One-third of iPhones fail in first two years

Eying that new iPhone 3GS? You might want to consider a warranty or a really sturdy rubberized case for it: A new report from SquareTrade [PDF link] claims that nearly a third of iPhones are failing in their first two years of ownership, largely due to accidental breakage.

To be sure, the iPhone fares pretty well if you're just looking at the reliability of its internal components: Its 9 to 11 percent hardware failure rate is better than both the Treo and the Blackberry (the former has a hardware failure rate of 20 percent in its first two years of ownership).

But that picture is quite different when you look at accidental damage, the kind typically caused by a drop to the floor... or into some body of water.

The iPhone has been a notorious damage magnet since its inception, probably inevitable since the entire front of the phone is comprised of the screen, and that screen is made from glass, not plastic. It looks better, but it breaks far more easily -- and the web is littered with reports of cracked iPhone screens (and, invariably, outrage over the discovery of the cost to replace the phone). Sure enough: 66 percent of accidental iPhone failures are caused by drops, while only 25 percent are due to water damage. Comparable figures weren't provided for the other phones mentioned above.

(Naturally, SquareTrade sells warranties and would love to help you protect that iPhone, but I still find the results both compelling and believable.)

In related news, anger is rising over iPhone battery life -- again. Seems that the iPhone 3.0 software update is causing phones to overheat and "drain as fast as 20% per hour with zero use." Some users are shutting down radios and services to keep batteries from dying before lunchtime, with disabling push email a commonly reported workaround.

Just remember to hold on tight to that phone while you're fiddling with the settings.

Via TechCrunch