Why did Apple ban iPhone, iPod, and MacBook screen protectors from their stores?

“Apple is reportedly removing iPhone, iPod, and MacBook screen protectors from its online and retail stores, just a couple of weeks before the iPad hits the stand,” Sarah Jacobsson reports for PCWorld.

“Apple has yet to reveal the reason it is pulling protective products from its shelves. A popular speculation is that Apple wants to promote the idea that its product’s screens are sturdy enough that they don’t need to be protected (even though anyone who’s ever dropped an iPhone knows this is far from the case),” Jacobsson reports. “That’s no explanation for why Apple is also banning antiglare, mirrored, and privacy film, unless they also hope to promote the idea that their screens are easy to read in the sun, can double as mirrors, and have magical privacy properties.”

Jacobsson reports, “Another speculation is that the products, while popular, are hard to apply and thus have a higher rate of return than other products.”

Apple’s “latest iPhone and iPod Touch screens are surprisingly resistant to, well, everything — from finger oil to water to barbecue sauce, and don’t scratch very easily. Even my iPhone 3G (without the [3GS's] ‘oleophobic’ screen) is pretty resistant to scratches… Macworld points out that it’s probably no coincidence that Apple is pulling screen protectors right before the introduction of the iPad — but why? Could Apple be thinking of debuting its very own line of (OLEOPHOBIC) screen protectors?”

Full article here.

Source: MacDailyNews