Apple Knew About iPhone 4 Antenna Issues Early On

Bloomberg is reporting that Apple engineer Ruben Caballero told Steve Jobs about the problems with the antenna design early on in the design phase of the iPhone 4.

According to Bloomberg, someone familiar with the matter” claims that Jobs was informed by Caballero, Apple’s head antenna expert that the design could lead to dropped calls.

Reportedly these concerns were also raised by one of Apple’s carrier partners prior to the iPhone 4 launch last month.

The Apple engineer apparently voiced his concerns in a meeting saying the design …might lead to dropped calls and presented a serious engineering challenge…”.

Bloomberg’s source said that the problem was with a person’s hand being conductive and connecting the two side antennae on the phone, affecting their reception.

However, Spencer Webb of AntennaSys, Inc., appearing on This Week In Tech a couple of weeks ago, said it was not due to the hand being conductive material and connecting the two antennae. Instead, he said it was just a problem of proximity. The reason a case often fixes the issue is the case moves your hand away from the antennae just enough to let it work efficiently.

Apple would not comment on the issue and Caballero did not respond to multiple attempts to contact him by Bloomberg’s reporters.

Apple will hold an unprecedented press conference on Friday, July 16. It is extremely rare for Apple to hold such a press event without a new product launch.

Apple may be finding it necessary given their fallen stock prices and added pressure following Consumer Reports’ article recommending against purchase of the iPhone 4 and the call for an iPhone 4 recall.

Also, Bloomberg reports that US Senator Charles Shummer (D-New York) contacted Jobs in a letter saying that previous responses have been insufficient” and asking them to respond to the problem in a transparent manner.” Could the press conference be an attempt to ward off a recall and congressional investigation? Or will it be an announcement of a recall or a real fix for iPhone 4 reception problems? Notebooks.com will bring you the news whatever it may be.

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