Apple's iPhone 4 antenna issue might have been identified as far back as two years ago if a scoop is accurate. An internal bug report for the signal drop was allegedly filed in 2008, well in advance of when the phone shipped. The "informed" source of John Gruber's didn't say how the issue was treated or whether it was known it would be a long-term issue, but its existence implies advanced knowledge that an external antenna might have been an issue.
