The iPhone is not notoriously secure in terms of casing. Much of this does not come from any flaw in the iPhone's design and instead simply that the touch screen is incredibly open to trauma that could be incurred. The rest of the Phone has a barrier against the harsh and unforgiving world, but there are enough buttons to allow in debris and any phone is vulnerable to accidents. With the price of the iPhone begin what it is and the lack of the ability to put normal "insurance" on it besides Apple Care the need to buy an external iPhone case is a serious one. With the announcement of the iPhone 4 we saw that the over all dimensions of the new device is different than the iPhone 3Gs, rendering the older iPhone cases a little obsolete. To match this there has been the announcement of the Bumper, the new case for the iPhone 4.
The Bumper, which comes right from Apple itself, has had various reactions from those who have seen it. "Strange" seems to be a very common Bumper response, so you might have to bump in on it yourself to see what the buzz is about. What is different about the iPhone 4 Bumper, other than that it comes in a rainbow of six different colors and can be purchased right from the App Store, is that it really only covers the sides of the device. The most vulnerable part, the iPhone's touch screen, is not protected in the way it should be. Many people are likely going to buy it because the assumption of superiority always goes to first market devices, but when the iPhone 4 is finally released the same competitors from earlier iPhone incarnations are likely going to create a more efficient and protective device. If you do go with the iPhone 4 Bumper then you will have to put a protective film on your touch screen separately. For an iPhone case that costs $29 the Bumper may just fall in a little short.
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The bumper case protects the touch screen just as much as my Speck Candyshell. It sticks out in front of the display a bit so when you lay it down, it lies on the bumper and not the phone itself. The only protection that the bumper lacks that typical iPhone cases offer is protection of the back of the phone.
I think it is going to be hard to buy the Bumper (which is a physical product) from the App Store which only distributes software…
I guess the iPhone4 won’t get scratches,because the iPhone4′s screen and backside is made from the glass which also uses for iPhone3GS’s screen.
So I think the Bumper for just change the iPhone color style. because of that it only covers the sides of the device.
I like how two people have given a one-star rating to a product they’ve never held, used, or even seen. Haters gonna hate.
Did any of you people actually watch the keynote yet? Steve Jobs said the glass on both the front and back of the phone is 30 times stronger then plastic and is scratch resistant! The stainless steel going around the sides of the phone is NOT scratch resistant…that is why they made these bumbers…to protect the steel…the front and back of the phone doesn’t need to be protected! Have you ever tried scratching the iPhones glass on previous models? It’s practically impossible to do and besides…why would anyone in their right mind want to cover up such beauty?
I think the writer of this article needs to re-watch the keynote and actually know what he/she is writing about. For some reason people just don’t read or listen on the internet!
The one thing that everyone [except Priddy] seems to be forgetting in their critique of this bumper case is the quality of the glass used on the front and back of the iPhone 4. It is not the same as the glass used on any other iPhone. It is a very expensive, extremely hard glass that is used for the windshields of high speed trains, helicopters, and even space vehicles [Google aluminosilicate glass]. That would indicate to me, that the glass on the front and back of the phone is more than capable of surviving anything you would encounter in day to day use with no scratches or damage.
If you’re still concerned about scratches, get an Invisible Shield. It’s an awesome product for protecting against scratches and scrapes. I’ve had nothing but an Invisible Shield on my 3G for several months now and I have no desire to go back to a full case.
Love the cover, where can i get on from?
I think this case plus an invisible shield should provide decent protection from not too crazy drops, impacts, keys and what not and not be big annoying and cumbersome like a hell of a lot of cases out there, including all those gross full body silicone ones
Which is it ? Will the glass scratch or not
Uh… In light of certain circumstance, you may want to edit your response.
I just got the new iPhone and am looking for a case for it
Thank you for the information. I am trying to find a cheap price for an iphone 4 bumper. Some company is selling the iphone 4 bumper on Amazon for $59!
I know Apple sells them for $29, but I am trying to find the cheapest price.
Thanks,
Elon Bomani
that price is a damn rip off, there is a english site that sell it, i bought mine, looks the same does the same, why does apple love screwing us over all the time!!
Hey Jane,
thank you for this. i cant understand why people would pay 30$ or in our case for the english once again we have to pay more around $40(£25) for our case. just buy it from us and safe some money.
stop letting apple screw us over.
thank you jane, and best wishes
alice
you can download the apple store app and buy it on that genius
Gee maybe you guys shouldn’t have bought an iphone if you cant afford any accesories for it!!!!!! I dont think 30 or even 40 dollars is rip off. I mean how much did pay for the phone I know it wasn’t free so you can not expect the extras for it to be chead either.
I like the Bumper case for iphone 4 so much, it is simple but quit nice.