Apple iPhone tipped for June 11 release

The Apple iPhone must be the most talked about handset in the history of mobile phones, and according to a customer service manager at Cingular, the US distributor, it will be released to the public on June 11.

Declan McCullagh from CNET rang rang Cingular and was transferred to a customer service manager, who gave June 11 as the date when the iPhone would be available to the masses in the US. The rest of the world will have to wait until late 2007 (Europe) and 2008 (Asia, including Australia).

June 11 happens to be the first day of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which is taking place in San Francisco from June 11 to June 15.

If June 11 turns out to actually be the release date of the iPhone, and there have been hoaxes, what impresses TECH.BLORGE.com is that the release date of the greatest gadget of all time (exaggeration intended) has been announced, inadvertently, by a humble customer service manager, and not by the world’s greatest CEO Steve Jobs. Perhaps Apple has decided to take a more democratic approach to its product launches, though it’s much more likely that someone at Cingular simply forgot to tell staff not to tell anyone about the release date.

While eager Apple fans may be counting down the days until the launch of the iPhone, it may not be all smooth sailing for the iPhone.

A study by market research company Compete Inc in February confirmed strong consumer interest in the upcoming iPhone from Apple, although not at the planned price of US$500. The survey found that the “sweet spot” appeared to be closer to US$200.

Apple may also face a tough time with International distribution; an executive at an Australian telecommunications company, Telstra, slammed the iPhone saying that people “over reacted to it” and that Apple should “stick to its knitting”.