Universal iPhone 4 bumpers that fit AT&T and Verizon models found in Apple store
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Apple is reportedly selling a new ‘universal’ iPhone 4 bumper that will fit on both AT&T and Verizon models of the popular smart phone.
Alex Barrera, a YouTube user going by the name Alerio, posted a video -- which can be watched above -- comparing the redesigned iPhone 4 bumper with an earlier model designed for the AT&T-model iPhone 4. In the video, Barrera says he purchased the new bumper at an Apple store, though he didn’t say which one.
The old and new bumpers, Barrera says in the video, are pretty much the same except for a slightly larger opening to accommodate the switch that silences the phone, which is slightly lower on the Verizon iPhone 4 than on the original AT&T model.
Apple officials weren’t available for comment on Friday about the video.
The AT&T iPhone 4, which runs on a GSM 3G wireless network, was released last June and sparked a bit of controversy when users found that holding the iPhone 4 and making skin-to-phone contact with its left corner led to a drop in signal strength. Apple gave away free bumper cases for about three months to help solve the problem.
Apple and Verizon have given no indication that buyers of the iPhone 4 would get a free bumper.
The single antenna notch that sits atop the AT&T iPhone 4 has been replaced by two antenna notches on either side of the Verizon iPhone. The new Verizon-model notch sits just above where the side buttons are. The two notches on the bottom and sides of the iPhone 4 are the same on both the AT&T and Verizon models.
Despite the antenna changes, the performance of the Verizon iPhone might not be any different. It is likely Apple made the design changes to accommodate internal differences that allow the iPhone 4 to run on Verizon’s CDMA 3G network.
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-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles
Video credit: Alerio via YouTube. Image: Apple iPhone 4 in a green bumper. Credit: Apple