Dbrand tried and failed to fix the Ghost Case — replacements will take longer

4 weeks ago

Dbrand is scrapping plans to hole its anti-yellowing Ghost Case, but not because it yellows — it’s that it scratches very easily. The institution had promised successful November to vessel free replacements pinch scratch-resistant coatings, but now it’s telling customers via email they’ll person to wait. Most of its accumulation tally of those ended up “unshippable,” nan institution says, truthful alternatively it’s sending a redesigned “Ghost 2.0” this summer. Essentially, it’s a delay.

The institution says that its first trial runs of nan newly-coated cases looked good, but erstwhile it tried to manufacture them astatine scale, nan coatings sewage each gloppy astatine nan edges:

As you tin imagine, aft processing a zero-yellowing anti-scratch solution that was nan first of its kind, we were rather excited to propulsion nan trigger connected wide production.

Last week, our first mass-produced banal cleared nan accumulation lines. During value power inspections, we instantly knew that thing was different betwixt nan short tally of “process validation” samples we’d approved for wide accumulation and what was really coming disconnected nan tools.

A important information of nan units we inspected were showing signs of coating buildup and inconsistencies.

See nan edges, really they glop!

Image: Dbrand

Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz tells The Verge that while nan institution has ended “the progressive improvement and manufacture of Ghost 1.0” (that’s what Dbrand intends erstwhile it says it will “discontinue” nan case), it still has banal available. He added that nan institution intends “to connection an upgraded product to each Ghost customers, sloppy of their restitution pinch nan product.” Indeed, you tin still bargain it for iPhone, Pixel, and Galaxy phones, but a disclaimer connected nan page for each type says buyers will get nan 2.0 lawsuit for free “later this year.”

Dbrand’s original lawsuit “after 2 months of use.”

Image: Dbrand

The institution says it’s been “spending boatloads” to get caller manufacturing instrumentality to make nan Ghost 2.0, which it says it’s been designing since past twelvemonth erstwhile it primitively announced nan replacement program. It besides acknowledges that nan anti-scratch coating it was moving connected was conscionable a “band-aid” fix, arsenic scratching is an “inescapable, basal problem pinch plastic,” and that cases utilizing nan coating would person yet scratched, too.

Dbrand utilized polycarbonate successful its original creation because nan gummier alternative, TPU, has a problem pinch yellowing. The institution primitively advertised that “you’ll dice before” its clear polycarbonate yellows.

The institution doesn’t opportunity successful its email what it’s doing pinch nan caller case, but if that scratching problem is inescapable, I person to wonderment what nan institution is doing to woody pinch that rumor and keep nan lawsuit clear. (I uncertainty Dbrand unlocked nan concealed to nan transparisteel of Star Wars lore.) I asked Ijaz successful a follow-up email what nan institution is doing pinch nan caller design, and I’ll update present erstwhile he responds.