Apple Holding iPhone 4 Press Conference Friday

Image via CrunchBase

Apple sent out invites to a select few media outlets for a press conference scheduled for this coming Friday that’ll begin at 10:00 am PST. The only thing known at this point is the conference will be centered around the iPhone 4. Presumably they’ll be addressing the reception issue caused by the infamous death grip. What’ll be their response?

iphone 4 Apple’s always been pretty stubborn to acknowledge problems with any of their products. It was just this week that they released a statement for malfunctioning Time Capsules produced two years ago. They could certainly take this opportunity to acknowledge the iPhone 4 loses some reception when the gap is bridged between on the lower left side. They could show similar, although less drastic results on a number of other devices currently available to show this isn’t an isolated issue. Would they hold a conference dedicated to such a stunt? Unlikely. Besides, that’s hardly Apple-like. Verdict: 10% likely.

Despite their stubbornness, they’ll likely acknowledge the attenuation problem as a hardware issue and offer a solution. Despite Gizmodo’s best attempts at rallying the troups, demanding Apple give out free bumpers, an internal memo already leaked days back that told representatives to not offer customers free bumpers. Maybe they’re ready to take that internal statement back as a cheap solution to make it all go away? Doubtful. Apple built a beautiful phone, one of the sexiest on the market, and requiring users to taint its good looks just to prevent calls from dropping doesn’t sit well. Then again, not all customers have noticed the problem so maybe they could just give bumpers to those who are as a peace offering? Verdict: 50% likely.

Thanks to Consumer Reports the antenna issue has gone mainstream. Tuesday was not a good day for Apple as most news outlets reprinted CR’s findings along with their ‘can’t recommend’ verdict despite it being their highest rated smartphone. Each day that passes where Apple stays silent only magnifies the issue. It’s no wonder they’ve sent out invites for an event they scheduled as soon as possible. What we may end up hearing on Friday is an acknowledgement that such an issue slipped through their testing process and they’ll be recalling iPhone 4s. It’ll be costly but you can’t put a price on brand equity. Verdict: 70% likely.

Whatever ends up happening on Friday is better for Apple’s image than staying silent. Without a doubt, concerns over a faulty design have hurt prospective sales despite their inability to produce the device as fast as it’s selling. What do you think will happen on Friday? Free bumpers, mass recall, Q&A, or denial? Leave your predictions in the comments.