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After the PR nightmare Apple suffered with the iPhone 4 antenna issues, Steve Jobs held a press conference to set the story straight. Or straight in his own eyes, at least. While most of us aren’t satisfied with the “every phone has this problem” answer, some of us were less aggravated when Apple offered free cases and bumpers to iPhone 4 customers. Most users quickly downloaded the iPhone app that aided in the process and waited patiently as notices were sent out saying the iPhone bumper or case would be shipped out September 1. Unfortunately, it turns out some won’t be getting them at all.
According to some user reports over at PhoneDog, Apple has canceled certain iPhone 4 case and bumper orders. If you live in the U.S., you’re probably okay, but for those outside the States, like Puerto Rico, things don’t look too bright. Apple said they “do not ship to international, freight forwarder, APO, FPO, or P.O. Box addresses.”
One would think that Apple would be willing to make an exception in this case given the reputation it earned for this iPhone 4 fiasco. Since a recall is impractical, and it’s hard to imagine that Apple would go and redesign the iPhone mid-cycle to fix this particular issue, it seems like a case or bumper really is the only solution for iPhone 4 owners. Or worse, you may just have to modify the way you hold your phone in order to avoid touching the area that causes attenuation in signal strength – the two black strips on the stainless steel antenna band located on the lower left and right corners of the device.
Unfortunately, some users are just going to have to shell out the few extra dollars to buy an iPhone 4 bumper or case, if the antenna problem bothers them that much. Or, if you’re not too worried about adhesives on your phone or the antenna frame, you might want to try out some hilarious stickers instead. Sorry to disappoint any of you out there, but if you do live outside of the U.S. and had some luck getting a case or bumper from Apple, please let us know!
[Update]
A few readers were quick to inform me that the iPhone 4 is not yet available for Puerto Rico, and some even said that it was impossible for Apple lovers there to get the device from Apple unless it was through a third-party reseller. That doesn’t seem to be the case according to Apple’s website:
Sales to U.S. territories
We are happy to ship your order to a friend or family member residing within the 50 United States if your billing address is within one of the following United States territories:
- American Samoa
- Armed Forces Africa
- Armed Forces Americas
- Armed Forces Canada
- Armed Forces Europe
- Armed Forces Middle East
- Armed Forces Pacific
- Guam
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Palau
- Puerto Rico
- U.S. Virgin Islands
Simply shop at the Apple Online Store U.S. with the payment method of your choice, and we’ll ship the order to any address within the 50 United States.
So there you have it. As long as the buyer’s billing address is within one of the listed United States territories, it’s very possible that the iPhone 4 handsets reached Puerto Rico. The free bumper case issue, on the other hand, is really a head-scratcher.
[Via: PhoneDog]
About The Author
Marc Flores
Marc has been a mobile fanatic for the better part of a decade and has had more devices pass through his hands than he would care to count. Originally from Los Angeles and briefly in San Francisco, Marc now lives in Brooklyn where, unlike Will Park, he longs for simpler times and simpler technology. All the while, he writes about gadgets and wireless technology as he tinkers, hacks and ultimately breaks most of his gadgets in the process. Marc has written about the mobile industry for Boy Genius Report, MobileCrunch, Laptop Magazine and has had his work appear in the Wall Street Journal, Gizmodo, CrunchGear and more.
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