Apple admits iPhone 4 drops more calls than iPhone 3GS

"It's very hard, when we look at this data, not to conclude that there is a problem," Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said Friday. "But it's a problem affecting a small percentage of users."

Jobs, speaking at the iPhone 4 antenna issue press conference, posited a theory: the new shape of the iPhone 4 had inadvertently lead to issues seen by customers. He said that when the iPhone 3GS came out, it was the same shape as the iPhone 3G, so existing customers could use their old cases.

Even new customers could buy old cases, as well, which were readily available in stores, because the shape of the phone had not changed.

But with the iPhone 4, fewer customers are using cases because they are not yet widely available for the new form factor of the iPhone 4. Jobs said that's just his theory on the matter, and the company is looking further into it.

The theory falls in line with what was told to The New York Times, which reported on Thursday that the iPhone 4 antenna issue is a longstanding problem involving both hardware and software.