Form and function is a difficult balance to strike, even in something as trivial as a mobile phone case.
I recently crashed on my bike while riding to work one morning. I skidded along the pavement rounding a slick corner at high speeds. In the process, I shredded the corner of the Apple Bumper1 on my iPhone 4.
I got the bumper when Apple was giving them away for free, and have had a lukewarm relationship with it. Because it was designed to fit the iPhone form factor so perfectly, I had two problems with the bumper:
- I could not use my Etymotic2 headphones without removing the bumper since the headphone cutout will only accept jacks shaped like the Apple supplied headphones.
- The USB connector from my older iPod nano won’t fit on the phone with the case on.
The headphone issue was a big deal as I often ride BART3 to and from San Francisco. I need the noise isolation because the trains are just so loud. It’s also the perfect time to catch up with some podcasts.
Why use the bumper at all? Well, the glass-on-both-sides design makes it difficult to set the phone down on a variety of surfaces. The bumper gives it enough lift so that’s no longer a worry. Really, that was the only reason for me—until I crashed.
I had always thought that if the bumper wears out I would just go without, but imagining what a naked phone would have been like after the crash made me reconsider.
I did what any good tech geek would do and spent far too much time scrutinizing the specs and reviews online for a $20 item. The Griffin Elan Form Graphite4 seemed to fit the bill:
- Fairly unobtrusive
- Black
- Allows me to set the phone down, front or back, on a hard surface
- Has cutouts that eliminate the problems I had with my headphones and USB connector
When I put the case on, my iPhone immediately ceased to look and feel like an iPhone anymore. The clean lines are replaced by weird angles and bumps. The shininess of the case competed with the iPhone. And worst of all, it made the whole phone feel cheap to hold in my hand.
One of the things I enjoy the most about the iPhone 4 is the feel of the glass. There’s a certain silkiness and softness to the touch. With the new case which covers the entire back, I can’t enjoy that really nice sensation of just touching the phone while I’m walking or on the train.
While I admire the industrial design of the iPhone 4, holding it raw with the steel band was uncomfortable for me while talking on the phone. The bumper felt perfect. The Griffin, not so much.
So, there is something to be said about form over function. On paper, the Griffin is a better fit for my use case. But there is the very tangible pleasure of using the Apple Bumper which I never thought about until now, when I miss it.
