This report too was widely covered by the media. You can read their views on the report below:

PC Magazine:iPhone 4 is  Most Reliable SmartPhone, Study says.

Computer World: iPhone edges out Android smartphones in reliability race iPhone failure rate slashed by 62% in last two years, says warranty firm

CIO Insights: iPhone, Blackberry: Most Reliable Smartphones

InformationWeek: Apple iPhone 4 Rated Most Reliable Smartphone.

Do let us know your thoughts on the report. How reliable do you think your phone is ?

Highlights of the study include:

• iPhone 4 owners reported 82% more damaged screens in the first 4 months compared to iPhone 3gs owners.
• Overall, the reported accident rate for iPhone 4 was 68% higher than for the iPhone 3gs.
• An estimated 15.5% of iPhone 4 owners will have an accident within a year of buying their phone.

Media globally featured SquareTrade’s study and had the following discussions around it:

CNN Tech: ” The iPhone 4 may be an attractive gadget, but keeping it looking good can be a high-maintenance  task.”

The Sydeny Morning Herald : ” SquareTrade analysed mishaps involving more than 20,000 iPhone 4 models and found that screens broke 82 per cent more often than was the case with the iPhone 3G.”

MSNBC Technology : “Though there’s some ambiguity, the report’s bottom line is clear: “The evidence suggests that the iPhone 4 is more vulnerable to physical damage than its predecessor.”

Gizmodo: “When the iPhone 4 was revealed, it was obvious that its design was more fragile than the previous generation: If you double the glass panes, the accidental shattering rate will increase too. Now there is data to confirm this theory.”

Other media outlets that featured SquareTrade’s iPhone 4 study are : PC World, PC Magazine, Mac Rumors, VentureBeat, InformationWeek, OneIndia , news.com.au and CNET UK amongst many others.

In his article he mentions Squaretrade as a reliable alternative to in-store warranties. He writes,

“Buy a third-party warranty; often they are significantly cheaper than the ones offered by the retailer. I’ve heard good things about SquareTrade.com from Ridout and from InfoWorld’s Gripe Line columnist Christina Tynan-Wood, who had this to say about SquareTrade.com. According to SquareTrade CEO Steve Abernathy , warranties generally cost about 20 percent of the purchase price of an item; his company sells them for about 12 percent of cost.

Extended warranties on computers, rather than gadgets, are a harder decision. I advise you start by thinking not so much about the cost of repairs, but the cost of technical support.”

Here is an exercpt from the article.

“With the release of ShopSavvy 4.0, Big in Japan will introduce its UPC/GPS mobile advertising framework, enabling consumers to receive promotions, coupons and other offers directly related to scanned products,” said Alexander Muse, co-founder of Big in Japan. “Through our agreement with SquareTrade, we will now be able to present users with warranty offers while they are in retail locations contemplating specific purchases.”

You can read the entire article here.

“A laptop, however, is more fragile and often requires repairs later in its life, so a warranty good for three more years can save you money down the line. But don’t buy it from a store or the manufacturer; get it from an independent provider, like Squaretrade.com.”

You can read the entire article here.

“Square Trade’s Abernethy believes consumers will seek value in extended- service contracts as well as CE hardware. “With rapidly decreasing electronic prices, service contracts will need to keep providing value here. Consumers are also now more often researching warranty programs before they buy, so retailers will increase attach rates by demonstrating strong consumer ratings within their merchandising, just like they do with their best selling CE items.”

Read the entire article on extended warranty provider’s outlook for Q4 here.

One of the consistent themes across the top websites this year was the growing importance of mobile, including the changing way that users access the web from a variety of devices like the iPad and iPhone. For users this means more devices that are designed to be used on the go. SquareTrade was recognized for the value of their warranties — especially when compared to retail warranties and traditional insurance for mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad. SquareTrade warranties can cost as much as 70 percent less than traditional in-store warranties.

“We’re constantly working to ensure shoppers have a hassle-free experience on SquareTrade.com. From purchasing a warranty to submitting and tracking a claim, we want to make the experience as pain-free as possible,” said Steve Abernethy, President and CEO, SquareTrade. “Being named one of the Top 100 websites by PCMag.com is a tremendous honor that recognizes both the value that SquareTrade offers consumers as well as the growing importance of warranties, especially for mobile devices.”