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Just ordered iphone 4. Bumper yes or no?

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davemartin01

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 20, 2010
11
0
Hi just ordered my iphone 4 as been waiting for my current phone contract to expire. So, question is, has the so called aerial problem been sorted with new batches or do i still need to buy a bumper ready for when it gets delivered shortly? I am in the UK btw if that makes any difference and using the 3 network.
I just wanted to know whether to order one or not or if it is not necessary now. Many thanks in advance.
 
davemartin01 said:
Hi just ordered my iphone 4 as been waiting for my current phone contract to expire. So, question is, has the so called aerial problem been sorted with new batches or do i still need to buy a bumper ready for when it gets delivered shortly? I am in the UK btw if that makes any difference and using the 3 network.
I just wanted to know whether to order one or not or if it is not necessary now. Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Although the complaints were more widespread than we all would have liked, it was not 100% across the board. Ergo, nobody can tell you whether you will need one or not. It depends on how you hold your individual phone and if you experience "the issue." Use the phone. If you need a bumper, order one.
 
davemartin01 said:
Hi just ordered my iphone 4 as been waiting for my current phone contract to expire. So, question is, has the so called aerial problem been sorted with new batches or do i still need to buy a bumper ready for when it gets delivered shortly? I am in the UK btw if that makes any difference and using the 3 network.
I just wanted to know whether to order one or not or if it is not necessary now. Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

its all about preference - I got a bumper, loved the look, but hated the feeling. I love the aesthetics of apple products so i prefer mine without cases.

instead, I bought an invisishield from zagg - the max protection has covers for the antenna, which stops the antenna issue, and keeps the aesthetic of the phone.

really though, its about preference again - i would go to an apple store and ask to try on a bumper to see if you like the feel in your hand, in your pocket, etc etc
 
Get the phone, then ring up Apple and say you have the signal attenuation issue. They'll ship you a bumper free of charge.

Apple UK said:
We now know that the iPhone 4 antenna attenuation issue is even smaller than we originally thought. A small percentage of iPhone 4 users need a case, and we want to continue providing them a Bumper case for free. For everyone else, we are discontinuing the free case programme on all iPhone 4s sold after September 30th, 2010. We are also returning to our normal returns policy for all iPhone 4s sold after September 30th, 2010. Users experiencing antenna issues should call AppleCare to request a free Bumper case.
Click to expand...

http://www.apple.com/uk/iphone/case-program/

Not sure whether you can choose colors, but I'm guessing they only have black for free and the other colors you'll have to buy.

But tbh there are much better cases out there for the same or less money by other companies such as Griffin, Speck etc.
 
Hey there OP.

I also have an iPhone 4 on Three, and can safely say that the bumper is necessary in areas with three bars of signal strength or less. If you're in an area with a constant four to five bars, you should be okay without the bumper.

I live on the outskirts of a large town. When I'm in the center of town I get five bars, but in my house I can only manage two. If I take the bumper off and hold the phone comfortably, I get no signal :/ So the bumper is a necessity for me, which is a shame, because I'd like it better without.

Hope this helps.
 
At my work I get one bar at best, without the bumper I wouldn't be able to make calls at all. So really depends on if it affects your signal or not I guess.
 
Like everyone here is saying. Its up to you if you need one or not. I didn't need one at all. So I didn't get one.
But since I like my phone to remain intact without tons of scratches, I did get a protective case. Some of my coworkers don't have anything.
Individual performance may vary. ;)
 
Ok guys. Fantastic responses, thank you all very much. I shall wait to see how it is when it gets delivered as to whether I actually need one. I like the idea of perhaps bending apples ears to try and get a free one if i do!!

Just got to sit on my hands for a while until it all arrives!
Thanks again!
 
A bumper will also keep the glass back of the iPhone 4 from getting dusty or scratched whenever you put the device down on any flat surface. It even helps protect the camera lens area a bit.
 
I've been using a bumper since launch and love it still. It keeps my iPhone from getting scratched when I place it on a table, and has a good deal of friction to keep it from sliding accidentally. Plus with the bumper you can see more of the beautiful device it's protecting.
 
take a bumper, but not to avoid reception issues: just to increase the grip. without any kind of skin/case, the phone it's just too slippery, I was always so close to drop it on the floor...
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

davemartin01 said:
Ok guys. Fantastic responses, thank you all very much. I shall wait to see how it is when it gets delivered as to whether I actually need one. I like the idea of perhaps bending apples ears to try and get a free one if i do!!

Just got to sit on my hands for a while until it all arrives!
Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good idea. When you get your iPhone 4, you can try it with and without the bumper, to see which way works out best for you.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

Rickey Ponting said:
Try holding down the button at the top of the phone and the home button. you usually have to hold it down for 20 seconds before it will turn off. If that doesn't work then you should take it to the apple store. If they can fix it in the store then they won't charge you. If they have to send it somewhere or anything like that they will probably charge you.
Click to expand...

I think you replied to the wrong thread here. ;)
 
Got my iPh4 yesterday, but have noticed the bars dropping whenever I pick the phone up (fingers covering the antenna).

Should I bring it into my Apple Store and let them know? or phone them up to get a bumper?
 
Only get the bumper if you don't need to remove it to plug things in alot. all of my audio cables are to big and don't fit when bumper is on. if you plan on using the dock you will have to take off the bumper each time. i did that for about a week and noticed the bumper streching out a bit.
 
Mac. said:
Got my iPh4 yesterday, but have noticed the bars dropping whenever I pick the phone up (fingers covering the antenna).

Should I bring it into my Apple Store and let them know? or phone them up to get a bumper?
Click to expand...

Call AppleCare. They'll send you a bumper free of charge.
 
I dont mean to jack your thread. But I have a question.

I got the speck pixelskin hd with the free apple case program but I decided I did not like it once I saw it on my friends phone. I haven't opened it. Can I take it to an apple store and exchange it for a bumper?
 
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