FCC Asked to Keep iPhone 4 Specs Under Wraps

Apple has asked the Federal Communications Commission to be discrete about the new iPhone 4, particularly the test setup photographs, as well as pictures of the external, and internal hardware, and the user manual. The FCC is asked to keep these details confidential for 45 days. Apple also requested permanent confidentiality for other documents, such as the schematics for the applications processor, cellular radio, and Wi-Fi + Bluetooth.

The letter, signed Robert Steinfeld, is available for download in PDF format here. It was obtained by Patently Apple, a source focusing on Apple’s published patents. Cupertino sent the document to the regulator body on June 4, ahead of the iPhone 4’s official introduction. According to the leaked letter, Apple specifically asks for “confidential treatment for documents filed with the Commission in connection with the application for certification referenced above as follows.

“Short Term Confidentiality

“Apple requests that the Commission withhold the following documents from public viewing for forty-five days after the date certification is granted:
- Test Setup Photographs;
- External Photographs;
- Internal Photographs;
- User Manual.”

The iPhone maker proceeds to offer an explanation for its move, saying, “Although Apple has begun to market the device publicly, these documents reveal technical and design information that has not been publicly disclosed in such marketing and that is protected by Apple as confidential and proprietary trade secrets. This information has been disclosed to those required to maintain its confidentiality, and is not customarily disclosed publicly prior to the commercial release of the device. As a result, disclosure of this information by the Commission prior to the commercial release would harm Apple by giving competitors an unfair market advantage. Apple believes the period of confidentiality requested is necessary to protect the information until the commercial release of the device.”

Finally, Apple’s letter asks the FCC to indefinitely withhold a number of documents from public viewing. Those are: block diagram; operational description; applications processor schematic; cellular radio schematic; WiFi and Bluetooth schematic; applications processor bill of material; cellular radio bill of material; WiFi and Bluetooth bill of material; antenna gain and patterns According to the Mac maker, all this constitutes proprietary trade secrets and is protected by Apple as confidential.