On the eve of the iPhone 6 launch in the U.S., folks (like me) are dying to get their hands on the next-generation Apple smartphone.
No matter how light and tough the iPhone 6 will be, people will need to get it repaired before trading it in for the “new hotness” that succeeds the best smartphone on the market.
Most of those repairs will result in the owner dropping and subsequently cracking the screen (Ask me how I know). Squaretrade, a company that offers smartphone protection plans conducted a survey in 2012 and concluded that Americans have spent $10.7 Billion repairing and replacing phones…and that’s just iPhone numbers dating back to the original iPhone released back in 2007.
What shocked me about the results (as indicated in the infographic below) is that 15% of iPhone users continue to use their cracked phones long after their phone is damaged. I assumed that an iPhone was more than just a phone, and that users viewed then as more of fashion/class statement, than a little computer…that can also make phone calls. So folks wouldn’t couldn’t last a second peeking through cracked glass to update their Facebook/Twitter/Instagram networks.
Thinking back over all the iPhone repairs I’ve done, it makes a little sense thought. I have seen some severely damaged phones and the users have done some straight-up McGyver stuff, from putting screen protectors to using janky-old scotch tape over their cracked screens to continue using their phones until they get get it fixed or get a new phone.
All that to say, as an iPhone repair guy, I am excited at the pending release of the iPhone 6. Bigger, better phones means more people using their phones. An according to this study, that means more people breaking their iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which means I’m in the right business…
I’m not e’em gon’ front…I’ll be happy with just a little tiny piece of a $10.7 Billion dollar industry.
FYI: That number jumps to a whopping $23.5B when you add in Android, WindowsPhone…and BlackBerry repairs. Peep the infographic and let me know if you plan of spending the extra dough on a protective case now.
