Internal Jobsnote reveals new iPods, Macs

In the same town-hall session where he announced that every Apple employee would be getting a free 8GB iPhone, Steve Jobs discussed his thoughts and plans for the company’s latest device, talked about new Mac systems and iPods on the way, and detailed the ever-broadening business model of Apple. Jobs opened the meeting by expanding on his previous praise for the iPhone, equating its release to that of the original Mac, and saying that its creation was borne out of frustration with current phone technology.

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Steve Jobs to make a rare company-wide speech tomorrow

No one really knows where Steve’s going to appear on iDay, but we’ve confirmed with multiple sources at Apple that tomorrow morning at 11:00AM he’ll be giving an all-hands “Town Hall” iPhone mini-Stevenote for employees only — so obviously we’re not invited. Some of our peeps remember the iPod Town Hall meeting (at which Steve offered up $200 iPods — nothing to snub your nose at its 2001 introduction) — so if it wasn’t already totally completely driven home by this point, his Steveness seriously considers this week’s big launch to be a turning point for Apple, and possibly the gadget industry in general.

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iPhone Availability on June 29th

AT&T sent out emails to customers today which reveals that they are limiting iPhone sales to “one per person”:

With iPhone arriving June 29th at 6 p.m. in AT&T retail stores, the wait is almost over. Use our online store locator to find the closest AT&T store that sells Apple iPhone (limit one per person). We’ll show you maps, directions, and everything you need to get your hands on an iPhone as quickly as possible.
There’s been no official word if Apple will be similarly limiting their sales, but it may be a safe bet. Appleinsider reports that Apple Stores are preparing by requiring some employees to stay overnight on Thursday night to prepare for Friday’s launch.

Finally, we’ve heard that some above-average size Apple Stores may be getting on the order of 1000 iPhones for Friday’s launch, with a ratio of inventory being heavily skewed towards 8GB iPhones over 4GB iPhones at approximately a 4:1 ratio.

MacRumors forum members are meeting up at their respective locations to stand in line.

iPhone Box Photo and Video Review

USA Today’s Ed Baig provides a video report (YouTube) to complement his print iPhone review that was first published yesterday. The review demos various functions of the iPhone and also gives us a view of the iPhone Box:

iPhone Voice and Data Plan Rates to Come

iLounge reports on comments by AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel which indicates that AT&T will be releasing iPhone voice and data rate plans prior to launch day (June 29th).

“We will disclose before the 29th,” said Siegel, noting that customers will be able to show up at stores that day knowing how much they will be charged for both the Apple-developed hardware and AT&T’s cellular service plans.
It’s not going to be anything exotic”

There will reportedly be separate Voice and Data plans and a 2-year service commitment will be required.

An earlier report today claimed rate plans would not be revealed until the day of launch (June 29th)

We have heard reports that some form of announcement is expected tomorrow (Friday).

Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.4.10

Apple has released Mac OS X 10.4.10 through their Mac OS X Software Update:

The 10.4.10 Update is recommended for PowerPC and Intel-based Mac computers currently running Mac OS X Tiger. This update includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes or compatibility updates for the following applications and technologies:

- RAW camera support
- Mounting and unmounting external USB devices
- Support for 3rd party software applications
- Security updates

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n305533.
For detailed information on security updates, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n61798.

Apple’s iMac overhaul tracking for mid-to-late summer

Apple Inc.’s hotly anticipated iPhone device will have a few weeks to bask in the limelight before the electronics maker returns focus to its Mac business with a pair of redesigned iMacs positioned to catch the tail end of the educational buying season.

People familiar with plans for the next-generation consumer desktops say Apple hopes to unveil the new systems sometime between the latter half of July and mid-August — a timeframe well suited to garner sales from higher-education individuals and back-to-school shoppers in general. Those same people add that the Cupertino-based Mac maker may also have a few smaller surprises in store for fans of its Mac line around the same time.

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Rumor puts Apple Nav System in Mercedes models by ‘09

Citing unnamed sources, German Magazine Focus said the Apple-developed device will combine entertainment, communication and navigation in a single console system.

Mercedes will reportedly have a six-month exclusive (translation) on the product when it’s made available sometime in 2009. Further details, such as integration of Google Maps for navigation, are said to be unclear.

No other information was provided in the two-paragraph report by Focus, which has no track record when it comes to predictions for future Apple offerings.

A host of top automakers already offer elegant iPod integration solutions to car buyers, but none include Apple-developed navigational or entertainment components.

In 2004, Apple teamed with Mercedes rival BMW in delivering the first seamless integration between iPod and a car audio system.

iPhone to feature glass surface, 8 hours of talk time

Apple Inc. said Monday that its heavily-hyped iPhone device will feature a optical-quality glass surface and deliver significantly longer battery life than was originally estimated.

iPhone will feature up to 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback, the company said. In addition, the multi-functional device will feature up to 250 hours — more than 10 days — of standby time.

Apple also announced that the entire top surface of iPhone, including its vast 3.5-inch display, has been upgraded from plastic to optical-quality glass to achieve a superior level of scratch resistance and optical clarity

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Apple Unable to Find iPhone Partner in Europe?

A Vnunet.com article claims that European mobile operators are unwilling to concede to Apple’s iPhone partnership demands.

“Operators consistently told us, not for attribution, of course, that they had spoken to Apple and found the company ‘unbelievably arrogant’, making demands that ’simply cannot be justified no matter how hot the product is’,” Avi Greengart, a principal analyst at Current Analysis, wrote in an advisory on Monday.

Several operators went as far as to say they “will never offer the iPhone.” It’s been widely publicized that Apple has made several unconventional demands of their cell phone carriers. In the U.S., Verizon is reported to have rejected Apple’s deal due to the terms of the agreement. Apple’s terms with AT&T are rumored to include revenue sharing of the monthly subscriber fees for the iPhone.

The other option is for Apple to sell the iPhone directly to consumers without a Sim card, allowing users to later install one from their mobile provider. This, however, would require Apple to somehow bypass the provider’s voicemail to enable their “Visual Voicemail” feature which requires server-side support.