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At 10:00 am PST, Apple will be hosting a Press Conference regarding the iPhone 4. They have not elaborated on the agenda but one could surmise that they would be addressing the reception issue with the device. It seems like this problem came to a head when Consumer Reports officially deemed the product as "Not recommended" as a result of their finding hardware related problems with the stanless steel antenna that surrounds the device causing reception to fade and calls to drop when the left corner of the phone is touched.

In the first three days, the device went on sale, 1.7 million iPhone 4's were sold. If the only fix is a recall it could cost Apple in the billions as well as an admonishment of guilt on their part that there is an issue and the product was never ready for the release. According to Bloomberg News, Apple's engineers were aware of the design flaw, prior to its release. Why would Apple deliberately shoot themself in the "core" and release a premature device when they had to know it would sell millions in the early days. This is going to be awfully fresh of me to say, but did they think the consumer wouldn't notice the issue with the already bad call-drop rate that their AT&T subsribers are accustomed to?

This morning, NBC's Today Show was all abuzz, as I'm sure every other morning show was about the upcoming press conference. In between my morning ritual, I heard them speak about some alternatives Apple may offer. There are debates from analysts whether or not it will require a recall to fix the hardware itself. If not, one such fix is a $29 plastic accessory that would go around the stainless steel piece like a rubber band referred to as the "bumper", preventing you from touching the antenna. Remember when you were a kid holding onto the tin-foiled covered rabbit ears on your TV and your touch actually seemed to intensify the reception?

The popularity of a device like this that is potentially tainted makes it the brunt of many jokes from the press. On MSNBC, Courtney Hazlett from the Scoop weighed in after the hostess remarked that it does take nice pictures, "Well if you'd like a very expensive camera that from time to time makes some phone calls, then maybe this is the product for you!" David Letterman is having a field day with the iPhone 4 in his Top Ten.

I shut off my blow dryer in time to hear a much more eloquent Matt Lauer pose the question to Omar Wasow a Tech Analyst, why would anyone who bought the sleek-looking iPhone 4 want to tamper with the asthetics of it by adding a rubber band? I am paraphrasing since I had a blow dryer in my hand instead of a pen. Either way, good point. Would you be satisfied with that fix if you owned the device? If Apple rectifies the issue before later models ship, how would it sit with you if you had a device with a rubber band so-to-speak around it and your friend had a new sleek unincombered iPhone 4 with no reception issues that looked the way it was designed?

Maybe you have another idea how Apple can save face. Years ago, when the iPhone first released, the initial models sold for $599. When the price dropped a few months later and those original owners were outraged, Apple issued $200 "gift certificates" to calm that situation. My though is if I was an early iPhone 4 adopter, I would accept the bumper if I was accomodated somehow with maybe some additional perk in the form of credit or a gift certificate from Apple.

Please weigh in, I'd love to know what your thought are.