Apple is going to announce a new iPhone, now thought to be called the iPhone Video, on Monday at WWDC. That's no surprise. However, the latest rumor, or should I say opinion, is that not only will Apple announce the new iPhone (or perhaps more than one), it will release it for sale as well.Here's what Gear Live says (along with my comments):
So, why do I believe the new iPhone Video will be released on Monday? Well, iPhone betas were coming out hot and heavy every couple of weeks, and stopped after beta 5. I am totally convinced that iPhone 3.0 is done, and ready to be made available at WWDC.So my responses to these suggestions:
We also have the Palm Pre launching two days before…what better way for Apple to throw up a big middle finger to the former iPhone peeps that went to work on the Pre than to kill their momentum with the iPhone Video launching two days after?
Talking to a few sources, it seems that the stars are in alignment for iPhone Video to launch this Monday. My understanding is that availability will be limited, because the plan was to launch in July. This means that Apple doesn’t have all the phones available now that they would have had in July for a launch - but you can expect regular replenishments of product.
Regarding the iPhone OS 3.0 software, I actually believe that the software is ready, and will likely be released later in the week to avoid server overload.
In terms of the Pre, let's face it, Apple can kill the Pre's momentum simply with a great announcement. In other words, if all the speculation over the iPhone Video is true, that's going to kill the Pre buzz, at least partially. There are quite a few Palm fans out there, and they have been waiting for the Palm Web OS for a long time.
Finally, in terms of the final paragraph above, let's think about logistics. The WWDC keynote is at 10 AM PDT. This means the likely "one more thing" of a new iPhone will probably be around 10:45 AM PDT or so. This means Apple stores on the East Coast will have been open for several hours. Do you seriously expect that they will have been open for that length of time with old stock on hand (and displayed), and then when the "word" comes that Schiller has announced the iPhone Video, they sweep all that off the tables and put out the new model(s)? Come on.
And let's not forget, Apple stores are not the only places these are sold at. Best Buy, Wal-Mart and AT&T stores as well sell the iPhone. You expect me to believe all those sites can be coordinated?
I think it's far more likely that Steve Jobs will make a surprise visit to WWDC, causing the stock to spike. And I seriously hope that Apple will allow iPhone Video orders via the web. I would rather not stand in line again for a new phone.
But I really don't expect it to be for sale on Monday. On the other hand, I have mapped out the drive to the nearest Apple store, just in case.
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