14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is known to be officially discontinuing its Free Case program this month, today being the last day iPhone 4 owners can opt for a free Bumper or third-party case for their handset.
Starting tomorrow, anyone who owns an iPhone 4 and believes to be suffering from “antennagate” problems needs to pick up a phone, call AppleCare, and request a Bumper case.
In other words, Apple will continue to provide these for free, but the process of getting one now involves more effort for the customer.
“We now know that the iPhone 4 antenna attenuation issue is even smaller than we originally thought.”
“A small percentage of iPhone 4 users need a case, and we want to continue providing them a Bumper case for free,” reads an announcement on Apple’s web site, published earlier this month.
“For everyone else, we are discontinuing the free case program on all iPhone 4s sold after September 30, 2010,” Apple revealed two weeks ago.
“We are also returning to our normal returns policy for all iPhone 4s sold after September 30. Users experiencing antenna issues should call AppleCare to request a free Bumper case,” the company noted.
For a last minute benefit of the Free Case Program for iPhone 4, customers can visit the iTunes App Store, download the free app (iTunes link), use that app to opt for their case, and then sit tight waiting for Apple to deliver it.
People familiar with the company’s plans note that one day after the expiration of Apple’s Program, Bumpers will reappear on the shelves of most Apple retail stores.
These people reportedly indicate that quantities are likely to be limited, while not all colors will be available, according to a report.
Furthermore, Taiwan has a few things to say with respect to Apple’s stance of free Bumpers.
Even though the program is about to end, the country appears to have been shut off from the program since the iPhone 4 officially made its debut in the territory.
In Taiwan, iPhone 4 buyers who downloaded the free-case app were consternated to learn that Apple’s system was rejecting any emails from and to Taiwan.
A leading city politician is now attempting to kick start a letter-writing campaign forcing Apple into honoring its pledge to iPhone buyers, according to 9to5mac.com.
It is also worth noting that Consumer Reports continues to not recommend Apple’s iPhone 4, despite originally labeling it as the best smartphone out there.
This time around, the organization cites the end of Apple’s free-case program as the reason.