MacRumors

Financial Times confidently reports that Apple is planning on launching a "cut-price" version of the iPhone on Monday.

Apple plans to introduce a cheaper version of its popular iPhone as soon as Monday, in a move that could dramatically increase the companys share of the market for web-surfing devices, people familiar with the initiative said on Thursday.

Analysts are predicting the cut would be either $50 or $100. If true, the drop would significantly stimulate sales of Apple's iPhone by up to 100%. The new phone is expected to start production in July.

Financial Times has been reasonably accurate in the past, though most their previous information had been surrounding Apple's negotiations with record labels.

The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that Steve Jobs is on track to return from his six-month medical leave of absence later this month.

While Mr. Jobs has been on sick leave, some Apple directors have gotten weekly updates about his medical condition from the CEO's physician, according to a person familiar with the matter. Mr. Jobs's recovery "is coming along" and he is on schedule to return to work later this month, said this person, who has seen Mr. Jobs in recent weeks.

"He was one real sick guy," added this person. "Fundamentally he was starving to death over a nine-month period. He couldn't digest protein. [But] he took corrective action."

While there has been much speculation about whether Jobs will make an appearance at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple has continued to officially claim that he will not return until the end of the month. The Wall Street Journal's sources claim that, true to Jobs' style of showmanship, Apple is preparing for his return to coincide with a media event of some sort.

Much of the buzz appears to be conjecture of the type that has swirled around Apple and Mr. Jobs for years. But two people who do business with Apple said senior Apple managers have told them the company is now trying to coordinate Mr. Jobs's return with a product launch or public event.

The report also cites a source who claims that the next-generation iPhone is ready to be introduced at WWDC, with a launch to possibly occur by early July in order to accommodate owners of the original iPhone whose two-year contracts will begin expiring. The source, who has seen the iPhone, reports that the iPhone will be similar in appearance to the iPhone 3G but will possess more processing power and have additional features such as video editing, claims which are consistent with previous reports.

In the days leading up to any major Apple event, the rumors tend to reach a frenzy with an avalanche of reports and images claiming to be real. The most common "fake" images that begin circulating are mockups that claim to be screenshots from Apple's site. Unless these "leaks" were actually witnessed by a large audience of people, they have historically always been fake.

The latest of these images come from italian site SpazioCellulare who posted an image yesterday and a more convincing set today (embedded above) that seems one of the more believable images that have been posted. The image appears to reflect many of the circulating rumors that have been released about the iPhone and as such may simply be an ambitious mockup. TUAW notes there are some unique findings to the images, however. There appears to be an extra button on the lower-side of the case (camera shutter?) and the headphone jack for the iPhone appears to have moved down to the bottom of the unit. We certainly aren't confident that these images are real, but do serve as interesting speculation.

Some other rumors with even less evidence surrounding them include claims of iPhone Video and a German launch (iFun.de) of the next iPhone set for June 19th.

We're only 4 days away from the WWDC keynote. Stay tuned.

AppleInsider reports that UK authorized iPhone distributor Carphone Warehouse has added four new iPhone "V3" entries to its inventory system covering 16 GB and 32 GB models in both black and white.

Entries in resellers' inventory systems should typically taken with some skepticism, as such additions are frequently made on a "best guess" basis without any inside knowledge of future product releases. In some cases, however, as in last week's case of an entry in Best Buy's system preceding the release of the updated white MacBook, such changes to inventory systems can not be entirely discounted.

Increasing reports of iPhone 3G shortages and rumors of third-party manufacturers already shipping parts for the next-generation iPhone certainly point toward the release of new iPhone models in the near future. Previous reports from Boy Genius Report and Engadget have pointed to iPhone capacities as low as 4 GB, ostensibly in an effort to offer lower-priced models, while others such as this most recent report have suggested that Apple may continue offering only two different capacities.

While the iPhone has dominated the rumor scene in the weeks leading up to WWDC, we've heard little about the status of Apple's Mac OS X Snow Leopard operating system. Snow Leopard was first announced last summer at the 2008 WWDC. At the time, Apple had announced that Snow Leopard would be delivered in "about a year".

While Apple has been making steady progress, some reports pushed the release date of Snow Leopard back to September. We've since heard, however, that Snow Leopard may be further along than we thought. Apple is reportedly referring to internal builds of Snow Leopard as Gold Master candidates, suggesting that the operating system could be feature complete and mostly bug free. We've heard no further evidence, however, of the rumored "Marble" interface that was said to be part of the final Snow Leopard release.

Apple will likely detail its launch plans for Snow Leopard at WWDC next week.

A number of patent applications from Apple were released by the United States Patent and Trademark Office this morning, and two of them have received a fair bit of attention, having been first brought to light in a pair of reports (#1, #2) from AppleInsider.

The first application, entitled "Multi-dimensional scroll wheel", was filed in September 2008. It describes a scroll wheel, such as that used in the iPod classic and iPod nano, that is capable of sensing user input in multiple ways, as well as sensing multiple simultaneous inputs, essentially bringing multi-touch capabilities to the iconic iPod scroll wheel.

To improve the effectiveness of a touch-based scroll wheel, the present disclosure provides multi-touch scroll wheel circuitry capable of sensing input in multiple ways. For example, scroll wheel circuitry can sense a moving object, such as a finger, as it is moved not only in a rotational manner but also in a linear manner across the center of the scroll wheel. The scroll wheel circuitry can also sense more than one object at a time, such as multi-finger touch or motion. In this manner, the scroll wheel circuitry can enable a device to recognize a wider range of input. To be clear, a wheel can be circular, but can also have any shape that enables a closed loop type input.

The patent application also cites potential implementations of a multi-touch click wheel as part of a notebook computer, a peripheral input device similar to a mouse, or a wireless input device capable of communicating either directly with a media player or with a media player docking station.

The second application, entitled "Methods and systems for mixing media with communications", was filed in November 2007 and describes methods for sharing digital media files such as music, videos, and images as part of an audio, video, or data communications connection without terminating the original connection.

The present invention permits a user to initiate a communications operation with a recipient, or to receive a communications operation initiated by another individual, and to transmit a selected media item over the same communication path used for the communications operation without terminating the communications operation. This combined transmission can occur regardless of the type of media selected by the user to be added to the communications operation.

Notably, while Apple's drawings accompanying the patent application point to implementations related to the iPhone, Apple also makes numerous references to the sharing of media while users are engaged in video conferences, something not possible in the current models of the iPhone. The addition of video calling, which would require a front-facing camera, to the iPhone has been a popular target of speculation, with rumors appearing as recently as this week pointing to the possibility of its appearance in an upcoming iPhone hardware update.

Over the past few days, a number of items regarding Apple's retail stores have popped up, and we've collected some of them here for visibility and discussion.

- USA Today reported last week about Apple's plans for its retail stores, revealing that Apple is planning to remodel 100 of its existing stores this year, in addition to the 25 new stores under development. Renovated stores will offer 50% more Genius Bar space and twice as much room for displaying products.

- The New York Post reported in a piece on New York City's Fifth Avenue shopping district that Apple's flagship store on the street was promoted by the building's owner as recording a staggering $440 million per year in sales. As Daring Fireball's John Gruber points out, the number is approximately one-third that of Palm's 2008 revenue for the entire company.

- ifoAppleStore points to the online portfolio of architect Ben Wood, which features a dramatic design for what is reported to be a new Apple retail store for Beijing, China. ifoAppleStore's sources report that construction is already underway at an unspecified location on Qianmen Street with a grand opening scheduled for later this year.

- Apple will be holding a grand opening this Saturday for a new retail store in Roseville, California, a major shopping hub in the Sacramento area. The new store will be located in the Westfield Galleria at Roseville, which is in the midst of a major expansion project.

Engadget points to comments by technology reporter Walt Mossberg as evidence that the new iPhone is indeed imminent. Mossberg posted a new review for the Palm Pre in which he acknowledges that Apple is poised to announce a new iPhone at WWDC. In fact, he's very specific about what he expects next week:

Apple already has announced its adding MMS, universal search, and copy and paste. And, although Apple hasnt announced any new hardware features, I expect to see an iPhone with up to 32 gigabytes of memory, video recording, a higher-resolution camera, a compass, and greater operating speed.

While these comments from anyone else would be dismissed as idle speculation, Mossberg is a long established technology reporter who either seems to believe all the circulating iPhone rumors or knows it for certain. Regardless, we'll all find out next week at WWDC.

North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue officially announced today that Apple has selected the state as the location of a new data center, which will see the company invest more than $1 billion over a nine-year period.

Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Apple has selected North Carolina as the location for a new data center. The company is expected to invest more than $1 billion in the project over nine years.

"North Carolina continues to be a prime location for growing and expanding global technology companies," said Perdue. "We welcome Apple to North Carolina and look forward to working with the company as it begins providing a significant economic boost to local communities and the state."

The announcement comes on the heels of efforts by North Carolina's General Assembly to offer tax breaks in order to draw the company to the state. No location for the new center has been announced, although recent reports have pointed to Catawba County winning out over nearby Cleveland County.

BusinessWeek reports that Apple has included features in its upcoming iPhone OS 3.0 that would allow users to share apps with other iPhone users, although whether Apple decides to activate those features remains to be seen.

Apple's new iPhone 3.0 software includes features that, if activated by Apple, may let users share software with one another, according to a person familiar with the technology. Eventually, iPhone users may even get a commission when they've induced someone else to make a purchase, says Richard Doherty, director at consultant Envisioneering Group. Apple spokeswoman Jennifer Bowcock wouldn't discuss features that might be available in the future, saying only, "We've made no announcements at this time."

The report discusses the role users might play in promoting applications to other users, pointing to the existing "Top 10" lists in most mobile app stores and "Tell a Friend" features built into some apps as useful but incomplete means of drawing attention to standout applications. Apple could take advantage of the "peer-to-peer connectivity" described at Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 preview event in March to allow users to "invite" nearby users to download applications.

One example of P2P connectivity will be available in the new iPhone 3.0 software, due this summer. Users will be able to play multiplayer games with one another using Bluetooth connectivity, rather than needing to be on a carrier's network. A player's phone will automatically detect nearby iPhones and iPod touches that run the same app and send them an invitation to join the game. Initially, the feature will work only when both parties already have a particular app. "Now you can sell copies of your app to two players instead of one," says Dave Howell, a former Apple engineer who now runs peer-to-peer file-sharing apps maker Avatron Software. In the future, a player may be able to invite another to a game when the second person does not yet own a particular app. Such invitations could trigger additional purchases.

iPhone OS 3.0 will be a major topic of discussion at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Adam Jackson has posted the first photos (flickr) from WWDC 2009. Apple has started putting up banners 6 days prior to the event. The theme of this year's WWDC appears centered around the App Store. The main banner in Moscone West reads:

One year later. Light-years ahead.

The phrase refers to the iTunes App Store that was launched (less than) one year ago, but has seen major success with over 1 billion apps downloaded in the first nine months. The iPhone will clearly take center stage at WWDC with discussion about the upcoming 3.0 Firmware release as well as possibility that Apple will announce a new iPhone.

WWDC 2009 kicks off on June 8th with a keynote address to be given by Phil Schiller.

Several weeks ago, Apple began testing high-volume Push Notifications using a special build of the AP Mobile iPhone application distributed to developers testing beta versions of the upcoming iPhone OS 3.0. While the test was scheduled to last one week, Apple is apparently just now putting the final wraps on its testing, thanking developers for their assistance throughout the testing process.

Apple activated Push Notifications in mid-April, allowing developers to begin testing their applications with the service, which allows iPhone applications to receive updates while they are not actively running. Apple's AP Mobile test, however, was the first large-scale deployment of Push Notifications.

The conclusion of Push Notification testing and yesterday's public release of iTunes 8.2 supporting iPhone OS 3.0 suggest that development of the new iPhone operating system is nearing completion. iPhone OS 3.0 is expected to be a major topic of discussion at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference next week, and many expect to hear about Apple's plans for its public launch at that time.

Apple today deployed a series of changes to its 'One to One' program that provides personalized setup and training for Mac users. The $99/year program is now available only to users who have purchased a Mac directly from an Apple sales channel (retail store, online or phone), and is only available at the time of machine purchase. Memberships may be renewed twice for a total of three years of membership.

'One to One' offers initial setup for new Mac purchases, allowing customers to drop off their old machine (Mac or PC) and have Apple technicians transfer data, install software, and prepare their new Mac for use. The program also offers three basic options for training on the Mac: one-hour Personal Training Sessions in a one-on-one setting, Workshops in small group settings, and personalized web-based training.

If you prefer to learn face-to-face, Personal Training Sessions offer an uninterrupted hour with a Trainer. As experts in all things Apple, Trainers provide guidance, support, and creative inspiration. If you prefer a small group setting, exclusive One to One Workshops are a unique opportunity for you and a few other members to work with a Trainer on special interest topics.

You can also learn from anywhere, on your own schedule, using your One to One web page. Your personalized One to One page lets you access hundreds of tutorials, schedule and manage your appointments, and explore projects created by other members.

Finally, 'One to One' offers three-hour "Projects" blocks in which users can bring their own projects to an Apple Store and receive help as needed from Apple trainers.

The possibility of an iPhone with video conferencing is one that people love talking about. Unfortunately, very few reliable rumors have actually suggested that this is a likely feature in the next generation iPhone. BoyGeniusReport continues this theme with their leak of mobile carrier Fido's 2009 roadmap which they are "very far away from being able to confirm". The documents seem to picture a 4GB iPhone with a feature list that includes iChat Video Calling:

The most notable slide has to do with a 4GB iPhone 3G. While there is a huge disclaimer that the image isnt the device itself, the slide depicts a 4GB iPhone model that will run for $99 and come with quad-band EDGE, tri-band HSDPA, a 2 megapixel shooter and, believe it or not, iChat video calling (oh hi, front-facing camera).

The site is uncertain about the authenticity of the image but it takes on some more significance given today's report from Engadget that the iPhone will come in 4GB to 32GB sizes.