I just stumbled upon (but not through StumbleUpon 
) an article from the Cult of Mac about how writer Tim Cox doesn’t want to keep his iPhone in a case. He basically states that none of us should be using cases because they take away from the iPhone experience as Jobs intended. I’m not against the “naked” iPhone, but I can’t help but think that the article is missing one basic reason for dressing the device up in the first place: customization.
What works for Cupertino might not be 100% perfect for me, and that is why I really like playing around with cases. Depending on whether the case is plastic or leather, features a flip or a strap, the iPhone can even feel like a whole different device because of the way that cases change the form factor. The Cult of Mac article even talks about screen protectors being unnecessary, and while I do agree with that, I’d say they’re also about adding texture to the screen that we spent 100% of our iPhone time interacting with.
How about you folks? Anybody here against putting anything on the iPhone?
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I've always found it odd that the company that preached/preaches "Think Diffrent" wants absolute control of everyone's iPhone. Customization has always been part of the Apple experiance.
I much prefer my phone without a case, but I keep one on anyway to protect it against the occasional drop.
I enjoy the phrase "as Jobs intended" here. It deifies him, and I love it.
"As the lord of mac jobs had intended, so shall all thine iPhones go naked, for they know not that they lack clothes, lest they have eaten from the forbidden apple tree"
no case for my iPhone… instead it's kept in the pocket of my purse (thereby protected) and has a egrip trackitback sitcker which keeps it from sliding around.
@Joe Wolf
I'm pretty new to the Apple exp, but I definitely like customizing my Mac. I wish I could do a bit more by default on the iPhone, even if it was just software themes.
@PiBlondin
Y'know, with most cases I do wonder how much they'll protect the iPhone. I'd say that Otterbox and that crazy one made out of 3d0 are probably the only ones with really great impact resistance.
@Michael
well, he is a cult figure, I think. And who else can pull off the black turtle neck that well anyway?
Bill Gates said no Apple products in his house so I don't think I will get Apple stuff.
When using the iPhone, holding it in hand, I for one do indeed prefer the 'pure' experience. I just want my phone to be as small and light as possible, and in my eyes any casing makes the iPhone look kinda cheesy with the cut-outs for the buttons and the front no longer being one flat surface that one can wipe clean.
For carrying it in my back pocket I use a soft suede pouch which is custom made in such a way that it is slightly wider than usual, allowing me (now, after some 'training') to take the iPhone out of the pouch while still in my back pocket and put it back in as well. This way it's always protected when I carry it around, and pristine when I use it out in the open.
Still, not to be misunderstood here, this is a preference, MY preference, and of course I have nothing against someone who decides to customize his experience. For all I care he/she can go all Japanese on it with bright colors and stuff dangling off from it!
Also: Neither should Apple care, and somehow I really don't think Steve Jobs would really be bothered by that.
I used to go caseless, but the back of my phone got all scratched up from setting it down on my desk at work. I would still prefer caseless, but it just isn't very practical if you like keeping your iPhone all shiny and new looking.
Personally, I would like to have my iPod Touch with out a case, especially when it's so thin (thinner than iPhone). But the back scratches so easily, not to mention all the smudges and fingerprints, that I am forced into buying a case. I think Apple does this on purpose to strike deals with case makers, but it's not likely. What they need to do is put matte black or silver, like the Macbook Air shell, as the backing, not chrome.
I don't think the point of that article was to "do what Jobs says", but rather the point being that cases can actually harm your iPhone more by trapping dust and dirt underneath them, which causes it to scratch the surface and get underneath the iPhone screen. But maybe I am biased, because I go "naked" as well.
Just recently experienced the worst case scenario for a no-case-purist.
A friend, interested in buying a 3GS himself (there is a 4-6 weeks backorder in Germany for the 32GB model at T-Mobile unfortunately), despite my asking him to pick it up and use it while holding it in his hand, ignored these warnings and played with it while the iPhone lay on a not so clean restaurant table. Pushing and pressing and the like then made for some niiiiiice scratches. I don't really care too much, otherwise I would have bought a case long ago, but still – thanks again for not heeding my warnings, buddy!
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