What bumper color for your iPhone? (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

Since only black phones will be available at launch was wondering what bumper color you guys were deciding upon.


I still have yet to pick one.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Black, although I may still let it go naked.


- Steve

 

[Robert Crawford]

I bought a black one.






Crawdaddy

 

[KeithAP]

Aren't those bumpers covering the antennas? Wouldn't a design that leaves some open space around the antennas improve their reception slightly?


-Keith

 

[Joseph Bolus]

I'm going Blu ... er ... Blue!!

 

[DaveF]

You left out "None"


(I still don't understand the purpose of Bumpers.)

 

[Michael_K_Sr]

I'm not buying one at all. Surprised so many people are nuts about them without ever seeing one in person or laying a finger on one. I won't buy a case without first trying it on my phone in the store.

 

[Sam Posten]

Black on black

 

[Todd H]

I hope they eventually release a red one. Red and black are my school colors.

 

[DaveF]

My meta question is: why hide Apple's gorgeous industrial design in ugly silicone and pleather wrappers?


I had a case for my first iPod nano. But for my new purple nano, I realized that I got the purple because I liked the color and a nano because I like the small size: a case masks the color and makes it bulkier so I've forgone the case. And a year on, it has no scratches on the glass or metal faces; only some nicks on the edges.


And I've never had a case for my cellphone.


Does an iPhone need a case? Are they especially fragile? Do they pop out of your hand like a wet bar of soap?

 

[Sam Posten]

It's a value proposition. Is $30 a good investment against $200 if you break the glass? With the way the 4 is designed you now have double the chances of shattered screens. And yes it is stronger versus bends but it still seems that a hammer blow or a drop on the unprotected side will result in a spiderweb disaster. I dropped my original 3gs from less than 3 feet within a week of owning it and it popped like a balloon, it seems the same will happen with this one. Fortunately apple replaced the glass gratis on that one but since then I've treated it a lot more delicately...

 

[DaveF]

Does $30 really protect against broken glass? Does it help with a face-down fall onto asphalt? Will a bumper-ed iPhone 4 survive a 3-ft fall that a naked one won't? I don't know. Hopefully Engadget or someone will do a sacrificial test on performance of these add-ons.


If a $30 silicone thingy provides good "insurance" against a $900 loss ($300 for first phone and $600 for new phone), then I should buy one. If it's just style, I'd rather spend $30 at the app store

 

[Dennis*G]

Really? They are $30? Guess once I get my phone, the knock off's should be on the market for $5. Anyway, wife would take pink, I'm leaning towards an orange at this moment.

 

[Ken Chan]

Originally Posted by DaveF

My meta question is: why hide Apple's gorgeous industrial design in ugly silicone and pleather wrappers?

As with Dennis, it can be more for individualization and differentiation, to prevent you from accidentally picking up someone else's phone. After which, comedy and/or murder ensues, if you believe what you see on TV.

 

[DaveF]

I'm surprised Steve Jobs even allows his aesthetic to be marred with cheap plastics! I'd think Jony Ives would have convinced him to ban such things from the Apple store.


I'm genuinely interested in whether these things actually protect it from a fall. I don't want a case for style's sake. But I don't know about the "safety" aspect yet. I've had mixed experiences with gadgets (included a dropped Sony Clie that cracked the device open).

 

[Sam Posten]

margin > aesthetics in this case =)

 

[DaveF]

I'm also a bit put off about paying $30 for $1 in silicone (for my $299 in silicon). Maybe I can stretch a "LiveStrong" armband around the iPhone to do it cheap I'd stand out as the only yellow "bumper"!