Have you considered one of those nice colored Apple Bumpers, for your iPhone 4?
The iPhone 4 sure is a wondrous piece of technology. As Steve puts it: “it’s the biggest leap since the original iPhone”.
How about its compatibility with previous accessories... especially headphones?
You know you can read everything about the best headphones for the iPhone here.
But will Steve’s leap leave some accessory, and some headphones, behind?
The iPhone 4 Bumper
Among its set of Apple branded accessories, for the first time the iPhone sports something close to a case. The Bumper.
The Bumper is a sort of half-case; an elastic strip that wraps around the metal edge of the iPhone 4. It’s nice because it doesn’t detract too much from the original slick design of the iPhone. And it does offer some protection.
It comes in several colors. So with a Bumper your iPhone 4 will gain a touch of personality.
The Bumper will provide some protection from scratching, and it will also offer better grip when handholding your iPhone.
Some people even like to fiddle with the Bumper as an anti-stress. Cool!
So, is the Bumper the new perfect iPhone 4 case?
Well, there are a few drawbacks.
For some strange reason Apple seems to like recessed holes. Yes, like they did with the original iPhone, the Bumper will make the iPhone 4 headphone connector recessed. This means some headphones, like the Apple ones, will fit, while others won’t as their 3.5 mm jack connector is too large.
iPhone 4 Bumper recessed headphones port (photo: Yutaka Tsutano)
The same thing happens for the dock connector. The iPhone 4 with a Bumper on won’t fit Apple’s own iPhone 4 dock.
Amazing, huh?
The Solution
Do not despair. If you’re in love with one of those colored Bumpers there’s a couple of easy solutions.
The Bumper material around the headphones hole is soft rubber. It’s quite easy to enlarge the headphones hole a bit so that your headphones jack fits. Simply use a pair of scissors, or a small driller. Just be sure to remove the iPhone from the Bumper before you drill!
Disclaimer: depending on how finely you execute this hole enlargement job, your Bumper may become a bit uglier. Do it only if you feel comfortable with this, also considering that Bumpers sell for $29 a piece.
Another possibility is to use one of those adapters available for the recessed headphones port.
Buy the recessed jack adapter here.
More Headphones
Looking for a good pair of headphones to use together with your custom modified Bumper?
Be sure to read our best headphones section.