MacRumors

The Commercial Times reports that Quanta Computer has received orders to assemble approximately 5 million Apple iPhones for shipment in September. It appears this is an additional order beyond the first batch which was originally placed with Foxconn (Hon Hai). The initial shipment is presumably due in late-June to meet Apple's target date.

Forbes was unable to get any further commentary about the report from the newspaper, but Digitimes provides some curious details from the report, indicating the September order is meant to fill a different market:

The iPhone produced by Foxconn is designated for the US market, and those manufactured by Quanta will be similar in function to those from Foxconn but with a different outer design to fit different markets, the paper quoted sources at Taiwan-based component makers as saying.

The iPhone's U.S. launch is expected in late June, while the European launch has been said to be in the 4th Quarter of this year.

Seattle Times interviews AT&T's Glenn Lurie on the iPhone, who provides some perspective and hands on usage of the device.

When asked about the usage of the device:

I think when people get their hands on it and really experience it the touch screen is phenomenal, this touch screen is like nothing you've ever used to experience that, the skepticism, I think, around some of those things will go away.

Lurie also reveals that some "Google applications" are coming in the form of widgets and believes that "there are just so many things here that the price will not be an issue." He also describes how successful Apple has been in simplifying the interface and how intuitive the phone functions are.

Finally, when asked about web usage on AT&T's network, Lurie states that "people are going to be asked to have an unlimited package people are going to have to have a package with us to browse."

At the beginning of April, Apple and EMI announced that they would be offering DRM-Free music files on the iTunes store beginning in May. With May wrapping up this Thursday, their self-imposed timeframe is quickly approaching.

PaidContent.org has confirmation from EMI that this original plan remains on schedule.

Asked for a progress update on delivery of its new, DRM-less repertoire, which EMI slated for a May release when it announced last month that Apple would get the line-up first, the EMI spokesperson confirmed that this development was also on course to make good on that schedule.

MacBidouille's sources also confirm that the launch is coming this week.

PaidContent also reveals that Paul McCartney's catalog which was announced to appear on iTunes has been held up by "an exclusive offering" that will be released with the music in iTunes. McCartney's music has already appeared on competing services (Napster, Rhapsody, Urge and Zune Marketplace).

It looks like someone at Apple has started more openly testing the Apple iPhone across web sites, including MacRumors.com.

One reader tipped us off that they had come across iPhone browser identification strings in the Apache logs of their eBay images. According to their submitted logs, the browser identifies itself as:

Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/1A538a Safari/419.3

While browser identification strings can be easily spoofed, these requests originated from Apple's internal IP addresses.

After this tip, we were able to confirm similar findings in our own logs, verifying the above claims.

A number of reader reports and a Google Groups message board posting indicate that CNBC is reporting that the iPhone will be released on the 20th of June.

Actually, On the Money last night on CNBC, the telco Analyst said they had been given the confirmed date of the 20th. Not sure where this official release is, but they specifically said iPhone release date was finally released and it was to be the 20th.

According to CNBC, the iPhone will be "in stores" on that date. Apple's iPhone had been officially targeted for "late June". iPhone sales/support training runs from May 30th - June 20th, giving more credibility to the June 20th date.

Video: Video clip of segment on CNBC. Information from an "AT&T phone store".

An AP story tried to confirm the June 20th date, but was unable to get confirmation:

Siegel said he did not know where the June 20 date came from.

Clerks contacted at eight AT&T stores in New York said they had been told the iPhone would launch on dates ranging from June 11 to June 22.

Businessweek profiles "Metro" -- a prototype laptop designed by Intel and Ziba Design. The 0.7 inch thick laptop is the world's thinnest notebook and weighs only 2.25 pounds.

Unlike other prototype designs, this design is to go intro production later this year with an unspecified manufacturer, according to Businessweek.

The motivation for the design was to attempt to boost notebook sales by improving visual design to appeal to a larger market.

"Intel wants to stimulate the conversation," says Roger Kay, president of consultancy Endpoint Technologies Associates. Besides making the machine thin, they're also using materials aimed to communicate high quality and coolness. Made of champagne-colored magnesium, the laptop is decorated with subtle gold accents.

Other design-oriented features include different color choices, one side featuring an E Ink screen, and the addition of a shoulder strap (image).

To achieve its small size, the laptop uses flash memory in place of a standard hard drive. This addition also improves battery life up to 14 hours. Also included is wireless connectivity with options for cellular, Wi-Fi or WiMax networks, fingerprint reader, noise canceling technology, and more. "Price was not a concern" for the design.

Apple has been rumored to be entering the market with a flash-based laptop in the near future. Rumors have touched on the possibilities of an ultra thin model. Apple's recent patent applications have revealed that they are actively working on thinner/stronger enclosures for future laptop designs.

Now available via Software Update:

Security Update 2007-005 is recommended for all users and improves the security of the following components:

bind
CarbonCore
CoreGraphics
crontabs
fetchmail
file
iChat
mDNSResponder
PPP
ruby
screen
texinfo
VPN

Security Update 2007-004 has been incorporated into this security update.

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61798

Apple's diminuitive Mac Mini's days are numbered according to Appleinsider.

Whether Apple will squeeze another revision from the mini, and how long it plans to allow existing models to linger, are both unclear. But as the extended Memorial Day break dawns upon us, the point being driven should be clear:

Ladies and gentlemen, AppleInsider believes in all sincerity that the Mac mini is dead.

The Mini, which is the last of Apple's computers to use Intel's 32-bit Core Duo processors, has gone 260 days since its last update, more than 100 days over its average update span according to our Buyers Guide.

Much has been made over the past few days about IBM's unveiling of the POWER6 CPU. The CPU runs at 4.7 GHz per core, and IBM claims it doubles the speed of the POWER5 while using nearly the same amount of electricity to run and cool it. IBM also claims that the speed is also nearly three times faster than the latest Itanium processor made by Intel.

Such impressive specifications have lead some to question whether Apple made the right move by moving to Intel. It is important to note however, that the POWER6 is a mid to high-end server processor. Apple, Motorola, and IBM developed PowerPC from the POWER architecture to meet the desktop PC market. Apple used such chips in its systems, including the PowerPC 970 "G5", which was derived from IBM's POWER4.

POWER processors from IBM are utilized in markets that Apple has yet to venture into: mid to high-end servers. POWER gets most of its competition from Sun's UltraSPARC and Intel's Itanium rather than low to mid-range x86-based servers, which typically use Intel Xeon or AMD Opteron processors.

Additional Reading:
POWER Architecture
PowerPC Architecture
SPARC Architecture
IA-64, aka Intel Itanium

USA Today reports in the intense competition in the mobile phone industry. With 78% of U.S. household with a mobile phone, customer growth now relies on customer acquisition from other providers.

In this ongoing battle, the iPhone is a key player:

"I'm glad we have (the iPhone) in our bag," he says. "Others will try to match it, but for a period of time, they're going to be playing catch-up."

USA Today confirms that the iPhone is contractually bound to AT&T as an exclusive for a period of five years. Previous reports had varied, with one report claiming the deal as lasting through 2009 instead. Apple is also said to be prohibited from creating a CDMA version of the iPhone during this time.

Verizon had the first shot at the iPhone prior to the Cingular deal but was unwilling to concede to Apple's demands. Verizon has yet to admit that passing on the iPhone was a mistake:

Denny Strigl, Verizon's chief operating officer, decided to pass on the iPhone deal and says he has no regrets: "Time will tell" if he made the right call, he says.

But with the obvious interest in the iPhone, they are preparing "an answer" to the iPhone.

Given Apple's cultlike following, however, Verizon isn't taking any chances. Strigl says Verizon is already working with a manufacturer he declines to say which one on an answer to the iPhone. "We do have a very good response in the mill," he says. "You'll see that from us in the late summer."

BoyGeniusReport.com has posted screenshots from AT&T's accounting system revealing new account codes for three versions of iPhone sales:

- iPhone PostPaid
- iPhone PrePaid (Pay As You Go)
- iPhone Hybrid (Pick Your Plan)

"PostPaid" is the traditional 2 year contract sign up method that most cellular customers, while PrePaid and Hybrid represent different PrePaid (no contract) plans that Cingular currently offers.

Cingular details the plans on their site:

Pay As You Go
Pay As You Go is wireless made easy. Simply pay in advance for what you need. No long-term contracts, credit checks or surprise bills - just all the benefits of wireless, with no complications.

Pick Your Plan
Get the best of wireless without long-term contracts or unexpected bills. With Pick Your Plan, you establish monthly automatic payments for service and use the balance on your account for voice minutes or other features. It's that easy.

The benefits are clear -- no long term contracts. However, subscribers of these plans must purchase phones at full price, without benefit of subsidies.

As an example, the most expensive phone available on the Prepaid phones from Cingular at present is the Motorola RAZR V3 which would cost you $199.99 without annual contract. In contrast, the same phone when purchased with a 2-year contract plan is Free (after $50 rebate). The deep discount is due to a subsidy paid by Cingular to encourage customers to sign long term contracts.

What gets interesting now is that Apple's iPhone is rumored to have tossed this business model out by not allowing the phone to be subsidized. This remains an unconfirmed belief, but this means the $499/$599 iPhone costs should be the same with or without contract. Readers have speculated that this would mean that iPhones would only be sold with contract. The unrestricted sale of iPhones without contractual obligations would more easily allow users to buy and unlock their iPhones for use on other networks.

By offering this option, AT&T/Cingular could lose revenue from individuals who might otherwise commit to a 2 year obligation, but Cingular is said to be giving Apple a portion of revenue from subscribers. Since details of the revenue sharing are unknown, it's possible that non-contract sales/revenue may fall under different terms making the pre-paid (no contract) plans (paradoxically) more profitable for Cingular.

Alternatively, these accounting codes may not mean anything and simply included by default or mistake in their accounting system.

Apple has released a new iPod game (iTunes link) by Gameloft S.A. based on the TV show Lost.

Join your favorite castaways in their quest to seek the truth and survive in the official iPod game of the hit television series Lost. Help Jack search for dynamite, tend to the wounded, and avoid the black smoke. Relive the crash scene, open the hatch, and ultimately try your best to escape from the Others. Immerse yourself into their mysterious world with authentic settings and a genuine storyline created by the writers behind the hit show.

Digitimes reports that Intel will be slashing prices 40-60% on their Quad-core server processors including the Kentsfield Xeon and the Clovertown Xeon processors in late July:

The Kentsfield Xeon X3210 and X3220 will have their prices cut to US$224 and US$266 respectively, while prices for the Clovertown Xeon E5310, E5320, E5335, E5345, and X5355 will go down to US$209, US$256, US$316, US$455, and US$744 respectively, the sources said.

The motivation for the price cuts is to ramp up shipments and to counter competition from AMDs future server processors.

Absent from the list is the Clovertown Xeon X5365 (3.0GHz) chip which is currently used in Apple's 8-Core Mac Pro. The Xeon X5365, however, may not have made the list simply because it is still not generally available to the public. Apple was one of the early customers for the Quad-core 3.0GHz Xeon, and so it's unclear if the upcoming price cuts will have any effect on the price Apple is presently paying Intel for their 3.0GHz Clovertown Xeon processors.

Regardless, it's unlikely any price cut Apple would get would necessarily be passed on to 8-Core Mac Pro customers until the next Mac Pro hardware revision from Apple.

In the meanwhile, cheaper prices on the Quad-Core processors could interest motivated Mac Pro owners interested in swapping out their existing Dual-Core processors for Quad-Core replacements. It was demonstrated in September 2006 that existing Mac Pro designs could accommodate Woodcrest (Dual Core) to Clovertown (Quad Core) upgrades.

Think Secret believes that the iMac may be updated by late June, and echoes a previous report by Appleinsider that the revision would not include the 17" model.

While no technical details have been discovered regarding the next iMac revision, Appleinsider said in its previous report that the revision would showcase "striking new industrial designs aimed at leaving both competitors and onlookers smitten."

On a related note, Think Secret believes that Apple will soon update its display line to swap out the 23" display for the same 24" LCD used in the iMac.

When Apple announced the iPhone in January, they did so with a partnership with Cingular as their exclusive mobile phone service provider. Last year, AT&T acquired the remaining 40% of Cingular it had not already owned and over the past year, the company has been transitioning the Cingular brand towards the AT&T name.

International Herald Tribune notes that on Monday, AT&T has entered the final phase of their transition with changing the name of their retail stores to AT&T from Cingular.

Despite early photos of the iPhone carrying the Cingular name, the final devices will be branded under AT&T. AT&T will be using the iPhone launch as a marketing event to reinforce the new AT&T brand.

The iPhone is expected to be released in late June at both AT&T (formerly Cingular) retail stores as well as Apple Stores.

Engadget reported on the latest class-action lawsuit against Apple.

The lawsuit claims that Apple's laptop screens are not as good as advertised to be:

Citing observances that MacBook (Pro) displays are too often "grainy" and "sparkly", that Apple uses dithering to achieve higher color depths than is feasible for the equipment, and that apparently customers seeking repair or replacement were rebuffed, even "chastised" by rogue Geniuses, telling users they are "too picky about... the quality of the display."

Apple has been the target of a number of "class action" lawsuits in the past.