

Broken iPhone? Call iCracked (YC W12), the aspiring AAA of smartphones - waderoush
http://www.xconomy.com/san-francisco/2012/11/28/broken-iphone-call-icracked-the-aspiring-aaa-of-smartphones/

======
nlawalker
_It turns out that 30 percent of all iPhone owners manage to break their
phones within 12 months of purchasing them. For people under 35, the rate is
closer to 50 percent._

I find this stunning, especially the second part. With rates like that I'm
kind of surprised that Apple doesn't offer this service at a premium.

I wonder how they gathered the data for this, and how they define "break".
(Aside: I remember reading somewhere that the most frequent usage of "it turns
out" is for presenting outrageous statistics that have no data behind them).

~~~
freehunter
It really makes me wonder why more time isn't spent in making smartphones more
durable. People tend to buy them at $100-$200 on contract, not realizing that
if they break the phone, they won't get another one for $100-$200. It's more
like $600-$800.

Sure, having the thinnest phone made entirely of glass is a really nice
selling point in marketing material, but having a phone that lasts the entire
term of your contract without needing to be coddled and have the form factor
ruined by a bulky case just to protect it is even nicer. For comparison, the
Lumia 920 is not incredibly thick or heavy and still looks quite nice, but it
can handle an impressive amount of abuse before it breaks:

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=E3c8il_Q6SU](http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=E3c8il_Q6SU)

~~~
bornhuetter
There are plenty of durable phones out there, but the tech media constantly
label them "cheap plastic".

~~~
freehunter
"It feels like a premium device" kind of grates on me. In most cases, it's
code for "it's made of expensive materials that are really quite fragile".
Like glass surrounding a rigid metal frame that guarantees it will shatter on
impact with no room to absorb a blow.

~~~
Osmium
Yes "feels like a premium device" is code for "made of expensive materials"
or, more specifically, "made of expensive materials [assembled to a high
degree of precision]." Talking about fragility is misleading: if I want a
phone that doesn't get scratched, surely I'd prefer it be made out of glass
rather than plastic? since one is much harder than the other. So, of the two,
which is the more fragile? Answer: it depends what you're worried about.

~~~
freehunter
>Answer: it depends what you're worried about.

True. But what's better, a phone with a plastic outside and a gorrila glass
screen that might scratch on the back but the screen won't scratch and the
phone won't shatter if you accidentally hit it with a baseball bar across a
paves parking lot? Or a phone with a rigid metal exterior covered in gorrila
glass that won't scratch but shatters if you drop it from waist height?

~~~
freehunter
Sorry, that was typed on my phone. That should be baseball bat and paved
parking lot.

------
nfg
> Key your _ZIP_ code into iCracked’s desktop or mobile site, and you’ll hear
> back within minutes from one of 310 “iTechs” around the _world_

Zip codes are not universal, something many people developing web apps with
obligatory zip fields seem to forget.

~~~
kenrikm
You can click to select your location on the map if you don't have a zip.

------
aaronblohowiak
Empty page after following their wizard to replace the screen on my AT&T
iPhone 4 [http://www.icracked.com/fix-my-iphone/iphone-4-gsm-att-
repai...](http://www.icracked.com/fix-my-iphone/iphone-4-gsm-att-
repair/iphone-4-gsm-att-screen-black.html)

~~~
fady
yeah me too. chrome 16... fedora.

~~~
tonyicracked
Thanks everyone - We've fixed the bug now and it should be working perfectly

------
stephengillie
_Key your ZIP code into iCracked’s desktop or mobile site, and you’ll hear
back within minutes from one of 310 “iTechs” around the world who will
schedule a repair visit, usually for around $100. (The exact charges are up to
the technicians, who are self-employed and pay iCracked only for parts.) If
there’s no iTech in your region, you can order a DIY iPhone screen replacement
kit from iCracked for $65 to $75._

So this is more like a 1-800-dentists, where they connect iPhone users with
iPhone repair businesses.

------
chrisherbert911
I've used one of the technicians for a broken iPhone and it was awesome. Does
anyone know if they can fix iPad screens and iPad mini screens?

~~~
tonyicracked
We sure do! We can also buy it from you so you can get the new mini!

~~~
smcguinness
What about iPhone 5s? Referred someone to you guys the other day and they came
back that you couldn't fix it.

<https://twitter.com/amuse/status/273143021653069824>

------
ajju
I ordered a DIY kit from iCracked to repair the broken screen on my iPhone,
and it worked out really well.

If you are handy with tools, and not afraid to disassemble electronics, the
DIY kit is totally awesome. If not, get it done by an iTech.

~~~
jwn
I successfully did the same for my wife, but I have some gripes about it:

1) The instructions were not complete! It only walked me through disassembly
and attaching the new screen. I had to walk backwards through the instructions
to get the phone assembled, and I felt the instructions left enough
ambiguities that I'm surprised her phone doesn't show any side effects.

2) The pictures on the instructions were WAY too small to be of much use. In
one case the circle designating where the screw to remove resides was not over
the real location.

3) The instructions implied that the manual was magnetic for holding screws -
it was plain printer paper.

Overall I got the job done cheaper (and faster) with iCracked than sending it
away, but I'd like to see my gripes addressed before doing it again. This was
for the 4s if anyone cares.

~~~
ajju
Instead of RTFM, I used the video on the site. The one time not RTFM worked
out, I guess.

------
bdittmer
I tried to use iCracked a couple weeks ago and they didn't have the supplies
in place to fix an iPhone 5. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed.

~~~
peeze
When I called iCracked about the same thing, they (very honestly) told me
iPhone 5 screens are uber expensive and they currently cost more than it would
to get a replacement iPhone 5 from Apple, which is currently $229. The way the
markets work though, iCracked said they will be swapping those screens out at
half the price pretty soon. I'm assuming it's the in-cell technology in the
new screens that makes them so expensive.

------
watmough
This seems kind of expensive, since I found a guy in Houston who put a new
front on my broken iPhone 4 for $75.

~~~
peeze
Yeah, there are definitely people doing it way cheaper, but the quality is
terrible and there is no warranty!

------
indiecore
How did their founder's iPhone have a collision with a ceiling fan?

~~~
waderoush
AJ Forsythe explains that in the story: "That was a function of being in
college. It was an underhand toss to a roommate—‘Hey, the phone’s for you’—and
the ceiling fan intercepted it."

