Steve Jobs ‘was warned about iPhone 4 aerial’

Apple CEO Steve Jobs was warned about the reception problems with the new iPhone 4 by his senior antenna engineer and a mobile phone service provider, it has been claimed. The news comes as Jobs prepares to hold a press conference today to address the fault.
 
A person "familiar with the issue" told Bloomberg that senior Apple engineer Ruben Caballero informed management last year of his concerns that the iPhone 4's innovative aerial could lead to dropped calls and that it presented a serious engineering challenge. One of Apple's mobile phone network partners also raised concerns, according to another anonymous source.   
 
The aerial that is the cause of Apple's woes forms part of the iPhone 4's metal casing. The aerial itself is one long strip of metal wrapped around the side of the phone with a gap at one point on the lower left-hand side of the handset.
 
It looks beautiful, but the problem is that when the phone is held with a finger spanning the gap – the “death grip”, as it has come to be known - the user's digit allows electric current to conduct across the gap – dramatically weakening the aerial’s effectiveness.
 
Consumer Reports magazine has found itself unable to recommend the iPhone 4, but suggests those people who already have one should either buy a ‘bumper’ case or stick some duct tape over the antenna.
 
The controversy is yet to affect sales of the iPhone 4, which sold 1.7 million units in its first three days, but statements from Steve Jobs such as "you're holding it wrong" have not helped Apple's formerly cosy relationship with its devoted fans.

In an attempt to dampen down a media excited by the novelty of a poorly designed Apple device, Jobs is holding a press conference at Apple's HQ in Cupertino, California today at 6pm British Summer Time.
 
Speculation is mounting as to exactly what Jobs will say, but the possibility that Apple will announce a recall of the iPhone 4, at a cost of $1.5bn according to one analyst, is small.
 
The likelihood is that he will stick to the company line that the reception problems are a software rather than a hardware issue and that an update to the operating system, the iOS, will fix the problem.
 
There is a small possibility that Jobs will throw Apple users a bone in the form of a free case. PC World points out one of the more likely scenarios is that Apple factories in China are already making a new version of the iPhone with a non-conductive coating over the aerial. Maybe Apple will offer iPhone 4 owners the opportunity to exchange their device for an upgraded version.
 
Cynics, however, are looking forward to the possibility that Jobs will simply show everyone how to hold their iPhone 4 properly – or how to affix the duct tape over the aerial. ·