It is unmistakable, Steve Jobs specified September 30 as the date that they would stop giving out free iPhone 4 cases to buyers and stop refunding people who have already bought a case. This announcement from Apple came at the same time that they said they would be giving out the free cases: during the emergency conference.
Of course, this specific data naming has inevitably led to a whole host of theories and speculations about what Apple might be planning to do by the time October hits. Naturally, with so much fuss and rumors surrounding the situation, we should try making sense out of it all. Here is a quick list of possible scenarios that Apple might have planned for users.
Release of the iPhone 5 in October – as exciting as this may sound like, it is unlikely. The iPhone 4 has just been released and while it is plausible that they could release a second version (more on that), it is improbable that they would skip straight to 5.
An iPhone 4.5 launch (iPhone 4s?) – now here is something that could very well happen; a second version of the smart phone without the antenna issues and improved performance. Of course, Apple would fix the antenna secretly and state that there was never an issue in the first place.
Apple runs out of cases – not really, unless they signed up with a manufacturer that would only make cases until September 30th because Apple would stop paying more beyond that point. Cases are available as long as Apple wants to, and naturally giving them out for free (as well as offering case refunds) is costly –though not as bad as a total recall of all iPhone 4 devices for repair. Maybe someone should remind Apple that once the free cases run out, people will want the antenna on their iPhone 4 handsets fixed.
