Last Friday, Steve Jobs attempted to put the iPhone 4's reception issues behind him. He apologized for the problem and offered free cases to all iPhone 4 owners. The cases should eliminate the reduced reception that can occur when the phone is held in the 'Death Grip.'
Courtesy of Apple
You might have thought he'd stop there. Instead, he went on to explain why the reception issue exists, and emphasized that it occurs to some degree in all mobile phones. Jobs is absolutely correct that the way you hold a mobile phone can affect transmission or reception. In that respect, the iPhone 4 isn't much different than any other phone on the market. But by making the comparison, Jobs ensured that the issue will remain in the limelight, while the news media, bloggers, and phone manufacturers attempt to prove or disprove his assertion that it's a common problem.
Jobs could, and probably should, have let Antennagate die with just a mea culpa and a bounty of free cases. Instead, we can look forward to hearing about Antennagate for at least another week. We'll hear about it again at the end of September, when Apple makes its reassessment public.
I believe Apple is actively correcting the issue with a slight product redesign. A thin, clear coating on the metal band on the edge of the phone would probably correct the problem as successfully as a bumper case, and would be an easy fix for Apple to make. It may also explain why iPhone 4s currently have a three-week ship date, while Apple gears up to make a modest revision to the design.