New iPhone's oleophobic coating wearing off?

According to iLounge and Engadget, a user is complaining that the iPhone 3GS' oleophobic screen is wearing off prematurely.

(Credit: Samsas Traum)

The reports are based off of complaints by a 3GS user, "Samsas Traum", who has shared pictures of the problematic screen on his iPhone 3GS. You can see the original complaints translated from German here and here.

According to iLounge: "Traum claims that the localised nature of the damage is likely due to repeat playings of Flick Fishing. While we have yet to see a second report of such extreme wear in such a short time, iLounge editors have found previous products with oleophobic coating — such as sunglasses — to be problematic, with the coating coming off with as little as contact with certain types of water."

While we haven't experienced the use of such products, like those sunglasses, we do know that Apple has specific advice on cleaning your iPhone 3GS (emphasis added):

That last sentence seems to indicate that the coating does not last forever. But assuming that "Samsas" bought his phone on launch day, two weeks seems like an awfully short lifespan for the coating. We have not experienced problems with this issue on our iPhone 3GS, but that may be due to our immediate use of a screen protector after opening the phone.

If the problem persists and other users report a premature aging of the coating, should Apple offer reapplication of the oleophobic coating or replace the screens? Will this make you think twice about buying the 3GS? Let us know in the comments.