First iPhone 4 Accidental Smash Prompts Conspiracy Theories

It looks as though the main point of iPhone 4 controversy is going to be over just how durable the smartphone is; Jared Franklin shared a shot of his shattered iPhone 4 and the CrunchGear comments went wild with conspiracy theories over whether it was, indeed, a real handset or all just staged in Photoshop.  According to Jared, this is one of the early deliveries and had been in the wild for just a few hours before meeting its crazy paving fate.

This particular iPhone 4 shattered on the back panel; the handset iFixYouri dropped yesterday saw the same thing happen to its front glass.  They found it took four impacts with the concrete before the display gave up, and did it all on video too.

Of course, Apple didn't claim the iPhone 4 was indestructible, nor even rugged, and while glass – even toughened glass – can be strong it's probably not going to come out on top against gravity and asphalt.  It might be an idea to consider a case or at least one of Apple's own iPhone 4 "bumpers" when you're collecting your new toy; Jared was told by the team at the Genius Bar that there were no replacement parts in stock yet, and to come back on Friday, so you might have to live with a broken handset for a while if you have an accident.