MacRumors

9to5Mac points out that Walt Mossberg may have confirmed the release timeframe of the 3G iPhone, expected to be in June. In an online video (about 6:50 in), Mossberg casually but confidently says that the iPhone will be 3G in 60 days.

It is unknown whether Mossberg made the claim using additional knowledge or simply from circulating rumors, however his closeness to Apple and Steve Jobs shouldn't be overlooked.

Update: Mossberg denies having specific knowledge of the 3G iPhone's release date.

iPodObserver posted an image that they claim represents what the rumored 3G iPhone will look like:

Apparently the new iPhone will also sport a glossy black back, replacing the satin nickel look found on the current model.

If iPodObserver.com's source is correct, the redesigned iPhone back also drops the black plastic end piece that covers the antenna, and it appears that Apple will continue to offer an 8GB model.

iPodObserver is not a typical rumor source, so we're uncertain about the reliability of their sources.

"Leaked" photos rarely turn out to be legitimate, but this one has already generated a lengthy debate in our forums. Due to the attention it has received, we are posting this for interest alone, and do not necessarily believe it represents a true leak. Some of the initial comments suggested it may have simply been a Colorware custom iPhone or a custom replacement back. Neither of these options, however, completely replace the bottom plastic portion of the iPhone as shown in the photo.

Just two days after the last Mac OS X 10.5.3 Seed, Apple has again seeded a new build revision for Mac OS X 10.5.3 (9D12) to developers. 17 more fixes and only 1 known issue remains.

Typically, Apple has waited several builds before re-seeding new versions to developers. In the past, rapid-fire seeding has meant that they were prepping for the final release. It's unclear if Apple has simply changed its policy and seeding more frequently. If Apple continues on this aggressive seeding, we will report future builds on Page 2 unless there are substantial changes.

Fscklog reports (another report) that T-Mobile Germany is starting to offer substantial discounts on 8GB iPhones when purchased with a 2 year service contract.

The 8GB iPhone normally costs 399 euro, but depending on the service plan you sign up for, you could get it for a 300 euro discount. The special prices are as follows:

249 euro iPhone with Complete S
199 euro iPhone with Complete M
149 euro iPhone with Complete L
99 euro iPhone with Complete XL

The offer is good only between April 7th and June 30th and the 16GB iPhone remains at 499 euro. The changes have not yet been reflected on T-Mobile's site. This move to introduce subsidized iPhone pricing is interesting, in light of early beliefs that Apple prohibited the practice to avoid reducing the perceived value of the phone. For what it's worth, we've heard that iPhone sales in Germany have been disappointing.

The news comes amidst reports of iPhone shortages in the U.S.

When the iPhone was first announced at Macworld San Francisco 2007, Steve Jobs specifically said that he did not want the iPhone's existence first revealed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This comment has generated a bit of a following, with some commenters continuing to insist that the 3G iPhone will be revealed by the FCC first.

The problem with this theory is that Apple frequently announces new products that don't first show up in the FCC database. Also, companies are allowed to have some degree of confidentiality for products.

Apple submitted the original iPhone to the FCC on March 9, 2007. The documents, however, remained confidential until May 17, 2007, about six weeks prior to its launch. So while it may have required months for approval, it only appeared in the FCC database for all to see about 6 weeks prior to the ship date.

In another example, Apple's Time Capsule was submitted to the FCC on January 15, 2008 -- the same day as its announcement. The documents were immediately public and the product again shipped about 6 weeks later.

If this rough pattern continues, we could see the 3G iPhone shipping by late July if Apple announces it (for example) at WWDC on June 10th.

Adobe's John Nack writes about the future plans for Adobe Photoshop CS4 and CS5, revealing that Adobe Photoshop CS4 will include 64-Bit support, but for Windows only. The Mac version of CS4 will remain at 32-Bit. The reason for the discrepancy, however, is not due to a lack of interest or support from Adobe, but for more practical reasons.

First off, Nack admits that the 64-bit version of Photoshop will see modest speed increases (8-12%) but the biggest advantage will be for those using massive images (a 3.375 gigapixel image is given as an example). With these massive sizes and with enough RAM (32GB given as example), you can see substantial (10x) improvements.

Adobe expects that Mac users will have to wait until CS5 before getting full 64-bit support. The reason for this delay is due to Apple's abrupt dropping of Carbon 64-bit support:

At the WWDC show last June, however, Adobe & other developers learned that Apple had decided to stop their Carbon 64 efforts. This means that 64-bit Mac apps need to be written to use Cocoa (as Lightroom is) instead of Carbon. This means that we'll need to rewrite large parts of Photoshop and its plug-ins (potentially affecting over a million lines of code) to move it from Carbon to Cocoa.

Nack reports that they started working on the transition immediately after the announcement but due to the scope of the transition are unable to deliver it by CS4. He also tries to dispel the notion that Cocoa alone will produce a higher quality product than Carbon:

Most Mac users don't know Cocoa from Ovaltine, and nor should they: it's just an implementation detail, not a measure of quality. I think Brent Simmons, creator of wonderful Cocoa apps like NetNewsWire, put it most elegantly: "Finder + Cocoa = Finder." That is, rewriting one's app in Cocoa doesn't somehow automatically improve its speed, usability, or feature set.

Arstechnica reports on an internal email from Apple congratulating employees that Apple is now the #1 Music Retailer in the U.S., surpassing Wal-Mart for the first time.

The iTunes Store leads the pack with 19 percent, Wal-Mart (which includes the brick-and-mortar stores as well as its online properties) is second with 15 percent, and Best Buy is third with 13 percent. Amazon is a distant fourth at 6 percent, trailed by the likes of Borders, Circuit City, and Barnes & Noble. Rhapsody is in the tenth slot with 1 percent.

This comes quickly after a February announcement from Apple that they had surpassed Best Buy to become the #2 music retailer, also based on the NPD MusicWatch Survey.

While there's been some question about the discrepancy of the two data points, it seems possible that the February annoucement was based on December data (Christmas sales are specifically mentioned), while this new data is from January sales.

Apple has posted updates to three of their applications tonight:

iTunes 7.6.2

Rent and download your favorite movies with iTunes on your computer or directly to your living room on Apple TV. Enjoy rented movies in sizes up to 720p HD with surround sound on your Apple TV and sizes up to DVD-quality on your computer. Transfer your rented movies from iTunes to your iPod or iPhone and enjoy them on the go.

Also, purchase and download your favorite TV shows, music, and more directly on your Apple TV. Effortlessly transfer purchases made on Apple TV back to your computer with iTunes.

iTunes 7.6.2 provides bug fixes to improve stability and performance.

QuickTime 7.4.5

QuickTime 7.4.5 includes fixes that enhance reliability, improve compatibility with third-party applications, and address security issues. This release is recommended for all QuickTime 7 users.

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

Front Row 2.1.3

This Front Row update provides for bug fixes and improved iTunes compatibility.

iPhone speculation has remained at an all-time high this week. Reports of iPhone shortages has generated analyst speculation that the iPhone could be sooner than expected... despite June expectations.

While we don't put too much value in this idle speculation, Gizmodo reports on a revealing comment from AT&T's Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega from a lunch at CTIA 2008. Ralph de la Vega said that he expected all of their smart integrated devices to be 3G within the next couple of months.

When asked about the iPhone specifically, he responded with "Let me repeat what I said: I think that you're going to see our integrated devices be 3G devices in the not-too-distant future, and I mean months. That should be clear enough."

Our iPhone Buyer's Guide recommendation stands: buy only if you absolutely need it; updates are coming.

Yoga featuring Judy Greer

Yoga - features Judy Greer as a Yoga instructor frustrated with Vista.

Breakthrough - brings back the Counselor who points out that PC's issues comes from having different vendors responsible for the hardware and software, while Macs all come from one vendor (Apple).

Apple has also continued its custom web ads, which have run on many prominent web sites.

Apple announced today that they have started selling television shows in Germany via iTunes. Shows from ProSieben, Sat.1, ZDF Enterprises, Brainpool and US broadcasters ABC Studios and MTV Networks are now available on the iTunes Store in Germany.

"iTunes is the world's most popular online music and TV store with over four billion songs and 125 million TV episodes sold," said Eddy Cue, Apples vice president of iTunes. "We're off to a great start with over 35 TV shows available on the iTunes Store in Germany."

Shows are priced at 1.99 euro and 2.49 euro per episode and are available immediately.

Hot on the heels of the 9D10 seed, Apple appears to be working aggressively on the next version of Mac OS X with a new developer release (9D11) only days after the first.

Apple has detailed 19 more fixes in the latest seed and has asked developers to focus testing on a broad range of features including AirPort, Dashboard, Back To My Mac, Automator, iCal, Printing, Time Machine and many others.

The rapid development release is curious at this early stage of seeding. Typically, Apple starts frequent seeding to developers when preparing for final release. As of build 9D11, there are no known issues -- suggesting Apple may be targeting a quick release. Apple last updated Mac OS X to version 10.5.2 in February.

MacRumors does not participate in April Fools news stories. All stories posted today are real.

A recent survey of nearly 2000 professionals and students have named Apple has the most inspiring brand and one that respondents could not live without.

The results come in the wake of another poll of about 12,000 U.S. business decision-makers which indicate that Microsoft has dropped from the number 12 ranking of most powerful U.S. company brands in 2004, down to number 59 this past year. Further underscoring the trend, Microsoft previously ranked #1 in a similar brand survey in 1996. The fall in rank reflects a drop in the following ratings: overall reputation, perception of management, and investment potential

Though the survey gives no specifics about the nature of the decline, CEO of CoreBrand speculates that Vista's poor reception as well as Apple's "Get a Mac" television ads may have both contributed to the decline.

MacRumors does not participate in April Fools news stories. All stories posted today are real.

Pipar Jaffray's Gene Munster claims that Apple is working on keyboard-less "full multi-touch Macs". According to the analyst, Apple "is already testing full multi-touch Macs, but the software requirements will likely lead to a launch timeframe of 2010", as reported by Appleinsider.

Munster expects Apple to advance their technology to include "complete MacBook touch with touchscreen keypad features".

Many of these concepts have already been publicly revealed through a series of patent applications from Apple. The most promising detailed advanced multi-touch processing, allowing the user to use a variety of natural gestures. More recently, patent drawings have revealed that Apple has already designed Mac OS X control panel software to customize these gestures:

So, it's clear that Apple is working on these products, though Munster claims to have specific knowledge from "component suppliers" confirming ongoing testing.

MacRumors does not participate in April Fools news stories. All stories posted today are real.