Court says iPhone 4 owners can't sue Apple over broken glass

U.S. District Judge Edward Davila ruled this week that Betsalel Williamson's suit against Apple will not proceed. The ruling from the judge (via CNet) states that it is a "well-known fact of life" that glass, even when reinforced, will crack and shatter under impact.

"The shattered window of a storefront, the cracked windshield of a car, and the chipped smartphone screen are routine encounters of modern existence," Williamson said.

The class-action suit was first filed in January of 2011. It unsuccessfully attempted to argue that Apple's iPhone 4 design, which features both a glass front and back, is defective.

The original complaint cited Apple's promotional materials, which touted the strength of the glass used on the iPhone 4. The lawsuit featured a quote from Apple's chief designer, Jony Ive, who said the iPhone 4 glass was "comparable in strength to sapphire crystal."

The complaint also cited a third-party insurer who found that the iPhone 4 glass housing allegedly broke at an 82 percent higher rate than prior versions of the iPhone.

But the judge determined that Apple never stated that the iPhone 4 was "resistant to normal wear and tear, that the glass housing would never break or crack under normal use, or that the phone might not be damaged if it was dropped."

Apple utilized the same glass design for the iPhone 4S released in late 2011, but the next iPhone is expected to feature a significant redesign with a metal back rather than glass.