I don't own an iPhone 4, but a few of my friends do. Over the past couple of days, they've been chatting about the reception issues and whether they should purchase a case. Well, now that Apple has pledged a free case to all iPhone 4 customers, it seems like a no-brainer. But don't rush right out to the local Apple retail store if you're ready for the freebie. I called Apple's Seattle area stores at University Village and Southcenter today to see if the free cases were available. The short answer? No.

In fact, the Apple representatives said since the announcement had just occurred they had not yet received any directive on how to handle these sorts of requests. Both said iPhone 4 customers who wanted a case today would have to purchase one, and both suggested that more would be known in the coming hours or days.

"We haven't been told how it is going to work yet," said one of the retail representatives. "The information just got released."

By the way, the traditional black bumper case that Apple sells retails for $29. Given the more than 3 million iPhone 4s that Apple has sold, this giveaway could cost the company several million dollars. Of course, Apple certainly purchases the cases at a lower cost than the $29 retail price. But even if its costs are $5 per cases, that's $15 million.

Poll: Did Apple do enough to address the iPhone 4 problems?