“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.]
1. High-margin Apple branded accessories. For Chrissakes, someone man the defibrillator!
2. Using the band is a way to eliminate the problem *some users* have with the iPhone 4’s antenna.
1 and 2 should have no relationship. Do you really think it’s a sound corporate policy for Apple to issue rubber bands to fix a hardware problem? Not only would they be admitting a major manufacturing defect in the design of all iPhone 4’s (which taking *everything* I’ve read about this issue into account it is not), they’d be saying “we know we have a problem with the hardware; use this band of rubber to fix it”. Do you guys not cover Apple every day? Does this sound like something they’d do?
They’ll either post a recall or they won’t. This MDN panty knot over the Antennagate is getting tired.
I love the Bumper. People saying it sucks don’t have one. Put one on and use it first. They fit very snugly if you make sure the little rubber lip on is not accidentally folded under around the edge on the front and the back.
Handhelditems sells a nice iPhone 4 case for $ 6.99.
I got a 29.95 case from Att and it protects the hole phone and I can still use my griffin amplifier stand by removing the insert it fixed the problem and still kept the shape of the iPhone 4 which I love it has the same shape and keep oil off the camera lens.
Conversations these last couple of days sound like time fillers on local news.
Nothing interesting I guess until some Droid gets the first Flash plugin in-stalled or the new Mac announcements in a couple of months.
ZAGG Invisible Shield + Speck PixelSkin – both for iPhone 4 = Maximum Protection
I have a (relatively new) iPhone 3GS, and took the dive for iOS4 the week it came out (couldn’t tell you why, I normally wait for a week or more before doing any kind of s/w upgrade). Anyway, I don’t see the “Death Grip” issue on it, even though it has been reported on iPhone 3GS.
Then again, I also use a Mophie Juice pack. It doubles as an extra battery, and as a case.
I cannot duplicate the grip of death at all, I bought the case at the Apple store when I got my phone because I liked how it worked for all of the reasons already stated.
While do actually agree with MDN on this that Apple should be handing these out to fix the PR problem of the GoD ( huh first time I wrote that out, odd it came out that way) but I am very happy with the phone and the case.
There are many phones to choose from these days. If you don’t want an iPhone, ummm don’t buy it?
For me, it remains the vest phone I am aware of.
As for the cost, good stuff costs money, it usually is worth it.
Pretty much all Apple accessories cost $29. It’s that simple.
As I said before…I got a free Dexim kit on opening morning for my iPhone 4. Not sure why some of you are complaining about things costing too much. Dexim offers a 5 Pack bumper PLUS screen protector and cleaning cloth. For just $21.90!!! Thats FIVE BUMBERS! (covers only the metal portion of the phone)
http://www.dexim.net/US/products/cases/DLA175.html
Correction…5 of everything and one bumper color of your choice.
Got a little carried away…..but still thats a deal.
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I don’t know anyone who has had a signal problem with their iPhone 4 and it doesn’t drop calls in a certain NYC trouble spot and a couple elevators where my iPhone 1G and 3GS both dropped calls. This seems like FUD to drive AAPL down in a down market.
Remember: You’re paying the engineers in USA to design a rubber band which will be manufactured in China–@ 2.9cents/unit–and shipped back to the USA. Factor in the price of gas, the container ship crew, the dock workers etc… Totally worth it–NOT!
I heard that the bumper cases block the 30-pin connector, so you actually have to take OFF the case just to charge your phone!
@macBill
“I heard that the bumper cases block the 30-pin connector, so you actually have to take OFF the case just to charge your phone!”
Not true. You can charge when the bumper is fitted
I am holding off buying the iPhone 4 until OtterBox’s case is ready.
They are the best cases on the market bar none and worth waiting for, just like the iPhone.
“The Bumper ruins the premier appearance feature of the new phone…”
Funny, my wife who has never owned an iPhone said she would “consider” one only if was White and it had “one of those bumpers” on it.
One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor. I had also intended to take a look at the bumpers because they offer good utility without masking the whole phone. To each their own.
it has to be a ripoff.
If not they’ll lose some major 3rd party case makers.
@R2
“The RDF has a strong grip on this one.”
Only around your cranium.
My iPhone 4 works just works. I could care less about Android’s advantages, disadvantages, strengths, whatever.
Know one is forcing anyone to buy a case either. Don’t like the price than don’t buy it, simple as that.
Yes there are Apple products that somehow cost more than their appearance let’s on. Another example is the infamous Bluetooth, Apple earpiece. That was $99 originaly and the capabilities it had could be founded on lesser price earpieces. To me it felt I was just paying for the Apple name than anything else.
@Mac4life
Isn’t everything you buy optional? What are you smoking?
Jeez, the ignorance of so-called’jounalist pundits’ is appalling at times. Apple isn’t in the “bumper” business, they could care less about sales of these things.
By pricing the Apple branded unit so high Apple makes it possible for third party manufacturers to price competitively, and still make a very handsome profit. That extra profit, defined by Apple’s own pricing, encourages more third party support of Apple’s products. The consumer ends up with more QUALITY options than would be available if Apple competed on price in the accessory market.
Sent from Gregg’s iPad
why do these people, including MDN, sound like they’ve never even seen or touched the iPhone 4 Bumpers.
and i love that over and over they continue to repeat that “it’s needed to work around the antenna issue”
what antenna issue? the one that is massively overhyped in the blogs and media but isn’t actually causing people to not be able to use their iPhone 4 any differently than they’d use an iPhone 3GS or even the first gen iPhone?
get off it people. god damn.
What about duck tape? It could be thought of as artistic by someone.