iPhone Press Conference Happening Now

As we mentioned yesterday, Apple is meeting with members of the press to discuss the iPhone 4. The conference will likely revolve around the reception complaints about the iPhone 4 and what the company plans to do to rectify the situation. Stay tuned, as we'll be covering the news as it happens.

9:58 AM PST - The room is filled and everyone is seated. Should start any minute.

10:04 - They're actually playing the iPhone Antenna Song to start the conference. Edgy!

10:06 - Steve Jobs takes the stage. "We're not perfect...We love making our users happy."

10:07 - Jobs is going to talk about the problems and the data they've been seeing before he talks about what they're going to do to fix it. iPhone 4 sold 3M in 3 weeks.

10:09 - They started seeing antenna problems. Jobs points at the spot where touching the phone is a no-no. They said they learned about this 22 days ago and they want to share what they've learned in that time.

10:10 - Showing examples of other smart phones doing the same thing when held in the death grip. "Phones aren't perfect...every phone has weak spots."

10:15 - Talking about the algorithm which fixed the bars being displayed...but didn't actually fix the reception problem.

10:17 - Showing pictures of the Apple reception facility where they test connection issues. It's big and impressive, 100M investment.

10:18 - Take aways after 22 days: Smart phones have weak points.

10:20 - 1 half of 1 percent have called AppleCare with this problem. I'm not sure that's a sign of anything...the problem is there, even though some people might not realize it's the phone that's causing it. Return rates are also very low...1.7%.

10:23 - Call drop information from AT&T on iPhone 4: Less than 1% different between 3GS dropped called and iPhone 4 dropped calls.

10:28 - In summation, Apple is saying that the problem is exaggerated. BUT! "We care about every user."

10: 29 - They're giving everyone a free Bumper case, which fixes the antenna problem. Now through September 30th. And if you purchased one, you get a refund.

10:31 - Sorry, not all free Bumpers. You can apply on Apple's site late next week and pick the case you want from a selection, since they can't make that many Bumpers.

10:32 - If you're still unhappy after you get your free case, you can bring it back within 30 days for a free refund.

10:33 - White iPhone 4 coming at the end of July. Proximity sensor fix is on the way.

10:34 - Jobs is wrapping up. "We love our users. We try very hard to surprise and delight them. We work our asses off and we have a blast doing it."

10:36 - "We think we've gotten to the heart of the problem, and the heart is that smart phones have weak spots."

10:37 - But, for those users who are dissatisfied: Free cases. And a full refund within 30 days if the case isn't enough.

10:39 Q&A time:

Are future iPhones going to be redesigned to fix the problem?
"We're happy with the antenna design of the iPhone 4." That sounds like a no.

How do you address the complaints that it just takes a single finger to make bars drop on the iPhone 4?
"When you deeply grip the phone or the other ones, you're attenuating the signal by a large amount."

For Jobs, when were you told about design concerns regarding the antenna?
Jobs called the Bloomberg article "a total crock." "What was portrayed in that article never came across my consciousness."

Will 3rd party cases be refunded?
Nope.

Is there a hardware redesign that's possible in this generation of iPhone 4 that would get rid of this or fix it, or do you plan to do that?
Jobs: "Right now the state of the art of the entire industry is that no one has solved this problem. Would I love Apple to be the first? Yes. But our situation right now is for most customers they're not experiencing this problem."

Will the free case deal apply outside of the US?
Yep!

11:25AM - Ok, that's all. Key point: Free cases for iPhone 4 owners before Sept 30th. Yay.

Tags apple