Geek News: iPhone 4 Case Program Goes Live
This morning, Apple’s eagerly awaited free bumper program went live.
Cited in last weeks “emergency” news conference to be a fix for the dreaded iPhone 4 deathgrip that has been plaguing consumers since its launch, this physical solution eliminates skin contact with the black conductive bands on the phones’ integrated antenna chassis which causing a decreasing drop in reception.
Interestingly, Apple’s rolling out their claim program via a downloadable app from their App Store.
It’s certainly an unusual method, but actually quite a clever one as the app validates your right to claim a free case by automatically cross-checking your iPhone 4′s serial number against Apple’s database.
Once downloaded, launch the app and sign in with your Apple ID, once it’s cleared you, you’ll be presented with eight cases to choose from. Apple’s Official Bumper, only in black, and seven other third party choices – two each from Incase, Griffin and Speck, and one from Belkin.
It’s a matter of preference as all currently available options are slated for delivery within the next three to five weeks.
If you’ve already brought a Bumper, then you’ve nothing to do as Apple will have already re-debited your account with the cost. If you brought it in-store and still have the receipt, take it along to your nearest Apple Store.
This free initiative is the least that Apple could do, and does go some ways to making them save face after this tech blunder. Between this and a recent update to iOS 4 which “improves the formula to determine how many bars of signal strength to display on [your] iPhone 4″, they are very much hoping for this to draw a line under the subject. However, if you’re still not happy, Apple will continue to offer a full refund for those phones returned, undamaged, to an Apple Store or via the online store within thirty days of purchase.
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