The iPhone has really been catching a lot of consumer attention and appears prime to take top dog status in the mobile phone industry. However, if these researchers are to be believed, it seems iPhone needs more than hype to scale to the top.

IDC and Market Insight Corp conducted a survey among 456 individuals and a whopping 60% have expressed their interest in the product. However, the price of the unit along with the cost of switching carriers is a major deterrent to those who wish to pick up the gadget.

The survey showed that only 10% of respondents were interested in paying full price and signing a two-year contract with AT&T, the only carrier currently slated to offer the device. With AT&T not offering a subsidy for the iPhone, the product is said to retail for US$ 499 (4GB model) or US$ 599 (8 GB model). The number jumped to 18% if the iPhone were priced under US$ 299.

As most would know, the carriers in the U.S. normally lock their subscribers into a two year contract with huge financial penalties for early termination. The survey showed that 17% of the respondents have declared their intent to pick up an iPhone if it were offered by their current mobile carrier. The director of mobility research at IDC Shiv K. Bakhshi, Ph.D. spoke about the findings and the common stand of the market regarding it.

While the allure of owning the next 'cool' device will undoubtedly have early adopters Â? and die-hard Apple fans Â? queuing up to get the iPhone regardless of the price, the associated costs of ownership will persuade many others into a 'wait and see' position. Despite all the hype, there is little clarity on Apple's (and AT&T's) service plans for the device. This lack of clarity could adversely impact consumers' purchase decisions.

So what does this say about the iPhone? Will it be relegated to hardcore Apple fans only or will it actually live up to the hype it has generated? Be sure to keep checking back here for the latest updates on the iPhone.

Apple has revealed that they will require those that purchase the iPhone have an active iTunes Store account in order to setup the the handheld device.

According to a MacWorld report, Apple has released an email to U.S. customers warning them that they should get an iTunes account. The email also included information on the iPhone's features. The email reveals that the iPhone will be able to get contact information from Address Book, Entourage, Outlook, Outlook Express, or Yahoo! Address Book, and grab schedule reminders from iCal, Entourage, or Outlook.

This warning of course, has led some to question why an iTunes registration is required. Some have speculated that perhaps Apple wants to ensure more security for data that can be passed from iTunes to the iPhone.

Other reports have noted concern that this iTunes requirement may cause problems for the first wave of iPhone purchasers as AT&T employees may not be fully aware of the requirement and thus could lead to setup troubles.

Others have also noted that this may just be Apple's way to expand iTunes' user base even further. Of course, its probably likely that those eager and willing to get the latest Apple gadget already have iTunes accounts.

It's not far from happening. The buzz is that AT&T is working in close collaboration with Apple to install IPTV capabilities for the Apple TV.

If this pushes through, then we just might find Apple TV fully supporting IPTV come 2008. There are still no details on this (and in fact there is no confirmation yet from the involved parties), but speculations are running that it just might be something like AT&T's U-verse TV service.

But if ever that does happen, it's interesting to see just how much breadth Apple TV will soon have over your home entertainment. Will it be strong enough to replace your cable/satellite service. Hmmm... Apple TV just might be the next step in the ever evolving home entertainment, then. We shall all soon see.

Keep it posted here for more updates.

Media conglomerate CNBC recently had a report concerning Apple's much awaited iPhone. All of their details are fairly accurate, from the AT&T exclusive deal to the documentation of the whole iPhone journey.

Then the bomb was dropped: iPhone will be released on June 20. We really got excited about the announcement until we heard CNBC's source. According to the announcer, they got it from a Cingular phone store employee.

We are all familiar with how things are around the gadgets and games industry: employees are always giving release date and info leaks here and there.

It should be remembered that it was only yesterday when we ran a report how it is very unlikely for Apple to showcase the iPhone at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference much more a June 20 release date.

Until we get more confirmation, were tagging this bit under our Rumors section. The Read link should take you to CNBC's official website where you can see the report's video version.

 

Okay, to avoid getting "lost in translation", here's the 10meters.com definition of what CDMA is (weird convoluted jargon, and explanation of why it is important included):

CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access got its start as a military technology, developed by the Allies in WWII. Much like data sent over the Internet, CDMA conversations are "spread" when sent, then reassembled upon arrival. The technology allows multiple calls to be carried over one channel. CDMA is the fastest-growing transmission technology and is basically the multiplexing platform for 3G. It is considered an efficient and secure technology, and it operates at lower power, which conserves batteries. CDMA carriers: Verizon, Sprint PCS. CDMA champion: Qualcomm. Estimated number of users: 67 million.

AT&T uses GSM; all of AT&T's major rivals, Verizon Wireless and Sprint, are both CDMA companies. This means that if you want to use the iPhone, you better be on AT&T and GSM.

A lot have said that the regardless of the "Appleness" of the new iPhone, the experience with the product will ultimately have to depend on the service it's on. So we ask you iPhone eager folks: Are you OK with being on AT&T exclusively? Let us know in the comments.

On a related note, some witty folks are now speculating that you may see a Verizon CDMA zunephone. (But how plausible is that one?)

Most if us are already familiar with the standard mobile phone deal where you sign a two-year subscription with a service provider and you get a nice handset with either a large discount or totally free of cost.

There were some rumors being passed around, however, that Apple's hyped-up iPhone just might carry some different options.

Instead of the usual post-paid service where you rack up bills and get charged at the end of the month, the Pay As You Go and Pick Your Plan options could soon be made available.

The pre-paid Pay As You Go option allows subscribers to purchase credits and use them up as they go without having to worry about exceeding budgets and hidden charges.

The Pick Your Plan option on the other hand, lets users choose their own monthly allowable credit set, where they pay a fixed bill at the end of each 30-day cycle. The only drawback is that the phone of their choice may not come free. As a matter of fact, users will have to pay for the handset's full price.

Click on Full Article to read more on this rumor, plus the source of it all.

The Apple corporation recently revealed through analyst Andy Neff how it's going to go about with the marketing strategy of its first mobile phone, the Apple iPhone. The word is that Apple will create some launch turf with 2,000 outlets retailing the device across strong Apple bases such as the US, the UK and Japan.

Neff says the plan issimple: Apple affirmed its goal of June release for iPhone and expressed confidence in meeting its target of 10 million unit shipments in 2008 given iPhone's superior user experience, which Apple referred to as 'transformational.'

The iPhone will make its debut less than a month from now, but some critics have already picked on the product, saying that Apple is making a mistake by jumping into a plane where big competitors like Nokia and Motorola already walk.

Apple, however, is undaunted. It has stressed time and again that the iPhone's features and ease of use will make it a competitive force in the mobile industry. Partnered with AT&T, Apple says it will succeed by bringing outlets within easy reach of consumers.

One way of doing this is by installing "stores within stores," that is, it will have outlets within Best Buy where Apple staff will be on hand to serve customers. This ensures not only competent sales personnel will be selling you the item, it also means the people will have a more direct link with the product's maker.

Right now it's a little early to tell whether Apple is on the money path with its gameplan. One thing's for sure, if anyone can pull this off, it's the masters of product innovation themselves.

When the iPhone hits next month, companies other than Apple might be able to ride on its popularity. According to reports from Reuters, executives at the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit said that it could also "draw consumer attention to other pricier, high-end handsets."

"One of the great advantages of iPhone for us is that it will heat up the music (phone) market," said Denny Strigl, chief operating officer at Verizon Communications Inc. "We're already seeing an interest in music on cell phones we didn't see just a quarter ago, and the gearing up the industry is doing in preparation for it."

Reuters notes that mobile phones that combine media management and playback features with the usual data and talk functions have been around for years, but their sales account for only a fraction of the market. One of the main reasons is the oftentimes high price tags of these phones.

At an estimated price of US$ 500 to US$ 600, the iPhone certainly fits this description, but consumers who want an all-in-one, multipurpose gadget may overlook that.

"People are not uncomfortable plopping down a couple of hundred bucks for a music player or an iPod (and) $100 for a voice phone or a PDA," said AT&T's group president for operations support, John Stankey. "If you think about what a customer invests to solve a problem...I might suggest that the price isn't as substantial as it might look."

Wireless carrier AT&T allegedly released an internal memo to its staff regarding critical information on iPhone and its launch this coming June. Basically, the company reiterated that employees will be given the proper training to help prepare for the release next month.

Quite interestingly, the document also mentioned that there is still no concrete date and employees shouldn't allow wait listings and/or pre-selling. The exact statements were:

• iPhone release date will be  sometime in June. The exact date has not been announced, specific dates should not be provided to customers.
• Sales for the iPhone will be on a first come, first served basis. No wait lists of names will be taken and NO pre-selling is allowed.
• Two models of the iPhone will be available, a 4GB will retail at US$ 499 and an 8GB will retail at $599. If asked what the price will be, answer that the prices have been announced as $499 for the 4G and $599 for the 8G, respectively.
• There should NOT be any additional speculation/discussion about pricing.
• AT&T will be the only wireless carrier in the U.S. launching the iPhone and will have exclusivity for the foreseeable future.

iPhone is obviously one of the most anticipated products by consumers because it really is a good innovation in the part of Apple. Aside from being your regular phone, iPhone is also a widescreen iPod with touch screen controls as well as an Internet communication device.

Now we're pretty skeptical about the claim, but it appears that a video brewing with "Mr. Notecards" and the almost intelligible mention of "iPhone" and "first" in the same sentence has appeared, so we decided to give it a chance.

Now you may not all remember the notecard shuffler, Stan Stigman, back when Steve Jobs first revealed the Apple iPhone, but he was apparently a 1970 West Texas A&M University graduate and handed over an iPhone to the current WTAMU president, Dr. J. Patrick O'Brien.

What was AT&T's Wireless' CEO doing in WTAMU, you ask? Well, he was marketing "the new Cingular" company, AT&T Wireless, over a commencement exercise for WTAMU's graduates for this year. In conclusion to his speech (which you can't hear very much of in 42 seconds of audio distortion), he gave Dr. O'Brien what appeared to be a phone, mentioning it was the "first ... iPhone in the state of Texas."