Universal GSM-CDMA iPhone 4 bumper spotted at Apple store

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
A new universal bumper case designed to accommodate the slightly repositioned mute button on the new CDMA, Verizon-compatible iPhone 4 was recently bought at an Apple retail store.



The new bumper cases for the iPhone 4 feature a slightly wider slot on the side for the mute switch. The new CDMA iPhone launching on Verizon's network on Feb. 10 has a tweaked antenna design that resulted in the mute switch being moved slightly.



Because the volume buttons remain in the same place on the new CDMA iPhone 4, the enlarged space for the mute switch is the only discernible change to the case. By making it wider, it can accommodate the switch on the current GSM iPhone 4, as well as the forthcoming CDMA model.



Aside from the slight movement of the mute switch, the CDMA variant of the iPhone 4 has four breaks in its external metal band, which borders the exterior of the device and doubles as its antenna. The original GSM iPhone 4, released last June, was the center of a controversy when it was discovered that covering the bottom left corner of the device could result in reduced reception.



Apple remedied the situation by giving out free bumper cases for a short period. That promotion expired for new iPhone 4 buyers after Sept. 30 of last year, meaning those who buy the Verizon iPhone 4 will not be eligible for a free case.







Apple's tweaked design means it will not have to distinguish between "GSM" and "CDMA" versions of the iPhone 4 when it sells its bumper in stores. The new bumper case makes no mention on the packaging that it is meant for the CDMA phone, nor does it explain that the design has been slightly changed. Pictures accompanying bumpers for sale on Apple's online store for $29 still show the smaller space for the mute switch.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    I still think it's overpriced and it has a tendency to noticeably scratch the antenna.
  • Reply 2 of 26
    dunksdunks Posts: 1,254member
    The cynic in me wonders if the slight repositioning of the mute switch will flow into the iPhone 5 design and if consideration was given that this would force early adopters to discard their free iPhone 4 bumpers for new, paid ones.
  • Reply 3 of 26
    kbeatkbeat Posts: 48member
    Far more importantly, it looks like they FINALLY opened up the bottom dock connecter opening so that it will now accommodate the vast majority of Apple and third party dock connectors. Apple's own video & audio connectors wouldn't fit with the bumper on the phone. Only the brand new, slim design connectors would fit. Thank you for small favors. Now, how about an exchange?
  • Reply 4 of 26
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post


    I still think it's overpriced and it has a tendency to noticeably scratch the antenna.



    Yeah, I stopped using mine for exactly that reason. My antenna got scuffed up pretty bad. Ironic that these things are supposed to protect your phones and it does the opposite.
  • Reply 5 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dunks View Post


    The cynic in me wonders if the slight repositioning of the mute switch will flow into the iPhone 5 design and if consideration was given that this would force early adopters to discard their free iPhone 4 bumpers for new, paid ones.



    hmmm.. I just don't think apple roles like that. And I doubt they entered into that decision lightly.



    What did come to mind for me was the design cycle that actually resulted in the need to move that switch 'ever so slightly', which likely stemmed from the internal engineering requirements of the CMDA radio and related tech.



    It just makes me consider just how dense the internals of the iP4 must be, to the point where available space is measured in hundredths of a millimeter and that move was necessary to fit 'something somewhere' after they ran out of options.
  • Reply 6 of 26
    neilmneilm Posts: 985member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post


    [The Bumper case] has a tendency to noticeably scratch the antenna.



    Why would that even matter? It's not the kind of case you put on and take off?either you think you need it and it stays in place, or you think you don't and you never get one in the first place.



    I bought my Bumper back before the whole death grip thing hit the fan and I have no idea whether it scratches the antenna or not. It's never been taken off my iPhone and now it's there I can't think of a reason it ever will be.
  • Reply 7 of 26
    This story would have been AMAZING/GROUNDBREAKING/AWESOME/UNHEARD OF/SHOCKING/FLABBERGASTING/EARTH-SHATTERING/UNDENIABLY FANTASTIC/ORGASMIC had it been released the day before the Verizon iPhone announcement.
  • Reply 8 of 26
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Creative View Post


    hmmm.. I just don't think apple roles like that. And I doubt they entered into that decision lightly.



    What did come to mind for me was the design cycle that actually resulted in the need to move that switch 'ever so slightly', which likely stemmed from the internal engineering requirements of the CMDA radio and related tech.



    It just makes me consider just how dense the internals of the iP4 must be, to the point where available space is measured in hundredths of a millimeter and that move was necessary to fit 'something somewhere' after they ran out of options.



    That?s what I?m thinking, too. I can imagine that making it the same externally, or as close to it as possible was s driving force for this design. I bet getting that mute switch to where it was placed was more than few stressful hours for their engineers.
  • Reply 9 of 26
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NeilM View Post


    Why would that even matter? It's not the kind of case you put on and take off—either you think you need it and it stays in place, or you think you don't and you never get one in the first place.



    I bought my Bumper back before the whole death grip thing hit the fan and I have no idea whether it scratches the antenna or not. It's never been taken off my iPhone and now it's there I can't think of a reason it ever will be.



    Lucky you. The bumper has rendered many of the docks I have unusable, and even some of the regular iPod charging cables too.



    For example, I have a dock on my iMac, a dock on my HDTV, a charger at my office. All three of those require I remove the case in order to use it. These are all Apple-branded pieces mind-you.



    Before that, I had a hard case on my old iPhone 2G and I was able to use my docks / cables with no problem. Apple certainly did not think that new bumper design through very well, especially when their own cables don't fit in the holes. I'm certainly not going to go out and buy new docks and/or adapters in order to use the bumper case.



    Even if it did work, I still remove the case from time to time simply to clean the phone. I'm just that way. All that glass attracts a lot of skin oils, etc that if not cleaned at decent intervals, turns into nice sandpaper which works its way into the bumper sides as my antenna scuffs can prove.
  • Reply 10 of 26
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    Lucky you. The bumper has rendered many of the docks I have unusable...



    That?s one of my biggest complaints about Apple. They have official cases but the official docking stations make it in convenient to have both. Don?t most people have a case on their phone?
  • Reply 11 of 26
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    That?s one of my biggest complaints about Apple. They have official cases but the official docking stations make it in convenient to have both. Don?t most people have a case on their phone?



    They had a dock that was very oversized, and then whatever case one purchased contained an adapter molded to fit that particular case cover into the dock. I guess Apple discontinued that practice? Maybe they came to a conclusion that most folks don't use docks so it was wasted?



    But that does not resolve them of the ignoramus goof of not having their own charging cables fit into the dock connector. That's inexcusable. Sure, the phone comes with its own charging cable that obviously fits with the phone and case, but I'm not going to buy a bunch of new cables for my stations simply because Apple didn't have the foresight to increase the hole diameter on their cases by 1 freaking millimeter!



    Either way, I still removed the cases on my iPhone(s) simply for the sake of keeping them clean. I've seen other iPhones from friends that do what the original poster said and never remove the cases and, I'm sorry, but the crud that collects on their phones and they pass it to other people to use, that's just plain nasty. I wouldn't want to put that bacterial ecosystem on my cheek, and I certainly don't want people thinking the same thing about my phone!
  • Reply 12 of 26
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    But that does not resolve them of the ignoramus goof of not having their own charging cables fit into the dock connector. That's inexcusable. Sure, the phone comes with its own charging cable that obviously fits with the phone and case, but I'm not going to buy a bunch of new cables for my stations simply because Apple didn't have the foresight to increase the hole diameter on their cases by 1 freaking millimeter!



    That I can?t take issue with. If the Bumper didn?t work with the supplied Dock Connector plug then I?d take issue, but not making new products work around the lowest common denominator of old charging cables that used thicker plastics for whatever reason isn?t one of them.



    Apple also sells Shure headphones. They use a thick gauge wire than most and the plastic on the 3.5mm plug is too thick to fit with the Bumper in place. I think that is more annoying as these are current products they sell in the store, but i resolved it by scraping a little bit off the Bumper?s headphone jack hole. Took 10 seconds. Can you do that for your old Dock Connector cable?
  • Reply 13 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    Lucky you. The bumper has rendered many of the docks I have unusable, and even some of the regular iPod charging cables too.



    I dunno? The bumper wouldn't accommodate my third-party car charger cable, but I switched it for the cable that came with the iPhone 4 and it works fine. At home, I dock my iPhone 4 (with bumper on) in my Universal Dock (with no adapter) and have no problems.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NeilM View Post


    Why would that even matter? It's not the kind of case you put on and take off?either you think you need it and it stays in place, or you think you don't and you never get one in the first place. I bought my Bumper back before the whole death grip thing hit the fan and I have no idea whether it scratches the antenna or not. It's never been taken off my iPhone and now it's there I can't think of a reason it ever will be.



    I agree; the Bumper's meant to be left on, not removed constantly. That's such a hassle and one of the reasons I hated the early snap cases for the original iPhone. I did take my Bumper off recently to clean my iPhone and noticed some minor scratches on the antenna. "Hmmm, that's interesting," I thought. Then I finished cleaning the iPhone, re-affixed the Bumper, and haven't thought about the scratches on the antenna since. Both glass surfaces are still flawless thanks to the Bumper; those are more important to me anyway. Aesthetically, that is.
  • Reply 14 of 26
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DanaCameron View Post


    I dunno? The bumper wouldn't accommodate my third-party car charger cable, but I switched it for the cable that came with the iPhone 4 and it works fine. At home, I dock my iPhone 4 (with bumper on) in my Universal Dock (with no adapter) and have no problems.



    Universal Dock! I?ll have to check that out.



    Any docking solutions for the iPad with Apple?s iPad case on?
  • Reply 15 of 26
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Universal Dock! I?ll have to check that out.



    Any docking solutions for the iPad with Apple?s iPad case on?



    Yes, the universal dock is what I was referring to. I could not remember the name of it. (Duh!)



    However, I will retract part of my first posting. In another room, I do have the universal dock and with the adapter removed, my phone does fit with the case on. That dock was in my guest bedroom and not used that often. It was mainly for folks that crash at my place that needed to charge their gear. That dock was purchased quite a few years ago so I'm not sure if Apple kept the same design on it.



    For sure, I'm moving that dock to my main iMac now.

    It would be nice if Apple sold only universal docks with anything needing one and not the others that are molded to fit a particular style. Perhaps they do, I just haven't checked for a long time.



    So I will reduce my complaint by 1/3.
  • Reply 16 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NeilM View Post


    Why would that even matter? It's not the kind of case you put on and take off—either you think you need it and it stays in place, or you think you don't and you never get one in the first place.



    I bought my Bumper back before the whole death grip thing hit the fan and I have no idea whether it scratches the antenna or not. It's never been taken off my iPhone and now it's there I can't think of a reason it ever will be.



    Uh I took my bumper off at night when charged it on my non-universal dock. It won't fit with the bumper on. Also, a scratched up antenna lowers resale value. It's one of many things that can lower value, so I want to keep it as mint as possible. A bumper prevents that.
  • Reply 17 of 26
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple Store View Post


    How is this news? We already know Verizon got the iPhone.



    It wasn?t known if they would get their own Bumper or if a Universal Bumper would be made. Additionally, we didn?t know when this Bumper would be released. Right now it looks like it will be available come February 10th and replace the old-style Bumper. It?s not earth shattering news but it?s still news.
  • Reply 18 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by NeilM View Post


    Why would that even matter? It's not the kind of case you put on and take off?either you think you need it and it stays in place, or you think you don't and you never get one in the first place.



    I bought my Bumper back before the whole death grip thing hit the fan and I have no idea whether it scratches the antenna or not. It's never been taken off my iPhone and now it's there I can't think of a reason it ever will be.



    I agree who cares if it scratches the antenna...besides, there is a new iPhone every year.
  • Reply 19 of 26
    This makes sense if the 5g iPhone is the same form factor as the 4g.



    I don't believe that there will be a later release of a verizon compatible phone (5g) in 2011 after the February launch.



    I am beginning to believe that apple will surprise us all in February when we discover the verizon phone is actually the 5g with a dual band phone gsm/CDMA. And that verizon has paid apple a wad of cash to be the exclusive provider for the new phone until it releases it to it's other gsm partners in June. Makes no sense to me that apple would produce a CDMA phone only for a four month run and risk ticking off a lot of new/ verizon customers who have waited patiently for the iPhone when they obsolete those phones four months later. That would Also be a bad way for verizon to "reward" it's customers who loyally waited for that phone when the could just as well have bolted to AT&T over the last three years.



    Whaduya think?
  • Reply 20 of 26
    Duplicate post. Oops
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