On the new iPhone, the glass basically sits on top of the aluminum frame. On the old iphone, it was recessed and protected by a chrome bezel.
We have a full iPhone 4 (minus the circuit board), here at our shop and decided to do a little drop test. This drop was performed from 3.5 ft up. Mind you that these parts ARE original apple parts. Laser etched and all. The iPhone 4 did survive 2 drops, as expected, but on the 3rd drop there was a loud POP, and yet again, shattered glass.
The Internet has exploded this morning with stories claiming that Apple’s new glass may not be as strong as the company claims it is. Apple never talked about shattering — they talked about bending and scratching. While the new iPhone should fair better if compressed in a pocket, it’s still glass, and glass shatters.
No big deal, as long as you don’t drop an iPhone.