Apple plans end of June US launch for iPhone

by Darren Davidson, Brand Republic 05-Jun-07, 09:00

LONDON - Apple's iPhone, one of the most eagerly awaited devices of modern times, will go on sale in the US on June 29.

The announcement ends months of speculation about when the iPhone, which combines the functions of phone, web browser, media player and PDA, would arrive on the market.

However, Apple has not given given any details about when the iPhone would be released in Europe.

The iPhone will be backed by an ad campaign that shows a user demonstrating the phone's most innovative features, such as the touchscreen that enables owners to activate the phone in a sliding motion and scroll through music files and emails.

The ad shows a user deciding if he fancies some calamari while watching 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. He uses the phone to look up a seafood restaurant in San Francisco on Google Maps, which he then phones in a series of seamless movements.

The TV campaign was created by TBWA\Chiat\Day, which won a brief to launch the phone last month following a pitch against sister Omnicom agency BBDO. TBWA\ has worked with Apple since 1997 and created all the ads for the iPod.

The iPhone will only be available on the AT&T network and comes in two versions -- $499 (£252) for the four gigabyte version and $599 for the eight gigabyte model.

Critics have pointed out that the AT&T network is not 3G and as such the speed of some of the functions will be slow.

Apple has said it wants to capture 1% of the phone market with the iPhone and has set a target of selling 10m phones by the end of next year.

Meanwhile, the ailing smartphone maker Palm has parachuted in Jon Rubinstein, former Apple head of software, to help the struggling company regain its momentum in light of fierce competition from the BlackBerry.

The move includes the sale of a 25% stake in the company to a private equity company, which includes U2 frontman Bono as one of its backers.