iPhone 4 Bumpers Bummer and White Universal Dock Adapters

David W. Martin ()

iPhone 4 Bumpers Bummer and White Universal Dock Adapters

I wasn’t able to pre-order an iPhone 4 for delivery and ended up standing in the reserve line for one here in Houston instead. However,  I was able to pre-order some accessories: a black iPhone 4 Bumper case and a pack of  white Universal Dock Adapters. I installed the Bumper and that is when I started to have problems with some cable accessories. I also have an example of not having black Universal Dock Adapters when Apple is shipping black iPhones and not white ones. I thought come on Apple how about some black Universal Dock Adapters — is that to much to ask?!?!?

I’ve owned a number of Apple mobile devices over the years iPods, iPhones and now the iPad. The sync cable coming with all of these is generally compatible with all things Apple, but not today. I found out that some of my older sync cables with the larger dock adapter end would not work while the Bumper was installed on my iPhone. In this instance it was the cable that shipped with my iPad and since the Bumper doesn’t come off easily — I think you get the idea. The cable shipping with the iPhone 4 worked just fine.

As you can see from the attached photos there is a significant difference in the thickness and height of the dock end between the two cables. My recommendation is to have at least one of each cable laying around, but hopefully you can make due with the smaller one. The larger one did not fit easily and probably could be forced to fit with a Bumper installed, but I thought that handling it roughly that way would not be a good idea.

While this isn’t a show stopper and not a really big deal. I thought you might like to know about it so you don’t get a surprise when you get your Bumper or you are on the road with the wrong cable!

In regards to the Universal Dock Adapters you will find an example of why I wish Apple shipped these in black at the end of this post. I don’t know why Apple never offers these in black, but I guess it must be easier for them to produce these in white than it is to produce a white iPhone 4. Bummer!


iPhone 4 Bumpers Bummer and White Universal Dock Adapters

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iPhone 4 Bumpers Bummer and White Universal Dock Adapters

iPhone 4 Bumpers Bummer and White Universal Dock Adapters

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About the author

dwmartin

David W. Martin has more than 20 years of experience in the industry as a programmer, systems and business analyst, author, and consultant. David has written for CNET's iPhoneatlas.com and MacLife.com he currently writes for CultofMac.com and BYTE.com. He comes to Cult of Mac's website with deep knowledge and passion for the all things Apple. Follow David on Twitter @david_w_martin.

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Posted in iPhone 4, News |

  • Joe

    What’s your impression of the bumper case? On the fence about getting one. Haven’t seen them in person. I like the simplicity and that they appear to have a slight lip to keep the phone from resting directly on the glass.

  • Sandi

    If you ever order any kind of case from the company Switcheasy, they include both white and black dock adapters specially sized for their cases. (Usually anycase from any company works great with the Switcheasy adapters)

  • http://www.davidwmartin.com David W. Martin

    The Bumper feels good in my hand. It has hard plastic and rubber. The rubber is raised a bit around the iPhone 4 on all edges front and back. While it will come off I’d say like most things this tight it is a bit of a struggle to do so. :-)

    One of my friends asked about taking it in and out of a pocket when you are wearing jeans. Sometimes rubberized items are “sticky” and I did not think this was the case with the Bumper. It did not “catch” on anything.

    Phone isn’t noticeably any heavier and I don’t know what it will do if it is dropped with a Bumper on it. My guess it will help, but I’m going to let someone else try it for themselves. :-)

  • http://www.bryangissiner.com Bryan Gissiner

    This is getting out of hand. Everyone is looking for reasons to complain about compatibility or something in order to get visitors to their blogs. This cable difference happened a long time ago with the 3Gs and before that with the 2nd Gen iPod touch and new Nano’s. So why choose now and the bumper to complain about it? I’m just tired of all the whining on the blogs about what seem to be trivial things. I got my iPhone 4 and have no had any reception or yellowing problems and am willing to guess the majority don’t. I got a nice case made byiFrogz and have no issues with any cables. So It is all about choices I guess. How you hold the phone, which cable you use etc. If you look for problems you can probably find them with everything.

  • http://www.dannydiggz.com DannyDiggz

    Masking tape around the sides and spraypaint the top gloss black with a can of plastic friendly spraypaint ….easy solution

    Or just get over it like I did…

  • PeterM11

    Yeah didn’t Apple stop making the bigger ones?
    Or at leas that’s what I thought happened. I was pretty sure all new products shipped with the smaller ones.

  • j

    I have a black cable that came with the Kingsington battery charger. Unfortunately, I can’t use it with the bumper for the reason you mentioned above.

    I was pleasantly surprised with the bumper in that it looks better that I thought. Now I want a leather sleeve for my new iPhone that will accommodate the bumper.

  • M.F.

    Hey Bryan G…it’s not whining. It’s called reporting. Get over it buddy. He did say,

    “While this isn’t a show stopper and not a really big deal. I thought you might like to know about it so you don’t get a surprise when you get your Bumper or you are on the road with the wrong cable!”

    Cya,
    MF
    ============================================
    Go read this about being a comments Troll. Are one? Read and find out!

    http://mashable.com/2010/06/23/are-you-a-comments-troll/

  • Mike

    @Byran Gissiner Agreed. I’ve seen a number of articles across multiple Apple blogs spouting negatives about the iPhone 4 that are just grasping at straws. “OMG Apple didn’t waste time getting the phones from the factory to here now I gotta wait a few hours for glue to dry and in the meantime there’s a barely noticeable yellow spot!” “OMG the new iPhone has the same reception problem that every phone on the planet has if I hold it in an incredibly awkward way!” “OMG the iPhone 4 sucks because AT&T sucks and there’s no such thing as the rest of the world who don’t have such a crappy network!”

    Don’t get me started on those people that preordered an iPhone 4 but then won’t be picking it up (I’m looking at you Paul Thurrott), while those of us right across the border don’t even have a release date yet.

  • trospero

    “come on Apple how about some black Universal Dock Adapters — is that to much to ask?!?!?”

    You’re kidding, right? THIS is important???? SND, huh? (slow news day)

  • Steve

    @joe I got a bumper because whenever I put the phone down on a hard table, like formica or glass it made a loud noise which made me feel eventually I’d break it, or if the table had grit, scratch it. The bumper raises the glass off the surface.

    I do find it a bit harder to slip in and out of jeans pockets, but this might be good as the bare phone slipped out a bit too easy. YMMV.

    And as for the connectors, ones from the 3G work fine. It’s the older ones, most of which had “squeeze to release” buttons, which don’t. A few old ones I had been using (from iPods) on my 3G no longer work.

  • firesign3000

    If I end up using something like the bumper, it’ll be from a 3rd party that’s not charging quite such an exorbitant price for a piece of plastic. What I was pleasantly surprised at was that my 4 fits perfectly in the Griffin holster that I’ve been carrying my 3G around in since it was new. Also, the haters out there can hate, but so far I absolutely love my 4. *All* devices have some issues. It’s a fact of life.

  • Denny

    I am also bummed about the bumper case. The opening to access the headphone output fits the apple earbuds perfectly, but is far too small to accommodate the stereo mini cable that I use to patch my iPhone in to my car stereo. My 3GS InCase Slider case could accommodate either. This is either showing Apple’s lack of experience in case manufacturing or, more likely, it’s Apple trying to force bumper case users to purchase some Apple brand adapter cable. I can’t wait til InCase comes out with their Slider case for the iPhone 4. Best case ever IMO. Not only is the headphone out not obstructed, but it is also the perfect texture… Not too sticky to slide into your pocket (silicone cases) yet enough grip not to slip out of your hand (faux leather cases).

  • Jonathan

    Oh, come on have a cry about it why don’t you. Dont post if you got nothing good to say.

  • Andy

    The phone comes with one of the new ones. Use the old ones to plug into docks, the new ones alone.

    The big problem I’ve run into: 3rd party cables. Like the one in the car. Perfect device, sends the audio to the input jack and has a controller, works fine with the iPhone 4. Not with the bumper, though. :(

  • John

    The cable issue is a real issue. My car charger doesn’t work with the iPhone 4 Bumper case, although with my iPhone 3GS (in a case) all worked fine.

    Also, few audio cables work with the bumper case as well.

  • http://www.Twitter.com/thoj101 Tyler

    Seriously? A blog about cables…the SECOND I bought a newer iPod…4th gen and up, I noticed the change. like cmon.

  • http://www.Twitter.com/thoj101 Tyler

    And apples never gunna have black dock adaptors…do they make ANY black peripherals? Ummm….duuuuhhhh….no? I should write for cult of Mac if this is what Thursday goin off about. Yeah…they are gunna make black adaptors to match all those black cables and black docks they have

  • http://www.oakbog.com Adam Rosen

    I’m going to chime in to support David on this one. While this aren’t major issues, the two points he raises affect many people.

    Changes in physical clearance for the dock cable connector have been a problem all along, this isn’t unique to the iPhone 4 and the bumper case. However each time this happens, people who have custom mounts, car installations, etc., have to go through the headache of getting the right cable again for their iDevice. This is additionally frustrating because Apple seems to be making cheaper cables over the years, with lower quality plastic and connectors; the older stuff is better, but now often won’t work.

    With iPhone 4, more people will be using the bumpers because of the “Death Grip” issue (real or perceived), meaning more people will have cable headaches they wouldn’t have otherwise.

    Likewise, why *doesn’t* Apple offer cables, docks and Universal Dock Adapter plates in black and white? This is a company all about Aesthetic, yet those of us who prefer black or other colors are still stuck with bright white interface cables. The Universal Dock Adapters are really kinda annoying to begin with, all Apple needs to do is center the dock port on each iPod and there would be no need for these at all!

    So ineed, not a stop-the-presses issue, but a Small Annoyance (and Expense) x Many People = Something Worth Making Noise About. Especially on a Saturday…

    My $0.02…

  • Jared

    Regarding the Dock Adapters, Apple only produces white Docks. It is the responsibility of the device manufacturer of your Dock device to produce a Universal Dock Adapter that works and matches their product, not Apple’s. In your case, ask Sony when they intend to release a Universal Dock Adapter for their Dock.

  • http://fitnessexpose.com Mike Mahony

    My experience with the bumper has not been good. I’ve had mine since I got the phone on Thursday. I noticed that at times my phone would mysteriously lock or go into the screen for shutting it off. At first I thought it was an OS 4 glitch. On Friday night I got annoyed, so I took the bumper off just to see. All of the previous problems have gone away since removing the bumper. The problem is that the bumper doesn’t have cut outs for the volume buttons or the top button for shut down and locking. Instead it has a replica of those buttons on a piece of plastic that slides in and out of that area. Apparently the one that replicates the lock button is too loose and presses the lock button on its own. I’ve been able to replicate the issue by holding the phone in my hand and moving it from right to left. The phone immediately goes into lock mode (as though I’ve hit the lock button), yet I never hit the lock button.

    I am going to check out the case from iFrogz as it looks awesome. For me, the bumper is a failure.

  • DD

    Are you really complaining about the color of the dock connector? Maybe you should go buy some spray paint and look for something else to moan about.

  • iPhuc

    Gay post on Sunday is gay. If u like black cable so much just go third party that offer black ones like belkin maybe! Oh and btw who the hell use the older cable anymore? U sound like my dad always using his first gen iPod cable even tho we have tons of newer cable at home laying around. My 02 cent.

  • Darcy McGee

    > Hey Bryan G…it’s not whining. It’s called reporting. Get over it buddy.

    Nah. It’s called whining. The whole “death grip” story is a great example. Wired’s article says they couldn’t repeat it, but they printed it anyway. Asshats.

    That cable on the right is antique, and it certainly didn’t ship with an iPad which is what this article implies. I have one of those cables: it shipped with my generation 4 iPod 20GB. It has those notches on the side that you need to depress to release the cable. Newer cables don’t have those and the cable doesn’t lock in.

    I just got an iPad and it came with the now standard newer cable. Unless you’re seriously going to suggest that my iPad came with a different cable than your iPad, the cable on the right is an antique.

  • http://www.twitter.com/bigjohn Big John

    my iphone 4 works great in my proclip device holder, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens there when my preordered bumper arrives.

    on a side note, why can’t apple make a an apple-branded car charger? all the ones i use say that it’s an incompatible device and i have dismiss a message (they work anyway, but it’s lame having that message). apple should just make an “official” car charger and be done with it. also, how about a car charger that works with both ipad and iphone and has an audio aux out?

  • Scott

    The adapter for the first-gen iPhone work great with the iPhone 4. So does the first-gen dock for that matter.

  • John

    Does anyone make an adapter that will charge the iPhone 4 with bumper?

    I use iGo chargers and tips for everything. The iPhone tip I have works with the new phone but doesn’t fit with the bumper installed. I really don’t want to carry around the Apple cable with a USB adapter for car charging.

  • Ed Thompson

    The bottom line for me, is that Apple sells the Bumpers, but didn’t have enough sense to size the Dock to fit with them, and then just include an insert so the iphone without Bumper/case would still fit and be stable. I guess common sense isn’t what it use to be………or should!

  • joh

    Hmm. I have never bought or used any case for any Apple device I owned and the things have proved to stand up against any abuse I came up with. Is the iPhone 4 really different here? I mean, I have an iPod touch since three years now, I use it every day, I throw it into bags and pockets and drop it now and then and it works as new. OK, it does not look as new, but what do you expect?

    My MB also doesn’t look as new but it surely has been faithful through being thrown around and treated like a good friend (and this does not mean being treated like a raw egg).

    Honestly, I plan to get an iPhone 4 as soon as I can get an unlocked one here in Europe/Germany and I think I won’t treat it any different. Bumpers… No, thanks. Treat it like a fscking expensive piece of technology you use day in, day out and it will serve you day in, day out.

  • Craig

    The small ports on the bumper is a big deal. In my case, my expensive DICE iPod car adapter installed (which requires professional or otherwise skilled installation), uses a proprietary cable that cannot be substitued — so there is no solution. And the small headphone jack means you can’t use a lot of headphones without an adapter.

    But what really makes me mad is that I know this isn’t some Apple oversight. Apple is generally very good with the details, and this is just an attempt to force people to use only Apple-branded accessories.

  • mfiman

    Reporting this is NOT whining. I, for one, have about a dozen of the older style cables — acquired as a result of all of the iPhones and iPhone accessories I have purchased over the years. These cables have worked with every iOS device I have owned — up to and including the iPad and the iPhone 4 (without a bumper).

    For convenience, I actively use several of these cables — for having cables in different rooms etc. and for charging multiple devices at once etc.

    I now know that the old cables won’t work with the iPhone 4 if I add a bumper.

    I’m not claiming this is a huge deal or a reason not to get an iPhone 4 bumper. It’s not even much of a complaint. But it’s definitely of interest and worth knowing. It could mean I will need/want to buy new extra cables.

    Personally, I’m glad to see this report. To me, the whiners are the ones complaining that this article should never have been posted.

  • edgewild

    So here is the most likely scenario.

    Apple had no idea that the “death grip” issue existed until fairly close to release date. They quickly developed the Bumpers in order to minimize/avoid the damage that would have been caused if they had to recall all of the already manufactured iPhone 4′s. They are being somewhat tight lipped because they need to keep quiet about the manufacturing/design oversights in order to avoid losing millions in goodwill and recognition by admitting the errors. (I own and iPhone 4 and it is easy to replicate the “death grip” complete loss of signal – and it is something that happens constantly while I’m surfing the web because I am holding it in a “non-phone call” manner – simply holding in my left palm, while surfing with my right causes total signal failure! ) The bumpers, while easily fixing the “death grip” problem, were obviously hastily designed/manufactured since they don’t properly fit the phone. They are too loose and thus they cause inadvertant button depressions and just plain feel unstable on the phone.

    This is exasperated by the fact that the bumper also doesn’t fit the new docks. This is actually a HUGE problem. Essentially Apple is backtracking…saying that the fix for the deathgrip is to simply always use a bumper…but the bumper doesn’t accommodate the dock or many connectors. We know it would be ridiculous for them to expect us to have to remove the bumper everytime we use the dock and I can logically project that repeated removal of this cheap, loose fitting bumper will cause the item to fit even more loosely and cause continued problems….

    It just reminds me of the simple story of pinochio. Steve, your nose is growing and perhaps it is just time to admit that these devices (iPhone 4′s) were released for production with some MAJOR flaws. Admit your error now and many will still forgive.

    Recall.

  • http://www.youtube.com/andymacprogamer Andy

    I have a black dock thats all black made by sony it came with the entertainment center speakers n dvd stereo receiver.

  • Jennifer

    The thicker cable actually looks like a Belkin cable rather than an the original cable that comes with an iPod or an iPhone. Did AT&T ever replace one of your iPhone cables under the one year warranty? Most times, they replace the original cable with a Belkin cable, unless if the customer specifically requests the Apple cable, because they’re thicker and more durable.

  • Andria

    Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, for letting me know about using the other cable. I had to remove the bumper each time I charged and that was getting irritating. I used my old cable, well, because it was there. Now, I have three iPhone cables and only one is viable. **sigh**

  • IKE

    i used my dremel tool to make the edge smaller.

  • http://twitter.com/whatjd whatJD

    I got the bumper to fit with my dock adapters… see my tweets from today for pictures… @whatJD

  • Mac Daddy

    I too am not happy with the new size of the sync cable end. I have a Nav system in my truck. that I had wired with an apple AV cable to view my Video’s from my phone on the screens now I have to remove the bump to use it.

    Sucks

  • McJaded

    The connector size is a big issue for me. I’ve invested alot of money into my car stereo system to work with my IPhones (just bought a $60 cable 3 months ago to support video and it is APPLES cable! Now that apple has decided to change the size of the hole on the case i have to remove the very ‘fix’ apple gave me every time i get into my car. (yes the phone does have antenna issue but how much can be debated, I noticed a decent amount of signal loss).

    Has anyone seen an adapter the will reduce the size of the connector that supports video throughput?

  • Brock

    winge winge winge. How on earth is it apple’s responsibility to make sure every old or third party cable you have lying around fit in their bumper? Get iphone 4 cables, they work fine! Did anyone winge when Nokia changed they’re charger inputs? or when Sony Ericsson started using mini usb? No. But when an old Apple cable wont fit your new iphone 4 everyone yells and screams like babies. in a nut shell “new iphone new accessories” Big surprise? not really.

    As far as the dock adapters go you sound like a girl complaining about that. you should just paint your sony socking station white, dahh.

  • http://www.troutsoup.com trout

    griffin made someof the universal dock adapters in black for the 3G iPhone. I’m hoping they do the same for the iphone4 because I have a similar alarm. clock.

  • Brin

    Thank you.. your post was excellent, I could not fuigure out what happened.. but exaclty what you said and my car adapter did not plug in..