“Apple recently started requiring case manufacturers in its Made for iPhone (MFi) licensing program follow new requirements that will ensure cases better protect Apple devices and cover glass from impact, according to sources with knowledge of the new guidelines,” Jordan Kahn reports for 9to5Mac.
“The new restrictions were introduced in the months following the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus and will require case makers to protect Apple devices from drops up to a 1 meter (3.2 feet) onto a hard surface like pavement,” Kahn reports. “That includes protection of the device in any orientation including the usually exposed cover glass on the Apple device.”
Kahn reports, “Apple is also now requiring that cases protect an iPhone, iPad, or iPod’s cover glass when lying flat on a surface like a table.”
Read more in the full article here.
Seems perfectly reasonable, the larger the device, the more momentum it’ll carry when it falls, and more likelihood it’ll sustain damage.
I’ll be getting an Otterbox for my 6+ very soon, I already have a Tech21 screen protector on it, which is almost invisible, and makes me much happier about carrying it in my pocket.
I have scratched previous iPhone screens just by dropping the plug end of a pair of headphones into my pocket out of the way while using the phone for something else, and a rough edge has put scratches across the unprotected screen.
Not a mistake I’ll make with my 6+.
I already have an OtterBox case for my iPhone 6 plus….whenever it gets here.
👽
Is it the Defender case? Those are really heavy duty, even covering the screen, but when I checked there was limited availability.
Yeah, the screen protector is the first thing I rip off of any Otterbox. Moisture and crap collects under it. It gets scratched and dirty and otherwise degrades the clarity of the display in short fashion.
You know, if it’s so important for the case to provide said protection, why doesn’t Apple make the devices a little more robust?
For the record, I have an Otterbox for my iP6. Always have had an Otterbox since they first arrived. However, unless Apple shrinks the size of the iP7 this will be my last Otterbox. It makes the iP6 (not plus) too big for my pocket. It makes a phone that is slightly too big for my hand *way* too big for one handed operation. That, combined with the fact that the Otterbox has never been compatible with most ⅛” jacks (other than earbuds) plus the fact that it is nearly impossible to plug in a lightning cable into the iP6 w/Otterbox installed, along with the difficulty in opening up the port covers, has soured me on these cases.
I have a “Glass” screen protector and a sturdy soft see thru case. Been using these for a while. Dropped my iPhone once and the Glass got damaged, iPhone screen like nothing ever happened, got it replaced for free because it is lifetime warranty. Can’t go wrong. Do the same on the wife’s iPhone. Drops hers all the time. We have never had scratched screens or cases. When we sell the old iPhones they look almost new. Its expensive, but the “Glass” is well worth it.