Dropping and cracking the screen of my new iPhone would give me a terrible fright any day of the year, but perhaps it was perfect timing to have it happen right before my Halloween episode.

On my way to work this week, I pulled my iPhone 17 Pro Max out of my pocket, and it slipped out of my fingers onto the sidewalk -- Splat! Screen faced down, I pick it up to reveal the spiderweb of shattered glass and a ripped corner of the rubbery Apple Silicone case . (You won't catch me singing the praises of the so-called stronger "Ceramic Shield 2" display.)

I take it out of the case to reveal silvery chips in my orange aluminum frame. With a heavy stomach, I race to open the settings on the phone, careful not to cut my finger on the rough glass. I see it says I'm still in the 60-day window to p

See Full Page