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Belkin's Nifty In-Store Machine for Applying iPhone Screen Protectors

A great piece of industrial design

By Rain Noe - December 18, 2017

in Object Culture

I went to the Apple Store in SoHo to get a new screen protector for my iPhone. It's a thin film of transparent material. I was fascinated to see that Belkin has invented a little gadget that flawlessly applies it to the phone.

"They developed this specifically for Apple Stores," the employee applying my screen told me. "Before that we wasted a lot of product, trying to install them manually then screwing up." I went to record the process--but of course couldn't, since my phone was inside the gadget. But there's footage of these things in action on YouTube, check it out:

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I am really impressed with how the designers of this object thought through the entire process. The first green-skinned film you see being applied to the phone is to remove any dust or lint from the screen, the Apple employee explained to me. After that's removed they drop it into the machine, and as you can see the tabs keep everything perfectly aligned. It seems pretty idiot-proof.

The screen protector was expensive ($40) and I kind of think that that level of protection ought have been built right into something that costs at $649, rather than forcing you to buy it after the fact. Then again, if a $57,000 BMW doesn't come with protection either, I guess this is just the way of the world these days.

Anyways, my hat's off to the unknown designers of the Belkin tool. Great work!

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Scott Watrous

7 years ago

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So i dont get the argument that they cpuld design that level of protection into the phone. The whole point of cases and screen covers is they are ablative, replacable, wear items. You can add five layers worth of screen protector or built-in case-like armor but as soon as the outer layer is scratched you have to either live with the wear or replace parts.

I don't want Apple or Samsung adding layers of disposable scratch guards to a stock phone in the box unless that's the best possible surface, and it can readily and cheaply be swapped as wear occurs. I personally can't stand using the covers.

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Phillip Nguyen

7 years ago

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Gorilla Glass has become such a large industry standard now. With the new Glass 5, it should be impervious to most scratches and cracks, so there isn't any need to embed a screen protector on it. The reason the screen breaks from a drop is due to the overall design of the phone and the way all of the materials are stressed when dropped together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pvZ7y6djKU

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