[citation][nom]theuerkorn[/nom]Glad everybody had a chance to rant. I for one think the issue is real, even if it sometimes takes a strong grip to short the antenna. On the other hand, the glass back and front of the phone (Gorilla or not) made me get a case anyway. So I think it's not so much that the technical issue doesn't exist, but a case is almost mandatory anyway. (Yes, the iPhone4 is extremely slippery and not easy to hold.)I opted for Belkin's clear case followed by Apple's "bumper". I have to admit I didn't expect much from the latter, BUT it turned out to be an excellent case for ergonomics, button access and looks. Further, this is an expensive design (many parts) and the $30 seem much more justified than the $20 - $30 for a single shot case like most others. I'm impressed even if I'm getting flamed for liking the Bumper.[/citation]
You won't be flamed for liking the bumper, you'll be flamed for being a mindless sheep. You're the reason Apple gets away with what its doing. Seriously, Apple creates a phone with obvious problems. You buy said phone for $200 + 2-year phone plan. Then, when the phone has problems, what do you do? You give Apple another $30 for 50-cents worth of rubber to "solve" the problems they designed the phone with in the first place.
I think it was decent of Apple to give away cases. What I think is crooked is that they first tried to charge you for those cases hoping enough people wouldn't complain about the problem they must have known about before hand. Yes, lots of companies do this. Recalls on any product are often the result of numerous complaints against the product or company (one counter-example is when Johnson and Johnson recalled all that children's pain relief medicine because it failed internal tests). However, no one should praise a company for the recall. Did people praise those egg producers in Iowa for recalling the eggs? No, people blamed them for shipping contaminated eggs in the first place. Did people praise Toyota for recalling those stuck accelerators? No, they lambasted them for designing death cars for the past 8 years. Yet so many Apple faithful (and this site too) seem to praise Apple for doing the right thing by giving away free cases (but only until Sept. 30th, if you buy a phone after that, its your own stupid fault). The rest of us who realized Apple never should have shipped a phone with such problems in the first place still aren't buying it.