A new TV commercial by Apple depicts a senior citizen leaving his iPhone on loud in a puddle of water next to the swimming pool so he can hear dramatic music as he dives off a high tower.
Here is the commercial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La4HRfL5tV4
At the end of the commercial, the man finally dives into the pool causing a splash of water to hit the iPhone. And miraculously, it still keeps playing music.
What you probably missed in the commercial is the very faint disclaimer at the very end.
*MOUSE PRINT:
In case you still can’t read that, it says “Liquid damage not covered under warranty.”
So why does the ad seemingly tout the waterproof or water-resistant properties of the device if they are not willing to stand behind it? We asked Apple, but all a spokesperson would say is:
“iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are splash, water and dust resistance. The entire enclosure was reengineered to make the very first water resistant iPhone, enabling it to handle mishaps such as spills and splashes.”
Wow, that’s quite a non-answer from the Apple representative:
“Why do you not cover splash damage for the product you claim is splash resistant?”
“Our product was engineered to be splash resistant”
Something tells me that Apple isn’t going to stop pushing the Apple Care warranties over the basic warranty any time soon.
I call Apple’s “answer” quibbling and deserving of a trip to the grog bowl. Non-military can ask former military for the reference.
I’m not too surprised by this. Water resistance is not waterproof, and there’s no real way for a customer to prove that their phone was only splashed as opposed to being submerged in the briny depths of Davey Jones’ locker. My guess is an Apple support employee would use their best judgement for any claims.
Not only that but the commercial points out stereo speakers and the disclaimer states that the music is dramatized.
First off, I like my iPhone 6.
Since the topic is ‘bash Apple’, why not bash the car companies that show their vehicles skidding all around the place. Surely, they would prefer that you not do that kind of driving in their cars. There is a very tiny disclaimer telling us the stunt was performed on a closed course with a trained driver. How many people read or actually heed the warning. Skidding into parking places is another favorite.
The phone is water-resistant, not water-proof.
The topic is not “bash Apple.” As a consumer who has never owned an Apple of any kind, and who has seen this particular ad several times, it does appear to imply that splashing the phone would be acceptable. As to your equating that to a car cutting wheelies, an overwhelming percentage of people have driven cars and are already aware this is not typical driving, and parking holds its own terrors. But with phones, new improvements are touted every few months by various makers. Surely you are able to discern the difference?
I hope you continue to enjoy your iPhones, but I also thank MousePrint for bringing to light information we need to know in order to make informed decisions as consumers.
Sony used to run an ad showing the Xperia phone being used under water. And other manufacturers have have advertised “waterproof” phones. I think they all backtracked from that after having to process large numbers of water damage warranty claims. It still is possible to get water damage by leaving a port cap open. But it’s hard for a manufacturer to call the customer a liar and and deny the warranty claim. It’s easier just to have a policy of not covering water damage and then letting the ones through that are actually legit.