Apple to Offer Free Cases for iPhone 4 Customers

Apple should

They should have an option: a free case, or a free antenna bumper, kinda like InvisiShield. It'll be an invisible film on top of the antenna.
That way, Apple can finally make the Droid/Microsoft/Anti-Apple people quit complaining about having a bumper case, even though it protects the iPhone anyway and makes it look better.

If I had a $200+ iPhone 4 that I worked hard to get (both paying and standing in line ;) ) I'd protect it so it wouldn't break from a small but effective blow to the screen.
 
gilesrulz said:
His numbers were garbage.

When I returned my phone, because it wouldn't make a call without failing, the reason indicated on the RMA was "changed mind".

Also you don't buy an Armani suit to walk around with a parka over it all day. Why couldn't they just admit to the conductivity issues and tell people they were going to fix it?
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Because they're not 13, like yourself. They actually understand the situation.
 
The message + a case

I used to work in PR (and the irony is that the PR firm that I worked for represented Apple back in the "iMac blueberry/tangerine... etc." days), and I think Jobs and co. actually handled it as well as possible. While they didn't admit fault outright, it's pretty much implied. Big companies hire PR people/firms to help craft carefully the message -- no press conferences are done without careful thought and message massaging.

The free case is a viable solution from not only a business/$$ standpoint, but also from a PR standpoint. Think about it -- if there was a massive recall, the possible reputational damage to Apple could have been disastrous (e.g. -- Apple seen as producing faulty products which could put doubt in the confidence of their other product lines, and doubt in what they release in the future). I'm sure this is a huge lesson-learned scenario where Apple will carefully craft the messages for future products and iPhone 5. I'm sure apple and whatever PR firm that they hire are monitoring reactions/perceptions/media hits and will continue to push the message out.

As for the bumper / case solution, I really love the industrial design of the iPhone 4 and I use the black bumper on occasion (I also installed those clear wraps on the whole phone, including the sides).

The one complaint I do have about using the phone without a case is that it's kind of feels slippery (both in hand and on a surface). The bumper, while not perfect, does add extra grip and doesn't cause the phone to slide on a surface. It's not meant to be protective.

Curious to see how this whole thing continues to develop and what other case offerings will become available.
 
bmwhd said:
Let's see...3G owners are having performance degradation with iOS4. It's on the edge of being obsolete so that's to be expected.

Tons of 3GS owners I know (including 3 here before we upgraded) had zero issues with iOS4. All of them still going strong with 4.0.1. Tons of them at our office too. No issues at all with 4.0.1. Ditto the IP4s

iOS4.1 Beta on my development IP4 has yet to manifest any obvious defects. It's one of the cleanest first betas they've done in a while.
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For a product on the edge of being obsolete then Apple should have never allowed iOS4 to be uploaded onto the 3G, the software is a memory hog and causing major issues for customers. On top of that customer cannot officially go back to 3.1 software.
On the 3GS I have seen major performance issues on 4.0 as have all my coworkers and friends. Having a look at the Apple support forum and on MacRumors we are not the only ones.
On 4.0.1 it may help the lag issues, but now people who used to have 2 bars reception in their home can now no longer make a phone call. Maybe the reception reporting is more honest but this further infuriates the customer base. I think Apple are now happily throwing this network signal issue back at AT&T in this case, as as we all know AT&T sure ain't going to have it fixed overnight...

Anyway we all await for 4.1.0 which should be a much more substantial and tested upgrade...
 
xxgilxx said:
TIME TO MOVE ON PEOPLE. There are children starving to death and oil spill disasters!
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Nice post. People have time to ******** around here for a phone that a company admits was a trade off with some other good things. I'm not necessarily buying the phone, not supporting it, not against it, but there is much more than talking about a phone 24*7. Thank you for reminding me and may be some others that there is a lot more going on in this world.

\m/
 
Here's hoping that all three million iphone 4 owners enjoy the "fun and unique" band-aid apple has provided.

Why fix the poorly designed phones when they can just hand out rubber bands instead? Free rubber bands for all!
 
Here's hoping that all three million iphone 4 owners enjoy the "fun and unique" band-aid apple has provided.

Why fix the poorly designed phones when they can just hand out rubber bands instead? Free rubber bands for all!
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the Case is for the VERY small percentage of iPhone 4 owners affected or CARES about the antenna issue.


it's a NON-ISSUE for 99% of iPhone 4 owners
 
dethmaShine said:
Nice post. People have time to ******** around here for a phone that a company admits was a trade off with some other good things. I'm not necessarily buying the phone, not supporting it, not against it, but there is much more than talking about a phone 24*7. Thank you for reminding me and may be some others that there is a lot more going on in this world.

\m/
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Correct. My iPhone 4 dropped calls, I took it back and they reactivated my 3GS. Problem solved.

I'll give iPhone 5 a shot when it comes out. If it doesn't' work, I'll take it back and look for something else. Case Closed!

Can we talk about the iMac updates or something now. My old G5 is dated, kids stole the Intel iMac, and my newer Mini has been lost to wife. (My mother has the old CS Mini)
 
For all those ho had the reception problem now is the time to return your iphone. As nice as it may look a month from now will be to late. I recall having a camera with a shutter problem it was fixed & about 6 months later it was a battery problem by then I could no longer get a refund. I'd make the return on the phone now and wait until around Christmas time and re purchase it by then a new batch should be out with the fix. Also a red flag should have went up when Steve had problems connecting at WWDC and he told everyone to please get off wifi because he was having problems connecting. I think the lesson learned is it's not always good to be first.
 
I wanted one of those bumpers, but I wasn't going to fork out £25 for one. Now i get it for free. :D:D

I've had no reception problems, I even tried gripping the left side while I've been calling and the calls didn't drop. Of course it seems like people like me who have no problems don't exist, and the media likes to cover us up and pretend we're all having problems.:rolleyes:

I feel sorry for those who are having problems, it must be annoying, especially if you're using it for business purposes and the calls drop. Strange though how we're all not facing the problem. Unless it's got something to do with signal strength in the area which you are living. It's a bit of a mixture where I live.
 
The stat that got me was the 1% increase in dropped calls on the 3Gs.
That is the perspective we needed in the hysteria.
 
Journojulz said:
The stat that got me was the 1% increase in dropped calls on the 3Gs.
That is the perspective we needed in the hysteria.
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But in the US the older Iphones are well-known for a high rate of dropped calls.

It's not a good thing to say that "the Iphone 4 is just a little worse".
 
AidenShaw said:
But in the US the older Iphones are well-known for a high rate of dropped calls.

It's not a good thing to say that "the Iphone 4 is just a little worse".
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I swear its just the US. iPhone seems fine in Aussie/NZ. Hills and all, drops out where other phones drop out.
 
AidenShaw said:
But in the US the older Iphones are well-known for a high rate of dropped calls.
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and yet are still the benchmark for desirability

says a heck of a lot about the overall experience

It's not a good thing to say that "the Iphone 4 is just a little worse".
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No, but "its less than 1% worse" puts the actual issue into context.

Especially when it the phone is better than its predecessor in low signal areas.
 
Journojulz said:
and yet are still the benchmark for desirability

says a heck of a lot about the overall experience

No, but "its less than 1% worse" puts the actual issue into context.

Especially when it the phone is better than its predecessor in low signal areas.
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It certainly is - excellent reception in areas which were dead spots, previously.

How amusing it is, listening to all of the negative spin made by Apple Antagonists - especially those who don't even own one.
 
Industry dropped call rate around 0.3%

If the iPhone 4 is dropping 1 in 100 more than the iPhone 3GS, that's 1.3% vs. 0.3%, or 4 times as many calls as the 3GS.

(The US cellular dropped call rate is around 0.22%, with AT&T above average at around 0.33%)
 
randyhudson said:
If the iPhone 4 is dropping 1 in 100 more than the iPhone 3GS, that's 1.3% vs. 0.3%, or 4 times as many calls as the 3GS.

(The US cellular dropped call rate is around 0.22%, with AT&T above average at around 0.33%)
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Just curious how you came up with those figures? Since you don't have the original starting dropped call rates for the iPhone 3GS then how can you come up with a final percentage? The 1 in 100 more could be anything from 0.0000001% to several thousand percent depending on the starting value.
 
randyhudson said:
If the iPhone 4 is dropping 1 in 100 more than the iPhone 3GS, that's 1.3% vs. 0.3%, or 4 times as many calls as the 3GS.

(The US cellular dropped call rate is around 0.22%, with AT&T above average at around 0.33%)
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For some the glass is 1.3% full for the rest it is 98.7% empty...

Those are odds are I am happy to bank on.
 
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