“Much has been made of the iPhone 4’s antenna woes and whether or not a bare-handed grip will send you spiraling into no-signal limbo. Even if you are not the type to normally consider a case for your new iPhone, reading those reports might give you second thoughts,” Aurich Lawson reports for Ars Technica. “While the third party market is quickly stepping up to provide options, the obvious first choice is the Apple Bumper case. Minimal and Apple-engineered, what could go wrong?”
“It feels a little cheap in your hand and doesn’t snap as closely as you might like, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with it—that is, until you see the price,” Lawson reports. “Apple sells the Bumpers in six colors for a wince-inducing $29 each. For this kind of quality and utility you should get all six colors for the price. Even for those used to paying the ‘Apple tax,’ this feels like a rip-off.”
Lawson reports, “If Apple ever decided to sell the Bumpers in a pack like it used to do with the old iPod socks, it wouldn’t be a bad way to switch up your phone colors on a whim. Until then, buyer beware: you need to really want one in order to feel satisfied with the purchase.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We’ve been saying that price is a rip-off since we first saw these Apple Bumpers and, regardless of the company that’s trying to sell them, we agree completely with Lawson’s assessment and reiterate our buying advice: At the current price, look elsewhere for iPhone 4 case and/or unintended attenuation protection.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn W.” for the heads up.]
Maybe I’m just lucky, but I can in no way produce any antenna grip effects, even by bridging them with metal objects.
Is there any good data on what percentage of users this alleged flaw affects? All I’ve seen are self-selecting, non-representative web polls.
When I get my iPhones (waiting of Verizon), the first accessory I plan to buy is something to protect the back from scratches. Likely a $3.00 bumper.
By the way, I have yet to hear of anyone with real “death grip” reception issues, only bar-display non-issues. Between a bumper, a piece of tape for non-bumper types, and slight software fix, this should become a non-issue real soon now.
The bumper actually completes the fit and finish of the phone nicely. Too, when it lays flat on the table, the glass on the back is not touching the surface so it’s less likely to be scratched. This whole thing is a big yawn.
I like the bumper and it’s price is in line with every case apple sells. Bullsh!t IMO.
How can something that’s an optional buy be a rip-off. Don’t like it or thinks it cost too much then don’t buy it. But a business has all rights to sell at whatever price they want. The customers will decide if that price is too low or high.
I totally disagree.
The bumper is a premium branded retail product. To put it in perspective, other 3rd party cases for the previous iPhones sold through non-discount retail chains sell/sold for up to $40.
Likewise even when the first cases for the iPhone and iPhone 3G came out they were priced in-line with the bumper price regardless of where they were purchased.
The bumper really is a nice design, and if you don’t closely examine it, or you’re incapable of understanding the design benefits, your going to have a hard time discerning the quality differences.
For example…
It has hard shell plastic along with a rubber rim. This means the iPhone *won’t* slide when placed on a surface, like a car dashboard, but *will* slide when being pulled in an out of a pocket. This is a big deal. Everyone with a hard shell case says they hate rubber cases because of the inability to slide and everyone with a rubber case hates hard shell cases because they do slide. The Bumper is the perfect mix.
The Bumper also has metal buttons that make the iPhone appear more as intended as opposed to covering up the buttons and making it look sloppy as well as taking away some of the tactile interface. It’s a subtle but nice touch.
Finally, the bumper protects the iPhone while at the same time exposing as much of the iPhone as possible. Other cases wrap up too much of the iPhone and can trap moisture/dirt/lint inside the case, as well as act as a lint magnet. The protected, yet exposed Bumper casing allows you to feel the thinness of the iPhone 4 along with it’s very pleasing smooth back. All the while also allowing the iPhone not to be blocked in any way with the sensors or plugs.
I do believe Apple should give away the Bumpers for free in response to the antenna issue; however, if the antenna issue didn’t exist, I would say the Bumper is an excellent product and well worth the $30.
And this comes from someone who’s tried a ton of different cases (did video reviews) for previous iPhones and even tried some 3rd party cases for the iPhone 4 before receiving the Bumper.
Oh, and the iPad cover Apple makes is also top-notch and worth the price.
I definitely have the problem when I use my iphone4 in my home…. When in my left hand it drops the signal completely & when in my right hand I get 3 bars.
“This whole thing is a big yawn.”
Rather boring is it? I suspect you’d be more excited by these developments if they were attributable to the latest Motorola or HTC Android smartphone.
The RDF has a strong grip on this one.
The price isn’t so bad when you consider that each Bumper goes through a final rinse in unicorn tears.
It’s not that bad. Does anybody remember the days where Apple made all of the accessories for the iPod, and they had a case that was like a holster with a belt clip with no click wheel access, and you couldn’t even see the screen, so you had to take it out everytime to use it? $40, my friends, I remember it well.
“How can something that’s an optional buy be a rip-off.”
It became a ripoff when it went from being an accessory to a necessary component in order to ensure a strong signal under any condition.
My Bumper fits perfectly snug on my phone. Also it more than just a rubber band.
If it’s such a rip-off how come apple can’t keep them in stock?
I bought 3 on day 1 and sold the extra 2 for $50 each on craigslist.
Simple economics. If the price was too high nobody would buy them
Excellent post, Macslut. You made a good case for a good case.
In the UK the bumpers cost 25GPB. That roughly translates as $37! Yes, you read that correctly. THIRTY SEVEN DOLLARS
The Bumper ruins the premier appearance feature of the new phone and DOES NOT solve the problem.
@Recepticon,
You *must* be doing it wrong. Take a look at the front of the iPhone. On the bottom left you’ll see the black gap. With as little as one finger pushed into the gap, you’ll get the effect.
To actually see the effect, be somewhere where you’re on the edge of bars…meaning between 4 and 5 bars or other level. The key here is to bridge the gap and wait for the bars to change. It may take a while, but they will change.
If you’re bridging the gap with metal and not getting a change, something is wrong. The whole reason for the existence of the aesthetically unpleasing gap is to insulate the two antennas.
Of course all of this is to say that everyone should be able to reproduce the effect, however *not* everyone is experiencing the *issue*. I can’t imagine anything but an incredibly small number has actually ever been affected by the issue.
I highly recommend this article:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3794/the-iphone-4-review/2
All cases from all manufacturers are rip offs – they all only cost pennies to produce – don’t pin this on Apple – also the reception issue in on a few phones not the majority… Shut up already damn..
Getting sick of retards who keep regurgitating this “Apple tax” phrase. A tax is something you have no choice to pay. Buying an Apple product is a choice for many people and they like it.
MW: enough
@Brian
“Simple economics. If the price was too high nobody would buy them”
… Unless their shiny new phone wouldn’t work without them
@Reese… if you would care to register your login and have a non-anonymous account, then I might actually believe that you aren’t an Android Troll trying to spread false rumors. As it stands, I have no way to judge the validity of your comments.
Register, post often, and then we’ll see what your true bent really is.
Well I got my iPhone on the 24th…and while I was in line they were passing out free gifts from Dexim which was an iPhone 4 cover, lens cloth, and screen cover. FREE!!!
It’s definitely not a ripoff. The price is quite laughable, but it’s not a ripoff. Forcing me to pay for something I don’t want is a ripoff, and no one has shown up at my door with a gun saying “buy an Apple bumper or else.” Not yet.
The sky is falling, the sky is falling! Apple is releasing flawed overpriced products! Stop reading this site and everyone go buy a DELL with Windows 7! Hurry!
By the way…
SHOW ME A CASE THAT IS NOT A RIP OFF.
I dare ya.
Show me one. They are all $.10 worth of material selling for $30 or more dollars.
I have the Bumper for my iP4. I dropped the iPhone, day one, at the car as I was to place the key in the car door. I hear a thud and looked down. The little thing had bounced and was land on it’s flat side rear down.
The case protects it really well. It has distance enough to keep the glass away from the asphalt pebbles. The sides are protected from releasing the tension on the glass if the end is hit with a solid object- keeps it from shattering.
The case is great. The price… Could be lower for sure.