Apple to address iPhone 4 flaw

Apple is likely to announce a fix for the iPhone 4's reception problems later, hoping to stem a growing chorus of complaints and avert any lasting damage to its carefully earned reputation for quality products.

Apple, which surprised consumers and investors when it said it will convene an iPhone 4 press conference, has kept mum on what it will do. But analysts are betting that it will not initiate a costly and embarrassing recall.

A growing furor over iPhone 4 signal-strength flaws has hurt Apple's shares ahead of its quarterly results next week.

Since June 28 - days after the launch, when complaints about faulty reception began surfacing on Internet technology websites - Apple has lost about $16 billion in market value, with at least some of that related to the iPhone controversy.

Some analysts suggest Apple could simply offer free protective cases for the device -- which prevent the signal interference -- at a cost of $1 to $2 each. But with at least 1.7 million iPhone 4s sold - that figure was for just the gadget's first three days - that solution will cost millions.

Some users of the phone complain that reception turns weak when the device is held in a certain way that has come to be jokingly called the "iPhone 4 death grip." But the problem does not appear to be widespread.

Apple has blamed a software glitch that overstates network strength, but others have said the antenna on the redesigned device is at fault.