That is, if I could imagine using a Samsung at all ;-).
I felt that last one! LOL So in a nutshell, don’t drop ANY tablets or invest in a battlefield worthy case.
Considering these tablets are like laptops minus a physical keyboard, is any of this a shock? I mean, it is not like dropping your candybar Nokia phone from 1997.
The problem with “drop” tests is that something can fall in an infinite number of ways onto varying surfaces and from varying heights. Unless they test more than a few times, I fail to see the usefulness of such tests.
Newsflash: Fragile things break when dropped.
Nicole…How bout’ that bikini pic?
Nicole… How bout’ that bikini pic?
no shit sherlock .. the point is people will drop them.. accidents are inevitable
I’m going to go ahead and say the new samsung galaxy tab (you know the one that isn’t 2 years old like the one you just dropped).
Would survive better then all 3 of these tablets.
Gorilla glass, and its lighter.
Obviously accidents can happen, but seriously, it’s basically a thin sheet of glass. If you drop it on on a hard surface from three feet in the air, glass side down, chance are really, really good that it’s going to break.
No surprise there, because I knew that one side was all glass when I bought it. I’m careful with all of my things that are fragile, not just tech devises. Accident are accidents. That’s why they call them that.
If you must have one of these tablet devices and you are prone to dropping them, buy a good protective case and hope for the best. This test was basically a waste of time. OF COURSE they’re going to break.
That’s so fake… iPads screen was smashed, in multiple places, not just dropped, not just once. F-ing stupid.
Doesn’t the iPad use Gorilla glass? As I recall the iPhone 4 does.
Their claim that they didn’t make this video just to sell their warranty is BS. Of course they did.
As for the drops themselves. They all broke, they are all unusable. Is it really any worse that this or that one broke ‘more’, not really. Also those were not real life type drops. So folks could buy their warranty, go the life of their tablet and drop it but never like that and never have a problem.
ST is known for trumping up their facts to make it sound like people really need their protection plan, especially with Apple products. This is no different
The smaller the screen, the less it will shatter so it would not be unexpected to see the Galaxy Tab faring the best in the drop. Iphone 4, for instance, will survive much better than ipad 2 in spite of having the same glass.
What will really be incredible if any survives such a drop intact.
How about dropping on the edge? Far more common in real life, and can also cause a good deal of damage…