iPhone 17: How Apple's shops combat the stain problem
The darker versions of the iPhone 17 and Air already showed traces on the first day of sales. Apple is now using technical tricks to counteract this.
iPhone 17, 17 Pro and Air: Still nice and clean here.
(Image: heise medien/Sebastian Trepesch)
A visit to one of the many Apple shops on this planet revealed that even new devices, from the iPhone 17 to the Air, quickly showed marks on the back. Apple itself emphasized that these were “not scratches” and that “Scratchgate” allegations were rejected, although the sharp edges of the Prom models, which only have a thin anodized layer, can certainly lead to scratches. However, the marks on the new dark iPhones are said to have a different cause: the magnetically powerful MagSafe stands that Apple uses in its stores. For this reason, the company is now following up, as reported by an X user from Apple's brand new shop in Ginza, Tokyo.
Silicone softens the new iPhones
The reason: Apple has optimized its MagSafe stands, which are not available in stores but come from exhibition technology. “The area around MagSafe is covered in white silicone,” writes X user TumoTumo, who claims to be an interested IT hobbyist. The result: the imprints on the blue iPhone Pro 17 Max or the black iPhone Air are significantly reduced. “They did a great job improving it, didn't they?” writes TumoTumo with a smile.
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It is still unclear what exactly triggers the scratches. Apple itself emphasizes, as mentioned, that it is not scratches but a “material transfer” that occurs between the MagSafe stand and the back of the device. The MagSafe area is made of glass with a “Ceramic Shield” coating and is usually considered to be highly scratch-resistant. According to Apple, the “material transfer” can also be wiped off again. TumoTumo, on the other hand, speculates that the metal edges of the MagSafe stands are causing the scratches (in its opinion).
Cleaning order from Apple headquarters
Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman had already reported on Sunday that Apple's headquarters in Cupertino had contacted retail managers. They are to ensure that the backs of the demo iPhones are cleaned more regularly. Apparently, a special “salt substance” is added to the normal cleaning solution.
According to a report by 9to5Mac, salt really does help: an author of the Apple blog had caused marks on his iPhone 17 Pro during setup at the Apple Store and was able to remove them “with a little sea salt mixed with water.”
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