MacRumors

As rumored, Swisscom announced today that they would be delivering the iPhone to Switzerland later this year:

The iPhone will be available later this year. We will inform you personally as soon as we have more news.

As typical for these announcements, no details are provided.

Meanwhile, GeekSugar cites their "reliable inside source" and says that the 3G iPhone will indeed be launched on June 9th at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference keynote. This is in line with most evidence, though the recent disappearance of iPhone stock drove speculation that the 3G iPhone announcement could come even sooner.

Apple is set to open their new Boston Apple Store on Boylston Street on Thursday, May 15th at 6:00 pm. Apple will be giving away limited edition T-shirts and "other surprises" at the store opening.

Every Apple product is available for you to get to know and test-drive at the Apple Store. And the top floor is dedicated entirely to programs, support, and services. It's home to the Genius Bar, One-to-One personal training and free one-hour workshops to get the most out of your Apple products. Come early and be among the first to experience what the Apple Store is all about.

The latest Apple Store is reportedly the largest Apple store in the U.S. taking the title from the New York City 5th Avenue store.

Photos of the interior of the store are posted at ifoAppleStore, including a Spiral Staircase. Another exterior photo.

Microsoft announced today record sales of Mac Office 2008 which was launched at Macworld San Francisco:

"The response has been amazing; since we launched in January, the velocity of sales for Office 2008 is nearly three times what we saw after the launch of Office 2004," said Craig Eisler, general manager of the Mac BU at Microsoft. "As we set our course for future versions, we are working closely with customers and will also expand our staff to ensure that Office for Mac remains the most powerful and compatible productivity suite for Mac customers."

Microsoft also released the first Service Pack (SP1) for Mac Office 2008 which provides stability, security and performance enhancements. The update will be available at at Microsoft.com or via your Office software update. A list of fixes are provided in the press release.

Also notable is that Microsoft has announced that they will be bringing back Visual Basic for Applications in the next version of Mac Office:

...the team recognizes that VBA-language support is important to a select group of customers who rely on sharing macros across platforms. The Mac BU is always working to meet customers' needs and already is hard at work on the next version of Office for Mac.

Update: Microsoft Office 2008 SP1 is now available via Microsoft's website.

Troubleshooting: Tip for users with problems:

Some users who have installed Office 2008 for Mac Service Pack 1 are reporting an issue that occurs after installation. The issue causes the Office Setup Assistant to open when they try to open an Office application. This situation occurs when the Office Setup Assistant detects that an invalid Product Key was used to install Office 2008. [ Read More ]

LeMatin.ch (French) reports that based on a source in Swisscom, Switzerland will be getting the iPhone this summer.

By itself, this news is not that surprising, as there have been a growing number of reports of the iPhone being delivered internationally in the coming months. Unique to this source, however, is the report that the iPhone would come with GPS, Video Conferencing and Mobile TV functionality.

GPS and video conferencing (with front-sided camera) have both been rumored for the next generation iPhone, but the addition of mobile television is new.

Apple officially announced today that "a team of Apple executives, led by CEO Steve Jobs" would kick off Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address starting at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 9th.

This year's WWDC will be showcasing both Mac OS X and OS X iPhone:

The five-day WWDC event, which runs from June 9 to June 13, will feature the first ever iPhone track for mobile developers with in-depth sessions and hands-on labs to fully explore the capabilities of the OS X iPhone 2.0 software, including the iPhone SDK and the App Store, a breakthrough way for developers to wirelessly deliver their applications to iPhone and iPod touch users.

Apple is widely expected to introduce a 3G-capable iPhone at this year's WWDC.

A new job description posted by Apple on Monday, May 12th reveals that Apple is seeking an engineer to "lead the engineering activities to develop the new process and design for the multi-touch panel used in Apple products. This individual will serve as a focal point in the designing and the process development of advanced multi-touch panels from the concept to the product ramp."

Responsibilities include designing and developing new multi-touch panels for high volume production, and the candidate should have experience in the flat panel industry. Another job description reveals that some of these hires are entering into a newly created "Panel Process & Optics Group" at Apple which is responsible for future flat panel designs.

While the fruits of these specific employees' efforts won't likely be seen for years, it has been well established that Apple has long been been working on advanced multi-touch displays. Based on this job description and previous patent applications, it is clear that Apple's intentions are beyond the multi-touch display that currently resides on the iPhone and iPod touch. Advanced multi-touch gesturing patents have shown Apple's efforts to incorporate new gestures into Mac OS X itself. Simple multi-touch has already made its way into the trackpad of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

Apple has also been rumored to be working on a mini-tablet project which may incorporate more advanced multi-touch recognition over the existing iPhone and iPod touch.

Apple's latest Mac OS X 10.5.3 build (9D29) was released to developers last week. The ongoing developer seeds addressed a number of new bug fixes while we await the final code for release. There had been some hints that this latest build might become the final release for consumers, but we have not heard any further confirmation on that.

The bulk of the changes to the 10.5.3 update appear to include bug and stability issues, but one new Time Machine option was noted by AppleInsider that allows laptop users to initiate Time Machine backups even on battery power. In the current public version (10.5.2), Time Machine backups are suspended while on battery power. The option appears to default to "off" in the latest build.

Apple is continuing to test Mac OS X 10.5.3 with developers, but will be released as a free upgrade to existing Mac OS X 10.5.2 users in the near future.

HBO programming will soon be coming to the iTunes store according to a report by Portfolio.com.

Apple is close to announcing it has signed a deal to sell HBO programs and movies on the iTunes website, according to HBO employees involved in executing the agreement.

The deal marks the first time that Apple has agreed to a separate price structure for a content provider, one of the employees said.

The HBO insiders said that the new service would be launched and announced simultaneously, most likely in a week or two.

The site speculates that the price structure could represent either a larger cut for HBO of the $1.99 price per episode, or perhaps a price above $1.99.

Portfolio.com notes that HBO has been slow in the past to provide content via new media, and this deal is due in part to pressure from HBO parent company Time Warner.

Update: HBO shows have started appearing on iTunes.

AppleInsider has noted that AT&T's website for existing users now has an option for a black iPhone.

There have been rumors that Apple's upcoming 3G iPhone would come with a glossy black back (1, 2). While there have also been some reported image leaks as well, the authenticity of such images remains highly doubtful.

Update: According to one report from the forum thread, Apple's online retail staff is indicating that news about the iPhone may be forthcoming in the next week. Whether this pertains to the current iPhone availability shortage or if it indicates a 3G iPhone announcement is uncertain. Typically retail staff are not told about upcoming announcements until immediately beforehand, however the iPhone shortage may have prompted a change from that procedure.

Update 2: An AT&T spokesman spoke to Gizmodo regarding the 'iPhone Black' option on their website.

An AT&T spokesperson just told us that the iPhone Black dropdown reference on the AT&T Wireless website is just a temporary placeholder. The spokesperson says that it was used over the weekend for a "scheduled catalog update," distinguishing the various iPhone models (4GB, 8GB and 16GB).

The explanation does not explain why the "black" distinguisher was used.

Fortune's Apple 2.0 blog received confirmation from Apple's public relations that Steve Jobs would be delivering the keynote speech at Apple's Wordwide Developer's Conference on Monday, June 9th.

Although no official announcement has been made, Apple public relations confirmed to Fortune that Steve Jobs will deliver a keynote address on June 9, the first day of the 2008 World Wide Developers conference.

Of course, it's no surprise that Steve Jobs will be delivering the keynote speech at WWDC, but it had not been formally announced or scheduled. Apple, of course, is widely expected to deliver the next version of the iPhone at WWDC.

Electronic Weekly's David Manners writes (via CNet.com.au) about a revealing encounter he had with Luigi Licciardi, executive vice president for technology and operations at Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM). Licciardi confirms what everyone essentially knows: that TIM will be delivering a 3G version of the iPhone to Italy. Licciardi, however, actually gives us a solid timeframe for the launch:

We will be selling an iPhone with 3G capability next month, Luigi Licciardi, executive vice president for technology and operations at TIM told me yesterday evening on a bus taking us out into the desert for dinner following the first day of the International Electronics Forum 2008 in Dubai.

"Next month" conveniently coincides with Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC), which takes place from June 9th to June 13th in San Francisco, CA.

This latest quote adds to a laundry list of evidence pointing to an imminent release of the 3G-capable iPhone. While the quote does not necessarily preclude an earlier May launch in the U.S., the rest of the available evidence points to June:

- Latest iPhone 2.0 Firmware Has 3G On/Off Option
- AT&T Blocking Out June 15-July 12 for 3G iPhone Launch?
- Foxconn to Deliver 3G capable iPhones Beginning in June

Meanwhile, Research in Motion today announced their first 3G-capable mobile phone, the BlackBerry Bold. While the Bold will also not available until this summer, Apple has clearly targeted RIM as a competitor to the iPhone.

Finally, just this morning additional iPhone coverage for Singapore, India, the Philippines and Australia has been announced by SingTel, Bharti Airtel, Globe and Optus. This means two carriers will be providing coverage in India and Australia. No additional details were provided in the press release.

In April, SwitchToaMac.com published a rumor that Apple would be launching the 3G iPhone earlier than expected... in May. At the time, we dismissed it, as the rumor didn't seem to correspond with the circulating expectations that the new iPhone would be launched in June at WWDC. Apple's dwindling stock of iPhones in both the U.S. and U.K. however, has made us look at this rumor once again.

As mentioned, SwitchToaMac's source claimed that the 3G-capable iPhone would be announced in May, with the belief that it would be available for purchase the day after the announcement.

The reason for a pre-WWDC announcement? Reportedly, Apple would instead announce a brand new portable device at WWDC. No other details of what this device might be, but there have been rumors that Apple was developing a mini-tablet multitouch device for launch in 2008. This PDA-like device would reportedly have a higher screen resolution (720x480) and be about 1.5x the size of the existing iPhone.

Repubblica.it first reported (in April) that they expected the Italian 3G iPhone launch "in the next few weeks", suggesting a May launch. While Telecom Italia and Vodofone did announce their intentions to supply the iPhone in Italy, no formal announcement had been made from Apple. Meanwhile, Apple's supply of iPhones has dwindled to nothing and our retail sources have indicated that they too will not be receiving many (if any) more iPhone shipments, leading many to speculate that the 3G-capable iPhone launch will be sooner than expected.

We don't necessarily believe this rumor is true, but present it as an interesting possibility. Obviously, we'll see between now and WWDC if it has any merit.