Things are made to be used, right?
Did you ever think about how a used guitar looks way cooler than a brand new one? Why is that? It’s made to be played, and over the years, you can see when it has been used a lot, which makes it tell a story.
It’s just different with some items these days—tech stuff mostly, like cameras or expensive watches and cars. We might like a retro look, but not a used look. It’s strange, especially with cars.
When I was a kid, the bumpers were kind of black or gray, and they were made to absorb a certain strength of contact. Today, they have a nice finish like the rest of the car and don’t resist anything. There’s just one modern car that has actual bumpers, which is the Citroen Cactus, I think.
Things are made to be used, but not only the usability makes us choose a product—it’s also the design. I love things that look great, and I love design. I’m kind of an aesthetics aficionado, and that passion for design is also the reason why I like Apple products and have always used them.
Apple always makes functional products look awesome, and I’m a huge fan of Joni Ive, who is responsible for the design of so many Apple products. You can still see his work in new computers and phones that are coming out. It really fascinates me that this man and his team, of course, put so much effort into designing things—not only the form but also how they feel, the colors, the materials, even how they look in the photographs taken for marketing.
So why not appreciate that in the right way? I mean, it’s basically a piece of art made to be used every day. So why the heck are we hiding such an awesome product like an iPhone in a case? Nobody ever puts protection on their Rolex, which costs way more than an iPhone, and not once have I seen a YouTuber with any protection on their thousands of dollars worth of camera set.
I know it happens, and I have experienced dropping a cell phone. Anyone out there who has never dropped their phone yet? Leave a comment. There will be scratches and blemishes on your phone, but at least it gets used the way it was designed.
When I first got my iPhone 4, I used all kinds of protections I could find. Then a friend of mine asked me if it’s still unpacked and wanted to remove the foil and the case. He was kind of shocked when I told him I put that on. Here’s the sentence he said that perfectly hits the point: ”Using a case for an iPhone is like wrapping a plastic foil around an Italian leather sofa.”
Designers invest hundreds of hours in the design of products. They shouldn’t be put in an ugly plastic cover or a rubber sleeve. Let me go one step further: millions of people are highly curious about the new designs and discuss them. They watch videos about leaks and hope for a small notch, new colors, slimmer bezels, and a more elegant frame. So many wanted the iPhone 4 look back, and when it finally happened, the first thing they do after unboxing is put the phone in a case. I simply don’t get it.
I want to dignify the achievement of the designers, and i can confess that the iPhone looks and feels so much better without any cover or foil. My daily carry—MacBook Pro, the iPhone, my iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods—I never ever depreciate them with any kind of case. Of course, it happens from time to time that I drop my phone, and yes, it has got scratches. Better a used phone than a dirty, gross case.
Don’t get me wrong—I do care about it, and I never put it down rudely or put it in my pants along with a key chain or something, but I don’t have a problem if it doesn’t look brand new after a couple of months—just like the guitar.
I know there are reasons to put a case on your phone. It can be useful to put cards in it or bills and to personalize it. Sometimes I have the feeling that people do it without questioning it and only because that’s the way it’s done. I like to rethink things. In this case, I decided against the cover on my iPhone because I wanted to focus on what I care about: appreciating outstanding design and the effort Apple put into it.
Even after having my iPhone 15 Pro Max for almost an year, its design makes me happy every day. Therefore, I totally think it’s worth it to use your iPhone without a case.
Tell me what you think about that in the comments. Have you used your iPhone without a case? Maybe you use some other smartphone without a case? Have you ever considered using your smartphone without a case? And if so, what’s stopping you from doing that?