A judge has dismissed a class-action lawsuit against Apple contending that the company misrepresented the strength of the phone's glass front and back, with iPhone 4 owners saying it was quite the opposite, that the glass too easiy shattered.
The lead plaintiff in the case is Betsalel Williamson of California, who said he had to replace the screen of the then-new phone when it after he accidentally knocked it off a chair arm. The damage: “spider cracks across the back glass panel.”
This, he said, after Apple CEO Steve Jobs and the company touted the phone in 2010 as "more scratch resistant than ever."
Federal judge Edward J. Davila of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said in his ruling this week, in part:
Jobs' explanation that glass was used "front and back for optical quality and scratch resistance" is no more than a description of the phone. It is not a specific commentary about the iPhone 4's durability, let alone one that is likely to mislead a "reasonable consumer."
The judge said he would allow the plaintiff to amend the lawsuit if he can show specifically how Apple deceived consumers, but as Cult of Mac noted, "otherwise, the ruling was fairly clear cut: smartphones break, that’s why you buy a case."
Some of those with iPhone 4s following the lawsuit may not care at this point: Their phone contracts, 2 years old, are ripe for renewal, and a new iPhone is on the way.
— Via GigaOM
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