Taking your iPhone with you on a parachute attempt is nothing new. In fact, YouTube has an assorted collection of people filming skydive attempts that were shot with the iPhone’s video camera. However, having a phone fall out during the jump, and “live to tell the tale,” that is, be usable again, is not part of what mobile device makers would call the norm. Nevertheless, what we have is a story of the indestructible iPhone, as told to CNN.com.
As indicated, iPhones and skydiving go hand-in-hand, like so:
But to have one survive a fall of at least a few thousand feet adds new meaning to the word “durable,” and it gives Apple a new marketing angle, if they so choose. The story goes like this, a report appeared on CNN’s iReport feature, called the “Skydiving iPhone.” In it, Jarrod McKinney indicated he went skydiving with his iPhone 4, which fell out of the pocket of his skydiving suit. McKinney was jumping from 13,500 feet. After he landed, he noticed his iPhone was missing, and so he fired up his iPad and activated his iPhone finder app.
This is what he discovered:
As unbelievable as it sounds, my phone had fallen 13,500 ft, and was still sending out a signal. According to my iPad, it was less than 1/4 mile away, and laying on top of a factory roof… I didn’t think there was anyway that the app could be that accurate, but low and behold, it was right where my iPad said it was…
CNN’s follow-up report even has an image, which leads this post. Naturally, McKinney wanted to see if his recovered phone was still working. It was, or, as McKinney says, “13,500ft, 120mhp, to a steel roof, and still alive!!”
The fallen device even synced up with his vehicle and allowed him to make a call, indicating that McKinney clearly purchased the most durable iPhone the world has ever seen. Considering the stern nature of the device, perhaps this story shouldn’t come as a surprise. Furthermore, the fact he isn’t asking for anything other than help getting the word to Apple and Incipio, the makers of his iPhone case, helps validate his story even more.
If he were simply asking Apple for a new iPhone, skepticism would be much easier to come by.
In other news, Apple has all the ammunition it needs for a “our smartphone is more durable than yours,” campaign, complete with McKinney recounting his story, just like the “Mac switch” commercials from a few years ago. You know, the ones that made Ellen Feiss famous:
“There I was, skydiving through the heavens and then, BAM, my iPhone fell out. But guess what? It. Still. Works!!!! Come at me, Android!!!!” or something similar is what I’m hoping for.