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Apple Beginning to Process Refunds for iPhone 4 Bumpers
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Thats not the reason. Its silly to think that.
The real reason as Steve said himself is that the will have the problem sorted by then. SJ, "Maybe we will have a better idea by then"
They will release the new improved iPhone 4g with no signal issues on October first. And pretty much laugh at anybody who was bribed with a stupid piece of plastic having paid a fortune for a phone.
Over 3 million idiots already!
I won't be buying one until i'm guaranteed that the Phone works.
You need to remember its primarily a phone, the rest is a bonus.
Not sure about that. To simplify the process (and reduce the cost to administer it) why not just refund all bumper purchases up until now, regardless of quantity purchased? It's not like anyone can use a bumper for anything else other than iPhone 4. So each bumper - whether it's being resold on ebay or gifted to a friend - will eventually wind up fixing the antenna issue on a single iPhone 4. And that's the goal, isn't it?
Granted, there will be a few cases of folks who've bought multiple bumpers to use on one iPhone, but, at $30 a pop, I'm guessing that's a small number.
This makes the whole (temporary) process simpler, since Apple doesn't need to collect and track phone serial numbers to enforce one freebie per 'phone.
That is one possibility.
The prombem with that is it would increase the demands for a recall.
Plus it would be massively difficult to change a production line and keep it a secret.
You may be right, but we will have to see.
Early in the press conference, Steve mentioned that since this is an industry-wide issue Apple need to spend time 'educating' the public and setting the correct expectation. Maybe that's the fix (the, "better idea", as Steve put it)? Simply allow time for the media frenzy to cool off and for the minority with unbearable reception issues to return their phones and go somewhere else?
Wrong.
September 30th is the end Apple's Fiscal Third Quarter. They haven't stated what they will do after September 30th.
But they set September 30th because they need to be held accountable to their stockholders. They need to release details how much these bumpers will cost. They will reevaluate around that time.
My hunch is if sales of iPhone 4 continue on their brisk pace, Apple will just continue offering free bumpers/cases and milk this 4th generation iPhone till next June and announce iPhone 5th generation.
It's a much more cost-effective business strategy to continue offering bumpers which costs them less than $1 to produce.
Well, I just got my automated email from Apple that my bumper purchase was refunded. No muss no fuss. To me it's a huge win because I was going to get a bumper anyway (all my iPhones have had cases). I also didn't experience the dropped signal problem nor do I have a proximity sensor problem. So it's all good to me. 
yep - i received 2 emails overnight for the 2 bumpers i ordered (one for wife and one for me) - wonder how many they will refund...
it's a welcome and unplanned return of $60...
I'm so glad I decided to wait to see how the iPhone 4 worked out. It was a major upgrade, so I felt like a couple months of waiting may be worth it -- in case there were bugs.
To tell the truth though, I'm not entirely sure I want to pick one up. If the issues are smoothed over soon, sure. If not, I'll wait till next summer which will be a more modest and, hopefully, less buggy refresh...
To tell the truth though, I'm not entirely sure I want to pick one up. If the issues are smoothed over soon, sure. If not, I'll wait till next summer which will be a more modest and, hopefully, less buggy refresh...
Interesting, I would consider the "idiots" to be the ones waiting on a device they really want while millions are already enjoying their new iPhone. Reminds me when the first, then second iPhones came out and people were posting that they were still waiting for certain "features." If you are just paying attention to the media on this antenna thing, then I pity you because the media's response has been sensationalistic.
Bottom line is the support calls and iPhone 4 return rates are so small - meaning that this issue is negligible for the overwhelming masses.
After buying electronics for over 25 years, I can say you'll never be completely "guaranteed" any piece of technology works to your liking. If you really just primarily want a phone as you put it, then there are plenty of excellent options to choose from including the Android OS based products.
I woke up to that very email this morning! What a great way to start my day! I don't even have the bumper anymore - I sold it to a forum member!
I hope they allow for the zCover cases to be one of the free ones. Had one on my 3G-S and it was an amazing cover. Great shock-absorption for those who are prone to drop their phone. I take mine when I go running, so I like to make sure it's well-protected. -- And being that it costs $5 less than the bumper, MAYBE I'll get lucky.
oh the horror, the horror
such a beautiful device in such a horrendous looking case.
Are you going off to war with your phone?
You are depriving yourself from having a great smartphone, dont fall for the negative things you read here. The majority of iPhone 4 owners are loving them and not having issues. Im one of them that is loving everything about it! The best iPhone yet, as far as the antenna issue not a problem in my daily use. I can get bars to drop (I have to make it happen, go out of my way) in a week signal area but it does not drop calls or data, it does get better reception then my 3GS.
Get one, you wont regret it!
I got my refund letter last night.
The most obvious case design would actually be based the back of the 3gs.
Would probably only sell in Germany though - where the fashion is debadge the high performance cars rather than over-badging the cheap models.
I think Dieter Rams would enjoy the irony.
Would probably only sell in Germany though - where the fashion is debadge the high performance cars rather than over-badging the cheap models.
I think Dieter Rams would enjoy the irony.
Vat?
I know Obama & the Dems want a VAT (value added taxes), a.k.a., national sales tax, but I didn't know Apple was already collecting it!
I know Obama & the Dems want a VAT (value added taxes), a.k.a., national sales tax, but I didn't know Apple was already collecting it!
Plus there is nothing stopping someone from installing the app on their phone, signing in with a different store ID and then getting a new case/bumper plus the refund Apple has already processed. I see all kinds of abuse here. Sure the app records the phones IMEI # to make sure you can only order once but you know... When you try ordering a second one, it says a case has already been ordered for this phone.
You don't even have to sign in under another account, someone posted in another thread they were able to get one anyway.
Yes but the app stops you from getting two cases this way. You can't simply use another store ID to get a case. It logs your phones identifier and goes by that.
I hope people who wanted apple to do the right thing and give away free cases are not going to do the wrong thing and cheat their way into a case they are not eligible for.
If you want others to take a moral stand - you ought to reciprocate.
If you want others to take a moral stand - you ought to reciprocate.
That's what happened to me. I just wanted to see what would happen. So I now have a refunded bumper and a free Incase snap case.