Honestly, I don't think it would kill them to include a basic rubber case in the color of their choosing (probably black). It's not like Nintendo Wiis were less popular because they had to put that big rubber cushion on the hand controller. After people were breaking TVs and getting concussions.
If anything it made the controller more attractive since adults could finally hold it.
This situation is definitely most analogous to what happened with the Nintendo Wii Remotes going through TV screens (as opposed to Toyota's acceleration issue).
- Both happened when products were used without cases or safety straps
- Both are hard for experienced users to reproduce (well, it's easy to toss a Wii Remote, but I doubt any hardcore players lost a TV to it)
- Both rely on anecdotal evidence (I own a Wii, as do my friends, and nobody has sent a Wii Remote sailing through anything)
- Both are annoying but not a deal-breaker in the use of the product
- Both can be alleviated by holding the product a different way
- Both have hilarious class action lawsuits against the parent company
- Most importantly, both were discovered shortly after the launch of a highly desirable product and nobody returned theirs because of this issue
The last point is what annoys me the most. It's not reasonable to say "if this antenna is such a big deal, why isn't everyone returning their iPhone 4?" A problem doesn't have to be some titanic issue to need to be addressed. Nintendo did the right thing and packaged the Wii Remote with $0.50 of plastic, even without anyone beating down Gamestop's return desk. We shouldn't accept anything less from Apple.
A free bumper is my least preferred resolution. It essentially says you can't have the phone you thought you were buying. Instead, you have to choose: faulty or ugly.
I agree, even though I think the bumpers are kind of stylish.
But Apple's between a rock and a hard place. Either they lose millions now proving free bumpers/gift certificates to customers, or they lose millions later by ignoring the issue and suffering a huge hit to their reputation.
Or worse, they attack Consumer Reports. I would love to see that fight. A for-profit company that lots of people love but not necessarily trust, versus a non-profit that lots of people trust but not necessarily love.
If anything it made the controller more attractive since adults could finally hold it.