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element bumper "vapor"
- Thread starter txr0ckabilly
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What about the iPhone 4 caught anyone off guard?
The new iPhone is always released in June/July and this particular iteration was stolen and FULLY revealed to the public way earlier than normal.
If anything, manufacturers of cases and accessories got a beter head start this year than they'd ever had for a previous iPhone.
how are they suppose to get ready for a phone they couldn't get their hands on? Even apple said they wouldn't allow any 'prototypes to case manufacturers because prototypes show up on ebay and the web'. Just because they seen gizmodo's pictures doesn't mean they can whip up a case. There are too many intricate details that need to be included in the design of a case that one cannot just gather from a bunch of pictures -- and even those pictures (at the time) could have easily NOT been the final product.
So that, coupled with the fact that this is the highest demanding iPhone, the case companies were indeed caught off guard. By having to produce so many cases in high demand in such the quickest time possible. It was like a sprint to the finishing line for case companies.
I guess we should just give extra kudos to those that do have cases on the market already?
Sheesh. You guys are loving to make excuses for the Vapor Element folks here.
This iPhone didn't catch anyone off guard anymore than the previous ones did. It was widely known the design was changing and then confirmed by Gizmodo well in advance.
Many major companies with a good reputation for quality and customer service - for example iSkin - simply have not released their products yet. Then you get companies who want to take advantage of a relative shortage of cases in the early going of a new release.
Ivyskin I would not see as a "traditionally popular" case manufacturer and if you look around this sub-forum last year they were embroiled in several quality control and customer service issues. Think "oil slick" front cover issues which were denied over and over.
seriously? Do you even read the forums? This iPhone caught SEVERAL manufacturers off guard (it doesn't matter that people knew in advance there would be a new design, that is irrelevant). How many companies had issues with the flash cutout? Or the front camera hole cutout? or protective film companies that have had an insane amount of problems, or the antenna problems. Sometimes in the development stages of your product you cannot foresee every little issue or problem that can arise. Apple is so secretive about their products they release very little information to companies like case manufacturers for them to work from. It's been a very real issue and you are quite naive to think otherwise. When you don't have the phone in advance and you start designing a product around it well you can imagine some problems could arise. I would venture a guess and say once the iPhone was released Element probably had to do a bit of tweaking and it could be a real reason why there was a delay in the first place....(bumping up production doesn't really make much sense for a delay...). What if the aluminum case really does diminish the signal? This is something that may not have been seen until they had a working prototype.
Im not making excuses for Elementcase. Rather, I am complaining about this just like you. But I won't be ignorant in saying that they should have been ready to release cases on iDay either. Obviously the case companies weren't literally caught off guard. They just weren't able to make cases until they had an actual iphone in their possession to draw up schematics. Now mind you, case companies could have been more prepared than others in terms of materials, resources, etc...but when it came down to actual making cases, nothing could happen. Now of course im speaking about companies that didn't have ties to apple. Because obviously iFrogz had some sort of deal going on there. But they were the exception.
I bought each and every iPhone on launch day -- the 2G. 3G, 3GS, and the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 was the ONLY launch event where there were NO cases available except for the bumper -- and even that was in very short supply. For every other launch day there were cases galore.
Jobs said as much at his press conference, saying this was the first time where cases were not available at launch, and at prior launches 80% of people walking out with a phone had also purchased a case.
Case manufacturers have also already been scrambling to recall defective cases -- witness Incipio freely replacing early cases because of camera flash interference. And demand has been quite high -- sometimes causing out of stock situations for case manufacturers within hours of online launch. (Switcheasy colors, for example.)
I could go on here but my point is this: Element Case isn't the only case manufacturer scrambling to meet demand. And the complexities of their case design and manufacture relative to silicone, for example, are significant.
Seriously, we need to wait a week or so and see what happens. Constant bashing isn't going to make the cases come any quicker. And as far as I can tell from their communications, all that happened is that shipping dates for the earliest orders slipped a week. They were clear all along that orders would be delivered two to three weeks after July 12. They never said orders would arrive by let's say the 14th.
And if they were so shady, how is it your refund got processed so quickly? I've had refunds languish for months from so-called "legitimate" companies -- it is a cash management tactic.
We should all just chill for a week or two and see how this shakes out.
You can't design a case for an item that you don't have in hand. Plus, the excuse for Element is absolutely valid IMHO as they are probably a small shop trying to keep with initial demand in a case-challenged market.
I am just as eager to get rid of my Bumper and put my Vapor on. I have 3 cases ordered and not one of them has shipped (yet). I'll give Element the pass for now and will render judgment when I see the quality of the product I paid for.
vapor 4 case
It's just like the iphone 4. If you don't want one, don't buy it. If you don't like it send it back. I'm not sure what else you could expect from a company. ( Other than better communication ) A couple of people have cancelled their orders and have gotten refunds. That sounds solid to me.I ordered my Bodyguardz for the iphone 4 on June 23 and just got my order yesterday. I didn't pay for express shipping but almost a month for a couple pieces of plastic!!! I would expect it takes a lot more work and time to produce a product made of aluminum and the anodizing process on top of that.
If you need your 80 bucks back to buy another case just cancel your order like the other guys did and buy something else. If another week goes by and nothing has shipped I will also revaluate my purchase options. I'm just really hoping that pic was a fake. The finish and bulk doesn't match up with the images on their site. Looking at pics of their ipad stand in black it's a matte finish and looks very sharp. I can't imagine why the finish on the vapor 4 would be any different.
It's just like the iphone 4. If you don't want one, don't buy it. If you don't like it send it back. I'm not sure what else you could expect from a company. ( Other than better communication ) A couple of people have cancelled their orders and have gotten refunds. That sounds solid to me.I ordered my Bodyguardz for the iphone 4 on June 23 and just got my order yesterday. I didn't pay for express shipping but almost a month for a couple pieces of plastic!!! I would expect it takes a lot more work and time to produce a product made of aluminum and the anodizing process on top of that.
If you need your 80 bucks back to buy another case just cancel your order like the other guys did and buy something else. If another week goes by and nothing has shipped I will also revaluate my purchase options. I'm just really hoping that pic was a fake. The finish and bulk doesn't match up with the images on their site. Looking at pics of their ipad stand in black it's a matte finish and looks very sharp. I can't imagine why the finish on the vapor 4 would be any different.
Cutout for the flash? There is no cutout. It's a bumper case. The entire backside is open unless you apply the CF back.
the finish may be real similar though. look here
I see what you mean. I just doubt this pic is the real deal. If they had shipped already than we would have seen a hundred pics by now. Most customers who have ordered the vapor 4 have been looking online trying to get updates on shipping and have come across a dozen posts like ours. If I had gotten mine t I would have posted 50 shots already and given a review. Even this pic of the case got picked up yesterday by other sites. I saw it on www.everythingicafe.com
The only options are it's a fake or Element released this pic themselves in a sneaky way. That wouldn't be cool. I wouldn't expect a business to behave like that. I'm really hoping it was a fake.
Nevermind...I just woke up. I was looking at the mic jack. LOL! Sorry.
ETA: Wow I feel like a total tard now.
lol! im the one who posted it on everythingicafe, when i saw it in this thread! lol
But i agree with you, im hoping it was a fake.
Too funny, haha . They are asking the same questions we are. They even have their own trolls
..........Or maybe they are renting our trolls???- Status