Scratch City: An Apple user's tale of not-great durability

But, let me continue painting a picture here. Just a few weeks after this magical unboxing experience, and long before you're done paying off that expensive Apple product, you notice something that baffles you… Your Apple thing gets hit by sunlight one morning, and you're horrified to find that there are a number of scratches on the glass!

Why, how could that be? You've kept your tech gadget safe – you haven't dropped it or placed it in a pocket with keys or coins in it – so this makes no sense! Did some magical scratch fairy come over one night to sharpen her nails on your Apple Watch? What the heck?

Indeed, I'm here to share my experience with you, and tell you that despite their premium build, those expensive Apple products won't stay nice and pretty for long, unless you're really making an effort to protect them.

My Apple Watch got inexplicable scratches in less than a month of use

I wish there was more to say; anything to explain how this happened, but there really isn't. You're looking at the results, but I'm not sure from what.

My month-old Apple Watch Series 7 Nike Edition has been under a long sleeve almost the entire time since it came out of the box, yet somehow it has all these scratches on it now. I don't know if cotton sleeves can magically scratch the Apple Watch's display… But let me throw some facts at you, right from Apple's website:

According to Apple, the Watch Series 7's display is crack resistant – "Our strongest front crystal ever." Okay, technically I don't have cracks, just scratches… That doesn't make me feel better about it, but let's continue… Apple also says that the Watch Series 7's display is water resistant and IP6X dust resistant. So okay, it's not like Apple is lying, it says nowhere that it's a scratch-resistant display, and yeah, I can see why.

Did you know that screen protectors for smartwatches were a thing? I sure didn't, but oh boy do I wish I saw those earlier…

My iPhone cracked after a very small drop; weak point – the antenna line

So after using a number of huge Android phones for years, I've decided to do a 180 and try out a tiny iPhone for a change. And for a year now, I've been using the iPhone 12 mini.

Its weak battery life aside, it's been a great phone for me. But as is destined to happen eventually, I dropped it one night after a few too many Jägerbombs.

Here's the part where I should definitely add that I don't use cases. Or at least, I didn't until that fabled night.

The iPhone slipped off my hand and fell from about a meter high – which is not very high, so I figured everything would be fine. I picked it up, and surprise – the display now has a small crack near the antenna line on the top right corner, which appears to be a weak point.

The iPhone's aluminum side didn't scratch, and its glass back didn't crack or scratch at all – commendable. But I sure feel like this rather small drop shouldn't have resulted in anything noticeable.

One of those huge Android phones I used to carry around before was the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 – which to this day remains one of my favorite phones ever. Just a huge glass and metal sandwich. And let me tell you – I've dropped that baby more times than all of my other phones combined – no scratches or cracks. My dad still uses it.

So yeah, back to the iPhone – I now use cases, because I finally see serious results from not doing so. Obviously I don't want to further devalue my iPhone before I decide to sell it, by scratching it even more… A second impromptu drop test is always a possibility.

Apple's iPad keyboard is notoriously susceptible to daily wear and tear, just look at mine

This bothers me more than anything, because I don't use iPhones that often, but I've been using iPads regularly for a decade now. Every time I buy an iPad, I buy a keyboard for it too, and it's often a first-party one, made by Apple.

Well, the $180 Smart Keyboard Folio for iPad Pro, as Apple calls it, is a perfect example of a pricey product that's almost purposefully designed to get scratched and torn up quickly.

First of all, it has no feet, so you just plop its entire bottom surface on a table or wherever, in order to use it. Its outside is made out of this unpleasant (for me, at least) rubbery material, that collects all the dust and grime from tables, and quickly, and I mean in milliseconds, becomes gross.

Not only that, but this keyboard's exterior quickly got those wrinkles you can see, that are irreversible. So it's pretty hard to sell it after you've used it for just a week or two – it's just that easy to ruin by super basic, normal use.

"Great" design, Apple! Not sure how the Cupertino company envisions users should use it, but unless you're planning to carry around a little carpet, to always lay under your iPad keyboard before you start using it – expect quick deterioration.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. A good case for your Apple keeps the repairman away.

I hope I managed to scare you into buying a case for your Apple things, because you should be scared – unless you're cool with scratches and don't plan on reselling your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch eventually – this is just something you should know as a user. Those products are susceptible to daily wear and tear, possibly more so than you might expect. I sure was "pleasantly" surprised with my inexplicably clawed up Apple Watch...

So here's how else we can help you retain the resale value of your Apple products – get yourself one of these: