#HTE

Belkin’s Nifty In-Store Machine for Applying iPhone Screen Protectors

I went to the Apple Store in SoHo to get a new screen protector for my iPhone. It’s a thin film of transparent material. I was fascinated to see that Belkin has invented a little gadget that flawlessly applies it to the phone.

“They developed this specifically for Apple Stores,” the employee applying my screen told me. “Before that we wasted a lot of product, trying to install them manually then screwing up.” I went to record the process–but of course couldn’t, since my phone was inside the gadget. But there’s footage of these things in action on YouTube, check it out:

I am really impressed with how the designers of this object thought through the entire process. The first green-skinned film you see being applied to the phone is to remove any dust or lint from the screen, the Apple employee explained to me. After that’s removed they drop it into the machine, and as you can see the tabs keep everything perfectly aligned. It seems pretty idiot-proof.

The screen protector was expensive ($40) and I kind of think that that level of protection ought have been built right into something that costs at $649, rather than forcing you to buy it after the fact. Then again, if a $57,000 BMW doesn’t come with protection either, I guess this is just the way of the world these days.

Anyways, my hat’s off to the unknown designers of the Belkin tool. Great work!