Apple bans protective screen films from Apple Store

say what you want against the screen films but I have and always will be a fan of them and put them on all my devices from ipod to phone to our crestron remote control in our home. I put a film on my ipod immediately and my husband did not. after 4 years of use my ipod looks brand new and my husbands looks like franken-ipod. that is enough to tell me they work, they're worth the money and effort. also, they do not hinder my experience one bit on my devices. my husband is a believer now and has had a film on his new phone from day 1.

This makes perfect sense if you have ever worked in an Apple retail store.

EVERY customer who buys ones asks the sales person to install it. On an old dirty phone thats a poor proposition:
The Specialist or genius roped into doing the install inevitably messes one up.
Its Apple, they replace the "mess up" on the spot, now they have lost 20 minutes of time, and 2 packages of screen film for the income of one.(im looking at you power support screen films).

This was a several times-daily occurrence, even in the BEST case, they still lost 10 minutes of time they could be pushing MobileMe, or Applecare over time wasted on a package of whats basically clear stickers. (and setting the expectation they'd do it again)

This doesn't even account for the iphones replaced at the genius bar when the customer says "what about my screen protector?" and the store eats one.

It saves Apple in the long run "we dont stock those anymore", no more free replacements w/ your service phone , and no more employees spending 15 minutes trying to get out "that last bubble".

I've had my 3G since shortly after they came out and I've never used a case or screen protector. Since then I've dropped it (several times on a sidewalk) AND put it in the same pocket as my keys (probably dumb). The plastic? Scratched as hell. The glass? Good as new. Not a single scratch or nick on the whole face.

I have an iTouch with a huge 2 inch scratch on it. Why ban the sale of something that is needed? Even Diamonds can get scratched, Apple has not nor will they ever build the perfect screen, scratches happen.

So I guess Apple will not be packaging and shipping iPhones with that thin protective film on the front of it any longer as well, huh?

I wonder when apple will start voiding warranties if you have a screen protector installed.

This will only help the "film any phone" kiosks that are springing up in malls. The operator sells you a film and applies it right there to your iPhone, BlackBerry, etc, and since he does about 200 of them a day, he does it right. :)

I don't use a screen protector anymore because it traps moisture next to the phone. Also, I believe it was misleading a sensor on the face of the screen and making some functions, like answer a phone call, not work reliably. I think the sensor issue is the real reason for the ban.

I work at an Apple store and this article by ilounge is mostly bunk. We have limited space on the floor and in the stock room and need to trim excess to have room for ipad stuff. Most of the cases that come with films are slim to never sell items and the films even more so. More are shoplifted each day than we sell. Plus customers toss a fit if they bring in a phone or ipod touch for repairs that has to be totally replaced. It is very very hard to remove a film without tearing it and the customer hissies about us just giving them a new package at our loss. AND when we sell them the customers scream at us to put them on, then if it's not perfect to do it over and if it tears, they want us to return the package we damaged and give them a new one. just not worth the headache

and yeah, you can still get them other places. it's not like you need to license a patent from us to make them and we said no so we could block them.

one thing motorola droid indisputably has over the iphone is that the droid uses gorilla glass (google it), that stuff is crazy strong and scratch-resistant.