Ever wonder when we'll ever see a 3G-compatible Apple iPhone? Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney thinks that we won't have to wait very long, and we won't be running out of stock soon either. Read more on what Ken Dulaney has to say about the iPhone's future, based on information he's received from certain Asian circles. All the information after the jump.

The battle of rhetorics rages on. Most recently, Microsoft's Asia-Pacific head of smartphone strategy Chris Sorenson told press in a recent visit to Australia that while Apple's iPhone is a "great music phone", it'll be irrelevant to business users because it's a "closed device" and "there's no support for Office documents."

"If you're an enterprise and want to roll out line of business applications, it's just not an option," said Sorenson. "Even using it as a heavy messaging device will be a challenge." Sorenson also added that with Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft is bringing "more of what you can do on a PC, onto the devices. Manufacturers can innovate heavily in their designs, but keep that consistent [Windows] look and feel."

Sorenson also believes that user familiarity with Windows Mobile's interface will help keep the iPhone off the corporate market. Microsoft is currently battling against the dominance of Nokia and RiM in the converged device market.

Good news, Apple fanpeople. According to BusinessWeek.com, Prudential Equity Group analyst Jesse Tortora upgraded computer and iPod maker Apple Inc. on Monday. This was due to predictions of an earlier-than-expected launch of both the company's new operating system and Adobe's Creative Suite 3.

Tortora expects Mac OS X Leopard and Creative Suite 3 to be released simultaneously at the end of March. This is about one or two months ahead of Wall Street expectations. While we've just posted a clarification regarding the launch of Adobe's CS3, an early appearance for Leopard will surely be a delight for Apple fans the world over.

Tortora also predicted that Apple will benefit from the launch of the iPhone. The device is slated for a June release in the U.S., followed by Europe in the fourth quarter and in Asia in early 2007. Tortora boosted the Cupertino-based company to "Overweight" from "Neutral Weight" and raised his price target to US$ 105 from US$ 100.

In the U.S.A., Cingular would be its exclusive distributor. In Canada, Rogers seems to have secured that exclusive contract which could equate to lotsa profits. Apparently, there has been no public statement made yet by either Rogers or Apple, but the communications giant has already been sending emails to customers. E-mails which contain the following:

• The iPhone will first be introduced in North America
• Cingular is the only wireless carrier to launch the iPhone in the United States
• Rogers is actively working with Apple to launch the iPhone in Canada as soon as possible and will be the exclusive provider of the iPhone in Canada
• Apple is planning to introduce the iPhone in Europe (Q4 2007) and Asia (2008)
• Please be advised that Rogers will be offering the iPhone exclusively in Canada
• Launch date and pricing for Canada are not yet available
• Other Canadian wireless carriers will not launch the iPhone, Rogers will be the only Canadian wireless carrier to offer the iPhone

Since Canada is part of North America, could it be that the iPhone will launch in Canada at the same time as in the U.S.A.? Well, we all know that Apple speculations are a dime a dozen. Anyway, there's no word yet on the iPhone's pricing in Canada or what kind of contract might Rogers have for the iPhone. Rest assured that we'll keep you posted about this matter.

The problem of piracy seems to be taking its toll in the Asian market as bigwig Apple avoids opening its iTunes store to the region. Apple only recently unveiled the movie section of the iTunes store, and Steve Jobs then told the audience that although it would only be accessible to US residents for now, they will definitely expand and take it international by 2007.
   
By international, he apparently meant anywhere BUT Asia. Fearing that piracy will, too, get the better of iTunes, Apple has blocked out most of Asia in its new movie offering, as well as its well-established music store.  Australia and Japan are the only two countries that have iTunes store, and from what it looks like, they pretty much complete the list for Asia and Oceania.

It's not surprising why Apple would be hesitant to launch iTunes here. It's actually understandable. The intellectual property laws in the Asian region cannot be said to be at par with the rest of the international standards. True, the individual governments have been stepping up their efforts in killing piracy, but still, the problem is apparent and persisting. Lack of political will, and budget, can be pinpointed as the cause for the fledgling political efforts from the region. Although most, if not all, of the nations have pledged for the extinction of piracy, there's much more to be done before it can be said that the efforts are more than just lip service.

If the Asian region doesn't clean up its act on this piracy issue, they just might find other companies sheltering their products and technology from the region. Now that would be most unfortunate, don't you think?

Would it be an exaggeration to say that iTunes built the legal music download world? Maybe not - after all, it has 85% of the digital music download market (which is way too much for the entertainment industry's comfort). Apple is the undisputed king of this world. And there are upstarts who want to revolt - Microsoft, Sony, SpiralFrog and a few other brave souls. But a Financial Times analyst reckons they're going to have a heck of a hard time scaling Fortress iTunes' walls.

What is the secret to the success - nay, dominance - of iTunes? The analyst chalks it up to rivals botching up their plans to compete with Apple, but more to key advantages Apple holds in the market.

• First, they've got network effects and technological lock-in on their side. People can share their iTunes-downloaded music with each other's iPods - there's the net. And Apple's digital rights management software (so far) allows this to happen - there's the tech. These two turn the iPod and iTunes into natural partners, feeding off each other's market advantages and popularity. The word for this is "synergy."

• Not one to rest on their laurels, Apple has diversified and segmented their captive market to squeeze out more profits and an even bigger share. There's the video iPod and downloadable videos from iTunes. There's the basic iPod, the Mini, the Shuffle, and the Nano. And there's all the marketing support the company has poured into the iPod, turning it into a style icon and a hot-buy item.

• And finally, perhaps the greatest advantage of all: it pays to be first, it pays to be ahead. History demonstrates that, once established, technology leaders are seldom overthrown by direct competition. No, to seize the throne, you've got to go for the jugular: the business model, the technology paradigm. In the case of Apple, the iPod-iTunes synergy.

Read on for the whole analysis on Fortress iTunes.

I've seen several iPod knockoffs, most notably from Asia. Some are pretty convincing in their look, though they oftentimes fall flat when it comes to features and just the overall construction of the players. Some, though were never meant to be seen by human eyes.

Engadget has posted a pic with a new line of them in Macau in Asia.

"It must be really great to live in Asia (Macau, to be exact) where you can get Apple's latest iPod -- like the iPod mini 2, pictured here -- literally months before it's announced. And for HK $950 (about US $120), no less."

Yeah, so ripping off an older line of iPods, I would imagine, isn't the greatest idea in the world. Still, some enterprising companies out there.