MacRumors

Several readers have notified us that they have started receiving shipment notifications and FedEx tracking numbers for their iPhone 4. Several of the shipment notifications indicate a "Delivers By" date of June 23rd -- a day before the official launch day.

We wouldn't read too much into these delivery dates as Apple has been known to artificially prolong ship times in order to match the worldwide launch date. The iPhone 4 is officially to be available on June 24th, 2010.

Problems seem to persist in the pre-ordering of iPhones that began on Tuesday.

Best Buy had actually accepted some pre-orders for White iPhones on Tuesday, June 15th. The White iPhone was otherwise unavailable at any other location. Today, we received word from one such customer that they were called by Best Buy explaining that they won't be able to fulfill their White preorder. According to the Best Buy representative, a manufacturing delay is preventing availability of the White iPhone 4 on launch day.

Separately, several readers are reporting that their (Black) iPhone 4 pre-orders from the online Apple Store have been inexplicably canceled.

I ordered one 32GB for my line and my wife got a 16GB on the 15th. Both from Apple. Both were successful with order acknowledgments and temporary holds on the card. Today the 16GB order shows cancelled. No email, no call, nothing, just a cancellation on the order status page.

Several others have had similar issues, finding their orders canceled. Some of the cancelations are being blamed on not accepting AT&T's terms and conditions, but the situation remains muddy.

Many of those who have been obsessively checking their order status at the U.S. Apple online store have seen their order status move from Not Shipped to "Prepared for Shipment". Due to the massive volume of pre-orders, Apple will likely start shipments early but ask the shipper (FedEx or UPS) to hold the package at the destination warehouse in order to time simultaneous delivery on June 24th.

Meanwhile, customers who ordered their iPhone 4 from AT&T have seen some early credit card charges and they are organizing in this discussion thread.

Finally, those who are planning on camping out or meeting up at their local Apple Stores or AT&T stores can participate in our Meetup forum where users are posting threads by location. The demand for the iPhone 4 seems particularly high so getting one on day number one will be difficult without a pre-order or arriving early to stand in line.

Useful forum links:

- The U.K. iPhone 4 Thread
- iPhone 4 Order Goes from Not Shipped to Prepared for Shipment
- AT&T Order Status Thread
- iPhone 4 Launch Meetup Forum

GPS navigation firm Navigon, which offers a wide range of turn-by-turn navigation applications for the iPhone, has posted a new video showing how its applications can take advantage of the multitasking capabilities of Apple's forthcoming iOS 4.

In the video, Navigon's Bernd Hahn demonstrates how a user can quickly switch to Safari to look up information and easily return to their navigation application. As an additional example, Hahn demonstrates how to accept an incoming call while in the Navigon application, allowing voice guidance to continue in the background during the call. Upon call termination, the Navigon application automatically comes back to the foreground and full navigation resumes.

Multitasking will be support on the iPhone 3GS and third-generation iPod touch with the launch of iOS 4 next Monday, June 21st. Apple's iPhone 4, launch on June 24th, will obviously also offer iOS 4 with multitasking support.

Apple's tight supplies and high demand for iPhone 4 aren't limited to the United States, as UK carrier O2 has announced that its initial launch quantities of the device will be limited to existing wireless or broadband customers who have been with the company since at least May 24th, 2010.

iPhone stock will be extremely limited in the UK at launch and not everybody who wants one will be able to get one straight away. We want to make sure that our existing customers get priority so until at least the end of July, only existing O2 customers will be able to get an iPhone 4 from us.

Whether you're an existing O2 mobile customer looking to upgrade, or one of our broadband customers looking to move your mobile to O2, our iPhone stock is reserved exclusively for you.

O2 notes that iPhone 4 will be available as of June 24th in O2 shops, Carphone Warehouse, Best Buy, Phones4U and Apple stores, but will not be available through O2's website until at least late July.

While iPhone 4 supplies are tight in the UK, carrier availability for the new device has been expanding. In addition to existing UK iPhone partners O2, Orange, and Vodafone, both T-Mobile and Three are coming on board, with Virgin also looking to offer the popular device.

According to The Street, Rodman Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar claims that display screen shortages are contributing to the tight supplies, cutting in half Apple's planned production rate for iPhone 4.

Apple's iPhone production has hit a speed bump due to display screen shortages, says Rodman Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar, whose sources include Apple supply and manufacturing partners.

Kumar says the shortage has forced Apple's contract manufacturers to cut the iPhone's monthly production rate to 2 million a month, down from the planned rate of 4 million iPhones a month.

Any production shortages would be particularly unwelcome given the high demand for the new handset, with multiple carriers claiming ten times the traffic of the iPhone 3GS launch as Apple and its carrier partners struggled to keep up as pre-orders went live earlier this week.

With the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard last August, Apple rolled out a rudimentary antimalware feature which allows the operating system to detect specific malware threats in downloads and warn users accordingly. Far from offering true antivirus functionality, however, the feature requires that Apple manually update a property list file in OS X if it wishes to add entries to its watch list.

Security firm Sophos today notes that Apple has finally offered an update to the antimalware features watch list with Mac OS X 10.6.4, expanding for the first time beyond the two threats included at Snow Leopard's launch. The addition includes multiple entries for identifying what Apple calls "OSX.HellRTS".

HellRTS, which Sophos products have been detecting as OSX/Pinhead-B since April, has been distributed by malicious hackers disguised as iPhoto, the photo application which ships on modern Mac computers.

If you did get infected by this malware then hackers would be able to send spam email from your Mac, take screenshots of what you are doing, access your files and clipboard and much more.

As a firm that writes and sells antivirus software, Sophos unsurprisingly takes the position that Apple's antimalware feature, while welcome, is insufficient for proper protection against threats. In fact, the blog post from Sophos notes that nowhere in the Mac OS X 10.6.4 documentation does Apple announce this antimalware, leading to speculation by Sophos that Apple is simply trying to downplay security threats for marketing purposes and thus providing users with a false sense of security.

A brief new report from DigiTimes estimates Apple's current iPad shipments at 1.2 million per month, up from 700,000 at launch and set to increase to as much as 2.5 million per month by the end of the year. If true, the data confirms very strong sales performance for Apple's tablet device that could see the company exceeding even the most robust analyst estimates.

As iPad production continues to ramp up, Apple has apparently tapped Samsung for additional display production for the device. Samsung, which will join existing supplier LG, is set to begin volume production next month with output scheduled to reach 300,000-500,000 per month. That number compares to LG, which reportedly produced about 800,000-900,000 displays during the month of May.

Czech site Jablčkř.cz reveals [Google translation] yet another iPhone 4, backed up by multiple pictures of the device laying on top of a newspaper from this past weekend.

While other leaks and of course Apple's own presentation and marketing materials have shown us the next-generation iPhone in a fair amount of detail, this new report claims to offer a sample of photos and a brief video clip [Direct link to video] taken with the device, demonstrating real-world performance to compare against sample photos and video posted by Apple.

The report notes that an hour's worth of "playing games, surfing, YouTube and Google Maps" resulted in a battery drain of only 10%, bolstering Apple's claims of significantly improved battery performance compared to earlier iPhone models.

The line for the iPhone 4 has already started -- a week before its release. Justin Wagoner has set up a tent in front of the Dallas, TX Apple Store and appears to have started the first line nationwide. Wagoner was first spotted on DallasNews.com.

The discovery was quickly posted in our forums and spotted by Wagoner who posted a greeting to MacRumors forum readers, explaining his reasons for camping out so early:

Some would say I am crazy, but I say I'm a very determined fan. In fact I just might be one the biggest Apple fans you will actually meet. I have been the first costumer for this store since 2008 when the iPhone 3G was released.

Normally I only camp out over night, but since I do not work due to the fact I am disabled with a seizure disorder and I am not in school at the point, I figure I just make it a fun experience and do it for a week.

Yes I did reserve a phone, but again, I'm doing it for a fun experience. I haven't had a trip or vacation in past 10 years so I figured I make it a full week camping trip.

My setup and location has everything I could need to live for a week, even in the Texas heat. Tent is packed with a sleeping gear, a chair, full ice chest of drinks and food, and the Apple staff have been very nice to me treating me like a king. LOL I also brought a extension power cord for phone charging and things that need power. There is even a portable toilet around the back of the store if needed.

That been said, I'm actually doing really well out here. If anyone gets a chance, come join the fun!

As proof of his idenity, Wagoner posted a photo of himself taken in the Apple Store:

He also posted photos from his camping setup. Wagoner promises to continue to post updates when he can:

I'll do my best to keep everyone updated when i can. I do not have laptop so I can only operate when the store is open. I will post a pic when the next camper comes and when the line starts to get out of control.

Well wishers can post to the original thread which we kept distinct from this news story. Over the next week as iPhone 4 lines continue to form, feel free to email us photos at tips@macrumors.com. The iPhone 4 will officially launch on June 24th. While the initial allotment of pre-orders are spoken for, there should be a sizable stock available for walk-in purchases.

Apple has launched their new MobileMe interface tonight with an overhauled MobileMe Webmail system as well as a "Find My iPhone" App Store App. The new interface reveals a new application switcher interface which replaces the row of icons that was previously used.

The new Webmail features are detailed by Apple as well. These include:

- Widescreen and compact views.
- Rules to keep your email organized everywhere.
- Single-click archiving.
- Formatting toolbar.
- Faster performance.
- Increased security with SSL.
- Support for external email addresses (new since the beta)
- Improved junk mail filtering (new since the beta).

Meanwhile, Apple has also released a brand new Find My iPhone app [App Store] that offers a universal iPhone/iPad App to locate your lost device:

If you lose your iPhone or iPad while on the go, simply install this free app on any other iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to find it. Sign in with your member name and password (MobileMe subscription required) to locate your missing device on a map and have it display a message or play a sound. You can even remotely lock the device to protect your privacy, or wipe it to permanently delete all of your data if you think that it won't be returned.

Apple has noted on its MobileMe support page and the me.com login page that access to MobileMe Web applications will be down from 10:00 PM to midnight Pacific Time this evening for "scheduled maintenance", with normal service expected to return once the site comes back up at the end of this window.

MacRumors has received information indicating that the downtime will see the rolling out of several new enhancements, including an official launch of the redesigned Mail interface for MobileMe that has been available in beta form for the past month. Included in this rollout will be push functionality for the Web-based Mail client, providing real-time updating as messages arrive.

Apple is also reportedly removing the MobileMe "toolbar" for the various Web applications offered by the service, replacing the toolbar with a single "application switcher" icon that will allow users to switch between Web applications.

Finally, Apple is said to be preparing to release a dedicated "Find My iPhone" application. The application, which will be universal and thus compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, will be available for free through App Stores in all countries, although devices must be associated with a MobileMe account in order to be tracked. It will allow users to perform all of the traditional Find My iPhone functions from iOS devices without the need to utilize the Web-based version of the service, offering device tracking, sending of messages to lost devices, and remote locking and wiping.

Apple has been busy releasing new iOS application for its customers over the past week, pushing out iTunes Connect Mobile last week to assist developers with monitoring sales data for their applications and Apple Store earlier this week to allow customers to make purchases from the Apple Store and schedule reservations for Apple Retail Store services.

Since the launch of the original iPhone, Apple has made efforts to hide some of the actual tech specs of the device from consumers. Apple has never advertised or even published the processor speed or amount of RAM found in the iPhone. Arguably, Apple is trying to shield customers from these technical distractions and instead trying to focus on overall functionality.

More technically inclined customers, however, still love to know what they have to work with. The original iPhone and iPhone 3G contained 128MB of RAM, while the iPhone 3GS was boosted to 256MB of RAM. Similarly, the iPad contains 256MB of RAM. This discrepancy offers a technical explanation why Apple is not supporting iOS 4 features such as multi-tasking on the original and 3G iPhone -- there simply isn't enough RAM.

We have since heard that the upcoming iPhone 4's RAM has again been upgraded. This will bring it to a total of 512MB of RAM, twice as much as the 3GS and iPad. This number actually contradicts tear down photos of a prototype iPhone 4 that was leaked to the internet. An analysis of that prototype device showed it only carried 256MB of RAM. The 512MB figure, however, does agree with a Digitimes report from May 17th that confirmed a 960x640 screen resolution, thinner display, and indeed 512MB of RAM. We had heard that Apple confirmed this 512MB figure during one of the WWDC sessions last week, and have now verified this. The session it was revealed in is now available (Session 147, Advanced Performance Optimization on iPhone OS, pt 2) for registered Apple developers.

The added RAM should help overall performance and multi-tasking on the new iPhone 4. It could also explain why the iMovie App that Apple introduced at WWDC will only run on the iPhone 4. Apple has said iMovie will only run on the iPhone 4 and not the 3GS or even the iPad. It seems conceivable that it actually makes use of the extra RAM offered by the iPhone 4.

Verizon Wireless has posted a teaser for Motorola's forthcoming "Droid X" smartphone. Notably, the teaser claims that the device will feature a 4.3-inch display with a "720P Screen". The claim would appear to suggest that the Droid X's display might carry a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.

One of Apple's claimed breakthrough features for iPhone 4 is its "Retina display" running at 960 x 640 pixels at 326 pixels-per-inch, offering improved viewing by making individual pixels undistinguishable at typical viewing distances.

The Droid X's apparent larger pixel count coupled with its larger display size suggests that it could offer a nearly identical pixel size to Apple's iPhone 4, but with the ability to display more content on its larger surface area.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs claimed during iPhone 4's introduction last week that the device's Retina display would set the standard for smartphone displays for the next several years. Motorola appears to be moving quickly to counter Apple's technological leap, however, and while the full specs of the Droid X and its display aren't yet known, it at least attempts to meet or exceed one of iPhone 4's key marketing points.

Update: Engadget, which got its hands on the Droid X just a few days ago, has confirmed that the prototype it had access to carried only an 854 x 480 screen like the original Motorola Droid released last year. It remains to be seen whether the apparent claims on the Droid X teaser page are a mistake or marketing spin of some sort, or if there is a last-minute surprise coming from Motorola.

Update 2: Verizon has modified its Droid X teaser page, replacing the "720P Screen" text with "Captures 720p", indicating that the earlier version was an error.

Computerworld reports on a tweet from Adobe's Brad Arkin noting that Apple's Mac OS X 10.6.4 that shipped earlier this week comes with an outdated version of Flash Player and reminding users to upgrade to the latest version.

Adobe released its new Flash Player 10.1 just five days before Apple pushed Mac OS X 10.6.4 to the public, and, as is frequently the case, Apple chose not to include the new version in the OS update without having time to perform sufficient testing.

"10.6.4 update for Mac OS X includes Flash Player, but not the latest version," said Brad Arkin, Adobe's director of security and privacy, in a message on Twitter Tuesday shortly after Apple issued the security and performance update.

Others at Adobe chimed in yesterday that Apple shipped the outdated Flash Player 10.0.45.2 with Mac OS X 10.6.4, and like Arkin, urged Mac users to download a newer edition directly from Adobe's site.

Last September after the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, security firm Sophos warned that the Snow Leopard installation process actually downgraded Mac OS X Leopard users' Flash version to an earlier one containing a number of security vulnerabilities. Fortunately, the new Mac OS X 10.6.4 update does not appear to actively downgrade systems that had already been upgraded to Flash Player 10.1, although users who hadn't yet updated might assume that they automatically have an up-to-date version given that Apple bundles Flash Player updates directly into its operating system releases.

CBS is continuing to move forward with its plans to deliver streaming video of its television content in an iPad-friendly HTML5 format, eliminating the networks existing reliance on Adobe's Flash Player for serving content. In March, we noted that the company appeared to be preparing HTML5 versions of its streaming content, and CBS Interactive Senior Vice President Anthony Soohoo confirmed last month that the company plans to have its full CBS.com lineup available in HTML5 by the start of the fall television season.

mocoNews caught up with Soohoo recently and reports that CBS is currently engaged in testing its HTML5 delivery using episodes of Star Trek Enterprise as the network seeks to reach "parity" with Flash delivery methods.

"What you see right now is a small, little experiment," Soohoo explained, with Star Trek Enterprise as an "ideal" subject, in part because of its fan base and because CBS owns it. "We're currently just testing for the time being." CBSi plans to move towards HTML5 parity with Flash video but first Soohoo and his team need to find the right mix of tools. It's not hard to offer the video in both versions but it's far more complicated than that.

"Our goal is over time at some point having content parity. The tools aren't mature yet - security needs to be there, second thing we need is all the tracking and measurement. If we can't track, we can't monetize." Adobe Flash is still the way most CBSi users get their video; as important, it's how ads are served.

While stopping short of a commitment, Soohoo notes that CBS is currently leaning toward offering both browser-based video streaming and dedicated apps, choosing to "follow where the audiences are".

ABC made a splash with its early launch of a dedicated iPad application for its streaming content, and while CBS had initially appeared to be focusing on browser-based delivery, it now seems that the network will be taking a more fluid approach and remains open to multiple possibilities.

Not all networks and content providers are following ABC and CBS in jumping on the iPad/HTML5 bandwagon, however. A number of media companies, including NBC and Time Warner, have pledged their continued support for Flash streaming, pointing to the format's continued dominance on the Web and shortcomings in HTML5 feature offerings.