6 ms·

I don't get why I need a waterproof iPhone? I'm not in the habit of getting my personal electronics wet? and if I had the choice between a waterproof iPhone (ra

by rusk 9y ago

I don't get why I need a waterproof iPhone? I'm not in the habit of getting my personal electronics wet? and if I had the choice between a waterproof iPhone (rarely a concern) and being able to use my headphones without charging them and/or a dongle the choice is clear for me. Also, I'd buy into the whole "thinner is better" thing if they weren't actually making the screens bigger and the "wireless future" thing is a just a load of overdreamt baloney.

garyrob 9y ago
Well, I've destroyed two iPhones by means of accidents that resulted in them falling into water.
- rusk 9y ago
  Yeah I have friends that have done that too. But like I say, if I had a choice between having to be careful with my device vs having to charge/pack an extra device on a continual basis it's a clear one for me ...
  - NhanH 9y ago
    I suspect it is a clear one for a lot of people. The problem is that don't think it would be the same choice. I moved back to Asia last year. And since then the combination of driving a scooter + rain season means my phone is soaked wet a couple times a year (sometimes it just rains and you really have no choice). If it is not waterproof, I have to always bring a backpack with me.
- retSava 9y ago
  I remember once upon a time, about 20-ish years ago when Nokias where the thing to have. I had one of the smaller ones that came after 3110 (3210?) and was working extra as a bar-something one night. I had a big bucket that pour out deserted drinks and bottles into, and now it was full of everything you can imagine. I leaned forward while typing an sms and dropped the phone in the bucket and saw the screen during the fraction of a second before I snagged it back. It showed a message along the lines of "This accessory is not supported" Then it died. Only to be revived through a bath in rice. Nokia, whaddayaknow.
Nagyman 9y ago
My S7 is IP68 water resistant and has a headphone jack. I don't think that's a challenge anyway. 1.5m for up to 30 minutes; enough time to retrieve from a toilet.
- retSava 9y ago
  Twice I've revived phones for others that fell (ha) for this unfortunate fate. Turn off immediately, disassemble as much as possible, rinse in clear water (tap for us, but it is not clorinated/flour), then dry in a bag of uncooked rice for a week or so. Boom. Instant Frankenstein phone. Feels good to save the world a little (through less waste).
  - ss248 9y ago
    "dry in a bag of uncooked rice" Don't actually do this. It's a myth. You can only get rice dust inside your phone that way. That's the only thing you can possibly accomplish.
    - rusk 9y ago
      Is it? Usually we insist on people providing evidence to support controversial claims.
      - rusk 9y ago
        This article [0] appears to support your hypothesis but there's enough discussion in the comments that suggests their results can't be taken as conclusive. I've read the original Gazelle article [1] too, and their methods are far from being clear or rigorous. I'd need to see more replication before I'd consider this "myth" debunked. [0] https://smartphones.gadgethacks.com/how-to/myth-debunked-uncooked-rice-isnt-best-way-save-your-water-damaged-phone-0154799/ https://smartphones.gadgethacks.com/how-to/myth-debunked-unc... [1] https://www.gazelle.com/thehorn/2014/05/06/gazelles-guide-water-damage-truth-rice-galaxy-everything/?utm_campaign=314743&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=SAS https://www.gazelle.com/thehorn/2014/05/06/gazelles-guide-wa...
      - 9y ago
pgm8705 9y ago
I didn't think I needed a waterproof iPhone either until I got it. I guess I still don't "need" it, but it is really nice to have. I love not having to worry about ruining my phone if I'm out in the rain, getting ready in the morning, hanging out by the pool, using it for recipes in the kitchen, and especially reading/web browsing in the hot tub.
- rusk 9y ago
  I have to admit ... you do make it sound quite compelling, from a comfort perspective. I suppose my overriding wish is that I could have this cake, and the other cake as well.
- ashark 9y ago
  Very handy with young kids. Saved mine twice in a year from "OK let me bend over to get you (or some item) out of the tub... damnit, there goes my phone". It'd be even more helpful if we let our kids play with our phones like a lot of people do.
emodendroket 9y ago
OK, for you maybe. For me I'd much rather have the thinner waterproof phone than a port I never use collecting pocket lint. Making the screens bigger is different in that it's a tangible benefit that a bunch of people are willing to trade size for, but that trend has also reversed itself (the Nexus 6P is smaller than the Nexus 6 for instance).
- rusk 9y ago
  Just out of curiosity, what's the payoff of having a slimmer, yet ultimately bigger phone? I guess there's a cohort of iPhone users that never use the jack but in the early days at least it was a compelling feature for many. (remember all those proprietary connectors we had back in 200x?)
  - emodendroket 9y ago
    The idea here is maximizing both screen space and portability. Obviously contradictory goals but the headphone jack compromises one without helping the other.
- Yizahi 9y ago
  How do you plan to hold these razor thin phones then? During last years I went from 9.3mm (iPhone 4S) in small formfactor to 8.9mm in 5.0" phone to recent 7.4mm in 5.5" phone. The last one even after almost a year of usage is insanely hard to hold and use naked. It is slippery (metal) and always tend to almost fall when I reach far corners or put it in the pocket. I bought spigen case entirely to have a better grip on this thing, not for the protection I don't really need. With thicker rubber case it is less of ergonomic nightmare and I don't fear that it will slip out. Why on Earth would you want a thinner phone? (I'm not even talking about subpar iPhone batteries)
  - emodendroket 9y ago
    I've never had this problem or realized it was even an issue. I tend to use my fingers on the back of the phone to hold it. I'd like it to be thinner because it's in my pocket all day.
coldtea 9y ago
>I don't get why I need a waterproof iPhone? I'm not in the habit of getting my personal electronics wet? Well, it's not like the world revolves around what some particular individual does. Other people might be more clumsy. Or might live in places with frequent rains (from London to the tropics and India), do all kinds of stuff outdoors, etc. Many people approve of a waterproof phone. And in any case, it's a nice feature to have even when you don't need it. It gives piece of mind for using it to call in the rain for one -- and if you have ever been outside in London or tons of other places you'd have seen the utility.
- rusk 9y ago
  I'm in Dublin here, I know all about rain ... the problem with these arguments "it's not like the world revolves around people with x point of view" is that you can't necessarily say that it should revolve around people with y point of view. A great many people like the jack too so why should they be discommoded when all you have to do is put your phone in a waterproof case. Or why can't we just have both.
  - macintux 9y ago
    Waterproof cases are often bulky, awkward to use, and ugly. Apple is always, always going to choose encouraging forward thinking (wireless) over supporting legacy technologies by adding bulky, awkward covers.
    - rusk 9y ago
      That's not true. They set the precedent for using the jack in mobile phones in the first place because "usability" - before the iPhone nearly all mobile phones had proprietary connectors.
s73ver_ 9y ago
Ever place your phone on a table or bar, and there's gunk on it, and now that gunk is all over your phone? Nothing better than just being able to go to the restroom and rinse it off.

by rusk 9y ago

garyrob 9y ago

Well, I've destroyed two iPhones by means of accidents that resulted in them falling into water.

rusk 9y ago
Yeah I have friends that have done that too. But like I say, if I had a choice between having to be careful with my device vs having to charge/pack an extra device on a continual basis it's a clear one for me ...
- NhanH 9y ago
  I suspect it is a clear one for a lot of people. The problem is that don't think it would be the same choice. I moved back to Asia last year. And since then the combination of driving a scooter + rain season means my phone is soaked wet a couple times a year (sometimes it just rains and you really have no choice). If it is not waterproof, I have to always bring a backpack with me.
retSava 9y ago
I remember once upon a time, about 20-ish years ago when Nokias where the thing to have. I had one of the smaller ones that came after 3110 (3210?) and was working extra as a bar-something one night. I had a big bucket that pour out deserted drinks and bottles into, and now it was full of everything you can imagine. I leaned forward while typing an sms and dropped the phone in the bucket and saw the screen during the fraction of a second before I snagged it back. It showed a message along the lines of "This accessory is not supported" Then it died. Only to be revived through a bath in rice. Nokia, whaddayaknow.

Nagyman 9y ago

My S7 is IP68 water resistant and has a headphone jack. I don't think that's a challenge anyway. 1.5m for up to 30 minutes; enough time to retrieve from a toilet.

retSava 9y ago
Twice I've revived phones for others that fell (ha) for this unfortunate fate. Turn off immediately, disassemble as much as possible, rinse in clear water (tap for us, but it is not clorinated/flour), then dry in a bag of uncooked rice for a week or so. Boom. Instant Frankenstein phone. Feels good to save the world a little (through less waste).
- ss248 9y ago
  "dry in a bag of uncooked rice" Don't actually do this. It's a myth. You can only get rice dust inside your phone that way. That's the only thing you can possibly accomplish.
  - rusk 9y ago
    Is it? Usually we insist on people providing evidence to support controversial claims.
    - rusk 9y ago
      This article [0] appears to support your hypothesis but there's enough discussion in the comments that suggests their results can't be taken as conclusive. I've read the original Gazelle article [1] too, and their methods are far from being clear or rigorous. I'd need to see more replication before I'd consider this "myth" debunked. [0] https://smartphones.gadgethacks.com/how-to/myth-debunked-uncooked-rice-isnt-best-way-save-your-water-damaged-phone-0154799/ https://smartphones.gadgethacks.com/how-to/myth-debunked-unc... [1] https://www.gazelle.com/thehorn/2014/05/06/gazelles-guide-water-damage-truth-rice-galaxy-everything/?utm_campaign=314743&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=SAS https://www.gazelle.com/thehorn/2014/05/06/gazelles-guide-wa...
    - 9y ago

pgm8705 9y ago

I didn't think I needed a waterproof iPhone either until I got it. I guess I still don't "need" it, but it is really nice to have. I love not having to worry about ruining my phone if I'm out in the rain, getting ready in the morning, hanging out by the pool, using it for recipes in the kitchen, and especially reading/web browsing in the hot tub.

rusk 9y ago
I have to admit ... you do make it sound quite compelling, from a comfort perspective. I suppose my overriding wish is that I could have this cake, and the other cake as well.
ashark 9y ago
Very handy with young kids. Saved mine twice in a year from "OK let me bend over to get you (or some item) out of the tub... damnit, there goes my phone". It'd be even more helpful if we let our kids play with our phones like a lot of people do.

emodendroket 9y ago

OK, for you maybe. For me I'd much rather have the thinner waterproof phone than a port I never use collecting pocket lint. Making the screens bigger is different in that it's a tangible benefit that a bunch of people are willing to trade size for, but that trend has also reversed itself (the Nexus 6P is smaller than the Nexus 6 for instance).

rusk 9y ago
Just out of curiosity, what's the payoff of having a slimmer, yet ultimately bigger phone? I guess there's a cohort of iPhone users that never use the jack but in the early days at least it was a compelling feature for many. (remember all those proprietary connectors we had back in 200x?)
- emodendroket 9y ago
  The idea here is maximizing both screen space and portability. Obviously contradictory goals but the headphone jack compromises one without helping the other.
Yizahi 9y ago
How do you plan to hold these razor thin phones then? During last years I went from 9.3mm (iPhone 4S) in small formfactor to 8.9mm in 5.0" phone to recent 7.4mm in 5.5" phone. The last one even after almost a year of usage is insanely hard to hold and use naked. It is slippery (metal) and always tend to almost fall when I reach far corners or put it in the pocket. I bought spigen case entirely to have a better grip on this thing, not for the protection I don't really need. With thicker rubber case it is less of ergonomic nightmare and I don't fear that it will slip out. Why on Earth would you want a thinner phone? (I'm not even talking about subpar iPhone batteries)
- emodendroket 9y ago
  I've never had this problem or realized it was even an issue. I tend to use my fingers on the back of the phone to hold it. I'd like it to be thinner because it's in my pocket all day.

coldtea 9y ago

>I don't get why I need a waterproof iPhone? I'm not in the habit of getting my personal electronics wet? Well, it's not like the world revolves around what some particular individual does. Other people might be more clumsy. Or might live in places with frequent rains (from London to the tropics and India), do all kinds of stuff outdoors, etc. Many people approve of a waterproof phone. And in any case, it's a nice feature to have even when you don't need it. It gives piece of mind for using it to call in the rain for one -- and if you have ever been outside in London or tons of other places you'd have seen the utility.

rusk 9y ago
I'm in Dublin here, I know all about rain ... the problem with these arguments "it's not like the world revolves around people with x point of view" is that you can't necessarily say that it should revolve around people with y point of view. A great many people like the jack too so why should they be discommoded when all you have to do is put your phone in a waterproof case. Or why can't we just have both.
- macintux 9y ago
  Waterproof cases are often bulky, awkward to use, and ugly. Apple is always, always going to choose encouraging forward thinking (wireless) over supporting legacy technologies by adding bulky, awkward covers.
  - rusk 9y ago
    That's not true. They set the precedent for using the jack in mobile phones in the first place because "usability" - before the iPhone nearly all mobile phones had proprietary connectors.

s73ver_ 9y ago

Ever place your phone on a table or bar, and there's gunk on it, and now that gunk is all over your phone? Nothing better than just being able to go to the restroom and rinse it off.