Apple To Hold Invite Only Press Conference Friday, Address Antenna Issue?

Since the iPhone 4′s launch, it has been plagued with various complaints over the iPhone’s cellular antenna, and Apple seems like their finally going to address it.

The real story begins at the products launch. During the Keynote, Steve Jobs glorified the new stainless steal band around the iPhone 4. The trick to fitting all the new hardware into the iPhone was the fact that the steel band was able to be used as the iPhone’s 3 antennas. Shortly after product launch it was discovered that in holding the iPhone, one might cover up the break in the steel band on the lower left corner of the iPhone which for some caused a severe signal degradation, some resulting in data connection loss and dropped calls.

It was downplayed for a short time.

After much press, Apple released it’s take on the iPhone’s antenna issues, stating that “a software bug” had caused an incorrect

display of bars on the phone, leading to the decrease. Apple promised a software fix in the next few weeks.

And then the email hit.

Immediately following the real or fake (no one is sure) Steve Jobs email to a customer telling them to “calm down, we’re working on a fix”, Consumer Reports stated that they would no longer recommend the phone for purchase.

The agreement between MOST engineers is that the iPhone 4′s steel band may or may not be a flawed design, but the easiest(and financially best) way to fix the problem is to offer free bumpers (Apple’s iPhone case) to anyone experiencing the problem.

The latest bit of news comes our way from Apple. A press conference will be held Friday, July 15th to address the issue. Some expect a recall, and some expect free bumpers.

iPad Launches April 3rd, Verizon May Be After It

Apple has updated their iPad page to include it’s pre-order and launch date. Pre-orders will start on March 12th, and the device will arrive either in-store or delivered to your door. The iPad will be available in the US on Saturday, April 3, for Wi-Fi models and in late April for Wi-Fi + 3G models. In addition, all models of iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK in late April.

Leaked documents have also shown that Verizon may be after the iPad to provide service, because the Wi-Fi versions are not specifically AT&T’s to sell. In other words, they don’t have exclusivity to the iPad as they did to the iPhone.

Verizon’s proposal comes with a tradeoff for customers. The company cites the $130 premium carried by 3G-capable iPad models, an upfront cost unnecessary for those customers sticking with Wi-Fi models for use with Verizon’s data plans. Alternatively, those customers could purchase a MiFi device for as little as $49.99 from Verizon, but that pricing requires a two-year data contract in comparison to the 3G-capable iPad’s contract-free data plan pricing. [MacRumors.com]

Verizon’s MiFi proposal does require, however, that users carry a separate device in addition to their iPad. And on the pricing front, the two-year MiFi contract is priced at $39.99 per month for 250 MB of data or $59.99 per month for 5 GB of data, significantly higher that AT&T’s contract-free iPad-only data plans priced at $14.99/250 MB or $29.99/unlimited per month.

Apple Reveals iPad, Crushes Other Tablets

At it’s first special event of the year, Apple revealed it’s latest creation dubbed the “iPad”.

The iPad is a 10 inch computer featuring a slightly upgraded version of the iPhone OS. Here’s the rundown:

- 9.7 inch LED Backlit IPS Display

- Widescreen/Multitouch Display

- 1GHz Apple A4 Processor (yes, it’s made by Apple)

- Headphone Port / Built In Speakers / Docking Port

- Volume Up/Down Buttons

- Accelerometer/Ambient Light Sensor

- All iPhone/iPod Touch apps work on the iPad by “pixel doubling”, apps can be made specifically for the iPad

- 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash stoage

- 0.5 in. thin aluminum casing

- 10 hours of surfing the web, listening to music, or watching videos with up to a month of standby time

- No camera, Adobe Flash, or multitasking.

- WiFi Models ship in March (16GB for $499, 32GB for $599, 64GB for $699)

- WiFi & AT&T 3G Models ship in April (16GB for $629, 32GB for $729, 64GB for $629)

- AT&T Unlimited Plan for $29.99 per month, $14.99 for 250MB data. No cellular data (phone)

- 5 accessories will launch with the device: Docking/Keyboard stand, a leather case, a dock, camera connection kit, and power adapter

Apple has also added an “iBooks” app to the app store sponsored by 5 major publishers. The iBookstore will be available on all touch devices. Good luck, Kindle! Each app also features a revamped UI, and the background of the home screen can now be customized.

Apple Invites You To “See It’s Latest Creation”

Apple sent out invitations today to it’s January 27th event. The invitations show some very colorful paint blobs, and reads “come see our latest creation”. This leads us to believe that whatever is unveiled will be extremely different and colorful.

In other Apple news, the App Store has now sold over 3 billion apps, and AT&T has lowered their pricing plans for the iPhone to match all of Verizon’s plans for their smart phones.