An Apple Watch owner who found a crack in the device’s display has won a court case against Apple. Gareth Cross, from Aberystwyth in west Wales, sued the Cupertino company for an alleged breach of the U.K.’s Sale of Goods Act and was awarded £429 ($621).
Cross purchased the Apple Watch Sport for £339 last July and discovered the crack ten days later. When he reported the problem to Apple, he was informed that his warranty would not cover the damage, which Apple believes was caused by impact.
Cross decided to take Apple to a small claims court for an alleged breach of the Sale of Goods Act.
“I bought my wife Rachel the regular Apple Watch, but I went for the Sport version because I am prone to knocking things about a bit and it said it was impact resistant,” Cross told The Daily Mail. “But I noticed a tiny 4-5 mm crack on the screen just 10 days after buying it – I hadn’t even been doing anything strenuous, just sitting around watching TV.”
Apple claims the aluminosilicate glass used for Apple Watch Sport is manufactured using “the same material used in the windows of space shuttles and high-speed trains.” It also promises the device is impact resistant, but of course, any glass will break with enough force.
Apple initially apologized for the problem and asked Cross to send in photos of the problem, he says. After seeing them, the company then decided the damage was not covered by warranty, which covers “defects in materials and workmanship,” but not accidental damage.
After six months of fighting, Cross won his case and was awarded £429 to cover the cost of the Apple Watch and his legal fees. He still has his original Apple Watch Sport — and it still has a cracked display.
Apple has since altered Watch’s description on its online store, according to The Daily Mail, apparently removing promises that it is impact-resistant. However, we’re not entirely sure the company ever did claim that, given Apple Watch Sport is made out of exactly the same materials as the iPhone 6s (which certainly isn’t impact-resistant).
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