Apple bans protective screen films from Apple Store
iLounge is reporting that Apple has banned protective screen films from its retail and online stores. Several film-screen manufacturers have confirmed that Apple's ban will take effect in May. Multiple vendors told iLounge that Apple has said that it will remove both film-only solutions from its stores, as well as any case or other accessory that includes film protection as part of its package, such as cases that include film screen protectors.
The ban will reportedly impact all forms of screen film, including completely clear film, anti-glare film, and mirrored film, regardless of whether the purpose of the film is protective, decorative, or both. The ban isn't limited to iPhone films either. Apple will also prevent sales of film for iPods, iPads, and Mac computers.
Apple has not specifically told film vendors why they won't allow sales of films from here on out, but many speculate that Apple believes the sales of films in its stores imply that Apple's device's screens scratch easily. The first iPod nano was infamous for screen scratching and Apple eventually settled a class action lawsuit over the device's screen in 2009. Though some people have reported their iPhone's screen scratching, many reviewers were impressed with the durability of the original iPhone's screen. PC World stated, "We were very impressed that even this deliberate attempt to scratch the screen completely failed" in regards to their first hands on tests back in 2007. With the introduction of the iPhone 3GS Apple introduced an oleophobic screen coating to help keep finger oils from smudging the display.
