Apple to end free iPhone case in September

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SAN FRANCISCO:Apple Inc said itwill end its freeiPhone casegiveaway at the end ofSeptember, saying the antennaproblem was smaller than thecompany originally thought.However, Apple said it wanted to iPhone 4continue to provide a free case tothe "small percentage of iPhone 4users" who need one.Apple announced in July it wouldprovide free iPhone 4 cases tothose who requested one, aftersome users reported receptionproblems when they handled thesmartphone in a certain way.Even as the company announcedthe case program, it maintainedthere was nothing wrong withthe iPhone 4 and that receptionissues were a problem shared bythe entire smartphone industry.In an announcement on itswebsite on Friday, Apple said it isdiscontinuing the free case -- orbumper -- program on all iPhone4s sold after September 30, as ithad originally planned to do."We now know that the iPhone 4antenna attenuation issue is evensmaller than we originallythought," the announcementsaid. "A small percentage ofiPhone 4 users need a case andwe want to continue providingthem a Bumper case for free."Apple did not respond to arequest for comment.The cases help improve signal strength on the smartphone,experts say, by preventing usersfrom touching certain parts ofthe iPhone's antenna, whichwraps around the device.