iPhone 4

The furor over Apple's iPhone 4 antenna design and its impacts on reception when held in the so-called "Death Grip" continue and here are the latest developments. First of all, don't expect AppleCare representatives to replace your iPhone 4 if you're experiencing the issue. Not only this, but Apple employees have been explicitly told not to offer owners free iPhone 4 Bumper cases.

A leaked document posted on BGR instructs Genius Bar employees to troubleshoot the problem, however if the antenna works fine when the iPhone 4 is resting flat on a table, then Apple considers the device to be properly operating. A software fix is not mentioned, and several solutions are to be suggested to the customer.

We've received emails from several iPhone customers, panicked over the possible loss of their yet-to-ship pre-ordered iPhone 4. These users have all received an email from Apple indicating that their pre-ordered iPhone 4, which was otherwise ready to ship, is being held by Apple based on instructions from AT&T. The letter instructs that Apple will attempt to reprocess the order daily for 7 days, at which time the order will be cancelled if the customer has not resolved the issue with AT&T.

The letter to customers reads:

We've heard all the rumors before, but a critical mass of information is making it evident that the iPhone 4 is destined for Verizon Wireless this coming January. Bloomberg reports from unnamed sources that customers will be able to buy a Verizon-compatible iPhone 4 in six short months.

This follows information from DigiTimes that an order for 10 million CDMA iPhone 4 devices will be fulfilled later this year. CDMA technology is compatible with Verizon's network. News stories about Apple negotiating with Verizon have been floating around for months, if not years.