Discount on bumpers coming for iPhone 4 on Friday?

Tomorrow Apple will be holding a press conference about the iPhone 4. That's all we know, but based on the information flowing around online, you'd think that Apple is going to do an all out recall.

We've been calling for Apple to address the world since the iPhone antenna issues first surfaced. The company was pretty quiet, aside from telling us to hold the phone differently. So, what changed? Well, Consumer Reports couldn't recommend the iPhone 4. That by itself probably wouldn't have forced Apple to come forward, but the company's stock suddenly took a dip this week, after climbing for days, even in the wake of all of the negative reports on the iPhone 4.

So, tomorrow Apple takes the stage. Will it be Steve Jobs? Will he address the outstanding issues? If you're not keeping count, the issue getting the most publicity is the antenna "death grip," but as an iPhone 4 user, the most painful issue is the proximity sensor malfunction. If you're not familiar with it, normally the iPhone shuts off the screen when the phone is near your face. The iPhone 4 doesn't always shut off the screen, leading you to mute callers, put them on speaker, or hang up on them, all by accident.

On the heels of the press conference tomorrow, Apple did squeak out an update for both the iPhone and iPad, but the update does not yet address the proximity sensor.

My guess is tomorrow we'll see Apple say that some users have complained about the antenna issue, and that the company is listening. Without admitting guilt Apple will most probably offer a discount on a bumper, or any case for that matter. You'll probably have to login to a website and fill out a form and then print out a voucher.

Believe it or not, the above will probably be enough to quiet the masses. As for the bluetooth, proximity sensor, and other bugs, we'll have to wait a bit longer, I'm sure.