The iPhone is possibly the most wanted cellphone since the mighty Blackberry, and sporting loads of features, including a mini OSX Operating System and devilish good looks, who wouldn't want one? We know that the iPhone doesn't have everything, but the sheer appeal of the phone, just like the iPod, makes everyone want one.

There has been rumor of an early release for the iPhone, but until now no solid dates have been revealed. Cingular is confirming that the release date will be June 11, and although this isn't coming from Steve Jobs' mouth, June 11 coincides with the first day of Apple's World Developers Conference.

We're still awaiting a response from Apple, but as soon as one comes in we'll have it ready. Any confirmation on this date would be helpful so we can get our pre-orders in!

  

Video games publisher Electronic Arts might not strike you as a one-stop shop for games and music, but thanks to a new deal with iTunes, the latter has now become a reality...besides the one-stop shop part. The deal between iTunes and EA which was published today means that gamers and music-lovers alike, will be able to access music from their favourite EA titles and purchase it from the iTunes store.

From Madden NFL and Burnout: Legends to Need for Speed, your favourite tracks are now available to download using the most popular legal music download store on the internet. The range of tracks is simply huge and you can get exclusive mixes, non-album cuts and previously unavailable international tracks from the store.

Today marks the world debut of the unforgettable version of The DoorsÂ? Riders on the Storm that Snoop Dogg remixed exclusively for Need for Speed Underground, just one example of how this deal will be beneficial to both gamers and music lovers. EA will continue to add songs, scores, themes, beats and ringtones from EA games from past and present so head over to the store if you like your games with a hint of stylish music.

Motherboard manufacturers in Taiwan have an aggressive increase in orders for high-capacitance multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) used in the manufacturing of CPUs allegedly for the use in an AMD-based Apple notebook. With Intel getting in on the Apple action, there's no reason why the other major CPU manufacturer in the world shouldn't get a piece of the warm Apple pie. AMD Taiwan have refused to comment on this.

Although some are saying that an AMD Apple notebook is in the works, other motherboard manufacturers have claimed that there are no AMD/Apple notebooks around, firstly due to Intel having processor superiority over AMD with its latest Core Duo 2 line-up, and that AMD has insufficient capacity to manufacture chips for Apple notebooks.

This is a nice area to look at, and with the success of Boot Camp and the integration Intel processors, and if AMD processor integration goes ahead, Apple computers may steal a lot more of the notebook market, taking even more people away from their Windows laptop loyalties.

Today, we reported that the 2nd generation iPod Shuffle is now shipping for a retail of US$ 79. If that wasn't tempting enough, we've got a gallery of pictures of the 2G iPod from pretty much every single angle and in it's beautiful packaging. Heaven on earth? Almost. The 2nd generation Shuffle comes with a storage capacity of at least 1GB and has a sleek almost clam-shell look. Coming in stunning silver, the 2G iPod could easily sneak itself onto a Star Trek set and not look out of the ordinary.

As we reporter earlier, retailers have adjusted their shipping estimates from November 25 to December 9, so expect yourself to be looking at the same love-filled silver package within this period if you want one. Oh, as the eagle-eyed amongst you would have probably noticed, the packaging that the second generation Shuffle comes in is the same as the nano, with the flaps lifting up to reveal the accessories, which include the dock, ear buds, and manuals. All you have to do now is look at the images and wait for yours to arrive.

It's a well-known fact that a lot of Mac users are graphic designers, and use a Mac because of its superior graphical quality and higher RAM storage for graphically intensive programs compared to an ordinary PC. But not all of us can afford the expensive range of flash manipulation applications on the market that can run into thousands of dollars. This is where FutureCandy Flash's Gordon Flash Decompiler v1.7 comes in. Gordon is a fully-functional flash decompiler that is capable of decompiling just about any SWF file you come across.

Gordon Flash Decompiler v1.7 is able to export both vector and raster images, as well as MP3 and AIFF sound files from both Flash SWF and Shockwave files. Gordon requires Mac OS 10.2.9 or newer, and is compatible with both Mac OS Panther and Tiger. Some flash developers have labelled Gordon 'the best Flash Decompiler available today', and for US$ 59, it'll save you a penny or two compared to other products. You can download a trial version below, but you will have to shell out the US$ 59 licence fee in order to export any resources or save any files you edit.

Download: [Gordon Flash Decompiler v1.7 trial version]

Some pretty concrete information on a sixth generation touchscreen iPod, supposedly coming in December, has emerged on the internet today. A journalist was said to have made contact with a well-informed executive 'close to Apple'. As usual, the informant's name cannot be revealed but it has been said that he is a member of the staff for a multinational company that produces iPod products. In this case, the name of the chap in question may not matter; what matters is what he said.

The exec says his company is working on a 6G iPod accessory that will come to the market shortly before the 6G iPod launch in December and will benefit hugely from the new portable media player's screen that will apparently fill the whole side of the device and offer much higher resolution video. He said that Apple were aiming for 480p content but couldn't guarantee it, only saying that it would definitely be of a much greater quality than what you can get on an iPod today. "This is why Jobs isnÂ?t afraid of the Zune," said the exec after explaining this. As long as the 6GB iPods stay away from Windows viruses, it be okay.

Apple programmers may arguably make some of the best software in the world. And lets face it, Macs are so much cooler than PCs, but the men behind Macs aren't the halo-bearing geniuses you think they are. Sure, they are geniuses and you can take Mac OS X as evidence for that, but they still have their own outbreaks of anger which we all experience, and it appears that some negligent programmers have implemented some non-standard code into the comments of their programs.

With web tools like Google's code search allowing you to search the source code for thousands of programs, you can now easily gain access to a lot of code samples from big companies and small developers alike. The sample above was taken from some kind of Apple Corp. program and obviously shows the programmer's anger in coding. Another programmer even made a dig at Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser in the middle of a function.

Some internet users are calling for this to stop, saying it's an outrage that programmers should be able to add lines like this in source code. The more light hearted users will probably find this very funny, as I for one laughed as I read the source code. However, after this blunder was exposed to the criticisms of the worldwide web, programmers might be a little more careful in the future. See the full code extract by clicking the link below.

If operating systems are your thing, it's time to start getting excited as Apple beta testers have themselves claimed that Mac OS X 10.4.8 is bug-free and very much ready for release. For those of you that aren't keeping track, the Mac OS X 10.4.8 Update will be the  eighth maintenance release issued to users of the operating system named 'Tiger' since its launch in April 2005. It has been said that Apple has addressed issues with Image RAW, ImageIO, ColorSync, Xsan, Xsan File Manager, CoreImage and web images in the latest update for both traditional and Intel-based Macs.

According to reports across the internet, the Mac OS X 10.4.8 will also introduce improvements to AFP, DVD Player, Graphics and Graphics applications, iCal, iPhoto, Mail, Microsoft Word & OpenType fonts, Modem usage, Networking, Printing, Safari and USB, as well as stability and performance updates. This latest release is also likely to include support for new lines of Core 2 Duo-based MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks that are due for release in November.

This comes quite at a funny time, two weeks after fcodc of Mac Recon said that he was going to stop using the .Mac service, Apple has released a preview of their new version of .Mac webmail. The first reason on fcodc's list of .Mac pet hates was the webmail simply because other providers such as Gmail give you 2+GB of FREE space with POP3 access. Through the use of their .Mac webmail preview website, Apple has promised that the new version of Macmail will use the latest web technology and that "It'll remind you of the Mail application on your desktop, with a simple and elegant interface, drag-and-drop capability, built-in Address Book." Here's a sneak preview of what you can expect to come your way with the next generation of .Mac webmail:

• A new look - Everything will be rebuilt to create a new interface, which is a little easier on the eye compared to the dated .Mac mail service that currently exists. Your mail folders will be placed next to the Inbox, and you will be able to read full messages and access your contact info without leaving the page
• Drag and Drop - The next generation of .Mac mail promises the ability to manage your Inbox easily through the use of dragging and dropping messages, just like you do on your desktop.
• Message pane - You can read whole emails in a pane located right below your message list, just like you would in a desktop Mail application.
• Smart Refreshes - This new system involves the mail system refreshing only the portion of the page that needs updating instead of reloading the entire page, reducing refresh times and saving you hassle.
• Quick Reply - Just like the "Quick Reply" boxes in forums, this feature will allow you to email the person that send you the message back without leaving your inbox.
• Built-in Address Book - Start typing a name and .Mac mail will display all your matching Address Book contacts and show them in the address field.

Other features such as keyboard shortcuts, message previews and message flagging will also be present in the new version which, as of yet, doesn't have a release date. We guess 'coming soon' is the best we can offer, and lets hope that Apple get to work on the 'soon' part.

Major airline Virgin Atlantic has eased its restrictions on laptops today, allowing both Dell and Apple laptops to be used on board as long as their serial numbers have been checked by a member of the in-flight cabin crew. This comes no more than a week after the airline banned the use of Dell and Apple laptops on their flights following the same kind of ban from Australian airline Qantas. The whole shenanigan started with faulty Sony batteries supplied to laptop manufacturers all over the world including Dell and Apple, some of whose laptops started to explode.

Virgin Atlantic has trained its cabin crew to check the laptop batteries, and Virgin Atlantic has said that if a battery is not on the recall list, then the laptop can be used without restriction. However, if the suspect laptop does in fact come fitted with one of the affected batteries, then it must be removed immediately. "In cabins where the seats are fitted with in-seat power supplies... Leads/adaptors will be offered," the airline said. "Any removed or spare batteries must be individually wrapped/protected and placed in your carry-on baggage. This is limited to two batteries per passenger."

Virgin says that the extra security measures will be lifted once the safety issues had been fully resolved. Watch this space; Qantas will probably be making the same changes to their policies too. If you are in any doubt about whether or not you will be able to use your laptop in-flight, we advise that you contact your airline before the flight.