Thanks to the "iPhone-will-finally-launch-on-Verizon" anticipation -- and a recent class-action lawsuit -- there may be about 60 million potential plaintiffs for Apple to contend with.
Californian Donald LeBuhn, according to the LA Weekly, filed a suit claiming that Apple knows its iPhone 4's glass casing is not as strong as the company claims, and that 'normal' use leads to a broken phone.
Apple says its glass is "20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic." (And anyone who has tried to wrench a plastic toy wrapped with plastic binders will tell you, plastic is pretty durable.)
LeBuhn's daughter dropped the phone about three feet while texting, breaking the glass, according to the suit, which was first reported by Courthouse News Service earlier this week.
And there were already 'Glassgate' groups forming in 2010, with some research from an independent warranty provider to warrant the outrage.
San Francisco's SquareTrade found that iPhone 4 users reported 82 percent more damaged screens in the first four months compared to iPhone 3GS owners. They estimate that 15.5 percent of iPhone 4 owners will have an accident, akin to LeBuhn's tech-savvy daughter, within a year of buying their phone.
We'll do the math for you ... if the suit is found valid, that is a potential 9 million class-actioners this year alone, if Apple meets 2011 sales expectations. That doesn't factor 2010 sales numbers.
Tech
LeBuhn wants Apple to reimburse customers for repair fees and for restitution for customers' "overpayment in purchasing defective iPhone 4s."
