Are People Really Not Putting Their IPhones in Cases?

Read this article over at InformationWeek this morning and remained baffled.I understand consumers' frustration with the iPhone 4's reception issues (though the only one I used stubbornly refused to recreate the problem). However, I can't believe that people actually are annoyed by the simple solution to case the phone.

I still have a 3GS, but before that I had a first-generation phone. (I'm not normally an early adopter - it was a Christmas present.) The first thing I did after getting both phones was select a case and screen film that was comfortable for me. To me, this seems like common sense: Not only does the iPhone represent a significant investment monetarily, but it is without a doubt the most important piece of technology I own. It connects me to everyone else on the planet through voice, SMS and e-mail, as well as Facebook, LinkedIn and the rest of the Web. I check my bank balances and get directions using it. I load it with podcasts and music, stream radio stations and play games.

This would be true whether I had an iPhone, BlackBerry, Android phone or any other smartphone. It goes with me everywhere and gets into some precarious positions. So why would I not protect that investment by casing the phone immediately? Everyone drops their phone at some point. I've seen very expensive phones tumble into the mechanism of the elliptical machine at my gym more than once.

So yes, the "design flaw" is annoying, and the price of cases can be slightly ridiculous (though it helps that here in New York cheap cases can be found on many street corners). But that's nothing compared to the reality that the value of a smartphone in a case is always greater than the value of it outside of one. It's quite possibly the most important device ever invented when you consider how much it enhances our abilities to communicate: where we once needed a telephone, radio, portable media player, personal computer, and mobile telephone, we now have one pocket-sized device equal to them all. Just case it, people, and be glad you live in the future where all those things are possible.

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio