Bill Nye Explains: The iPhone 3GS's Oleophobic Screen

gizmodo.com — The new 3G S iPhone has a coating that helps you leave no, well hardly any, prints–-fingerprints. The glass screen is coated with a polymer, a plastic that human skin oil doesn't adhere to very well. People in the chemical bonding business like to call the finished surface "oleophobic." Jun 24, 2009 View in Crawl 4

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appleologist Jun 24, 2009

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I'd like to know how long this coating lasts.

republicofjosh Jun 25, 2009

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Science RULES!

republicofjosh Jun 25, 2009

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Diggnation.... ever heard of it?

jmur Jun 25, 2009

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It should be mentioned that at best the 3G S is up to par with last year's phones.

treas Jun 25, 2009

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ABSOLUTELY ZERO, SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN!

zephik Jun 25, 2009

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I had always failed science throughout my entire life, but once I hit 9th grade I started getting A's and B's. Why? Because my teacher was just like Bill Nye. He made science fun and interesting and he let you go at your own pace. His only real requirement was that you were always working and not goofing off too much and that you did the (awesome) science projects at the end of each chapter. That class was awesome. It was fun as hell while being very educational and because we could go at our own personal pace, I finished the class with three months to spare, so I got to sleep in for the rest of the school year since it was my first period class. After that, I had established a well founded basis for basic science and so every science class I took after that I passed just as easily because I had an understanding of science and because I knew how to make it interesting and fun. I also had a very similar experience in math, but I still hate everything Advanced Algebra and up. lol I swear. Everything after basic algebra is so totally useless and are things that you'll probably forget within a month. So pointless! Unless you like math and want a field where that stuff is required. But I didn't. Don't know why its required after a certain point, most people just forget it anyways. *shrug*

blankoboy Jun 26, 2009

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Really the screen should have been left as-is - GLASS. The "oleophobic" coating should have been isolated to the body portion of the phone only. I'll go out on a limb and say that the next version of the iPhone will not have this coating on the glass (perhaps even before that with a new revision of the 3Gs).If you want a screen protector you can buy one and put it on yourself. When it becomes scratched/damaged, you simply take it off and replace it. But when the coating is chemically bonded the glass, you can't remove it....you're f*cked. It was a well intended but ultimately bad idea from the get-go IMO.Here's to hoping Apple comes to their senses soon and stops coating the glass. I hope they don't do it to the new rev of the iPod touch this September