The new Apple iPhone 5
The cost of repairs, replacements and insurance deductibles for banged, busted and broken iPhones has cost owners US$5.9bn since the smartphone’s introduction in 2007, a US survey by technology protection plan provider SquareTrade suggests.
The survey of more than 2,000 iPhone users also reveals that in the last year, 30pc of iPhone users damaged their device, with 50pc of users under age 35 having had an iPhone accident.
Accidental damage to iPhones is 10 times more likely than loss or theft, since the device has become an increasingly large part of consumers’ daily lives, according to Ty Shay, CMO at SquareTrade.
“As smartphones continue to improve, they become more tightly integrated into our busy lives, leaving them vulnerable to accidents around the clock,” Shay says.
“We were astonished at how many people drop their phones in the toilet, as well as how frequently an innocuous drop from the hand actually killed the device. We look forward to seeing what the new iPhone 5 users report with regard to durability.”
Some iPhone users try to salvage their damaged iPhones themselves since repairs can be costly, the survey indicates. Eleven per cent of iPhone owners surveyed are currently using a device that is cracked and 6pc have taped up their iPhone.
