A new U.S. study showed that some 30 per cent of iPhone 5 sold last year suffered cracked screens and other damages and owners were made to shell out as much as $US229 for parts replacement.

The cost was higher than the price of purchasing a brand new unit, which is $US199 for most network providers in the United States.

However, the unnecessary expense is wholly avoidable, according to a Market Watch report, pointing to the tech giant's in-house gadget insurance AppleCare. For only $US99, repair costs of broken iOS handsets are significantly lowered.

A smashed iPhone 5 screen, for example, would lead to a cash damage of at least $US149 in select Apple Stores. But with AppleCare, the bill could shrink to a low of $US49, the same report said.

The necessity of having AppleCare to go with new Apple gadgets has become a must these days considering that the whole iOS ecosystem is under the firm grip of the tech titan, Market Watch said.

The whole scheme makes it entirely difficult or more expensive for iPhone and iPad users to look for third-party providers. While Apple accessories like casing and other externals flood the market, it is a different story for the internal or sensitive parts.

Apple has intended the to keep its device supply chain in a tight lid, which for the average users seem incomprehensible but is a move viewed by experts as purely a business decision. The company is known to fiercely guard the close integration of its device components and allowing just anyone to tinker with products defy its basic philosophy.

The prudent choice available at the moment is to follow Apple's biddings, which should save lots of troubles for the hundreds of millions who currently use the company's ubiquitous gizmos.

Still, for those who see the prospect of spending too much on gadgets as downright obscene, the lure of Android beckons.

The platform, after all, credits its ascent to the top by offering devices that deliver almost the same experience as that of the iOS universe, experts said, but minus the exorbitant expenses.