Despite the fact that Apple has stated that its long-awaited iPhone will hit the shelves in June, that’s as specific as the company could be. An internal AT&T e-mail sent to all corporate AT&T employees published over at The Boy Genius Report states that the Apple iPhone launch will take place on June 15th and run until July 15th.
During this time, AT&T won’t approve employee vacations during this time frame, the company citing that this will be “the biggest selling period we have seen in a few years.” In spite of high expected sales, Apple has dictated the terms of the launch via an iron-clad contract which AT&T is probably working to ensure is followed to the letter.
For your consideration, the e-mail:
To: All Company Owned Retail Employees
From: [Name removed]
Subject: iPhone Launch Period
Date: May 4, 2007
As previously announced, Apple and AT&T will soon debut the iPhone,
which combines a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and
breakthrough internet communications into one small and lightweight
handheld device. The new AT&T has a multiyear, exclusive agreement to
provide U.S. service for the iPhone.
To ensure proper staffing during the product launch period, Sales personnel
planning to take approved time off are encouraged to schedule their
vacations before June 15 or after July 15 to participate in the iPhone
launch.
Previously approved vacation will be allowed where voluntary rescheduling
is not feasible
No additional vacation requests will be approved during the launch period
(6/15 – 7/15).
I want to thank you in advance for your understanding as this is likely to
be the biggest selling period we have seen in a few years.
Happy Selling,
[Name removed]
Details as to the launch date are unconfirmed at this time. If you have any thoughts or ideas, please let us know.

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Following up on last week’s news that Apple is looking to feature LED backlighting technology in its products, a DigiTimes story has stated that component manfacturers AU Optronics, Chi Mei Optoelectronics, Coretronic and Kenmos Technology.
Sources stated that AU Optronics and Chi Mei Optoelectronics will send samples of their 13.3″ and 15.4″ panels to Apple in order to certify the parts for certification. Shipments will officially commence in the second or third quarter of this year. Backlight manufacturers Coretronic and Kenmos Technology are also slated to send samples of their products to Apple around this time frame.
Although the companies refused to comment at this time, sources have stated that AU Optronics and Chi Mei Optoelectronics will enter volume production for LED-based LCD modules in the second and third quarters while Coretronics’ LED-based backlight units will be applied to the panels made by AU Optronics and Chi Mei Optoelectronics.
No details have arisen as to when customers could begin to expect an LED-backlit system from Apple.

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An animated GIF file present in a recent AT&T newsletter e-mail has brought to light some minor changes that have been made to Apple’s upcoming iPhone since its introduction at the January Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
In the lower left hand corner, a double-arrow button is now present. This has been considered as a toggle for zoom functions, although its intended purpose has yet to be revealed.
A new icon in the lower right hand section of the screen is shaped like a car. Appl has discussed how it will provide traffic data and the Google Maps web site currently uses a car-shaped icon to pull up current traffic conditions for assorted U.S. cities.
Finally, the “Cingular” logo present on previously viewed versions of the iPhone have been replaced with an “AT&T” logo. Although Cingular and A&T are still functioning as two separate entities despite last year’s merger, the long-term plan is to operate solely as AT&T.
To see the animated GIF, click over to the MacNN article.

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On Friday, Magma began shipping its ExpressBox1 product, an external PCI breakout box for laptops including the MacBook Pro.
The device boasts 2,000 Mbps data transfer rates and attaches to the MacBook Pro via an ExpressCard/34 connection and PCI Express cable. This allows the MacBook Pro to access higher-end video cards than the one that currently ships with it. Magma’s unit accommodates both 6.6″ half-length cards as well as 12.283″ full-length cards, the units selling for US$730 and US$750, respectively. According to MacNN, Magma has stated that the company will support “double-wide” GPU cards in a future generation of the ExpressBox1 to be released later this year.
If you’ve tried the ExpressBox or a similar device with your MacBook Pro, let us know.

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SpamSieve, Michael Tsai’s pretty-near-essential e-mail filtering utility, has just been updated to version 2.6.2.
The new version, a 3.9 megabyte download, adds the following changes and fixes:
-Made changes to prevent a crash on Mac OS X 10.4.9 when quitting in response to a mail program quitting.
-Slight changes for better accuracy.
-Fixed regression where the Import Addresses… command didn’t always work for text files in the default encoding.
-Blocklist and whitelist rules that use Body (any text part) can now match text from the headers of bounced messages (which e-mail clients often display as part of the message body).
-The Software Update feature now checks whether the updated version can run on your installed version of Mac OS X.
-Better logging of messages that don’t have a sender.
-Fixed a threading bug.
-Made an optimization to the Apple Mail plug-in.
-Adjusted the setup instructions for Apple Mail to avoid problem with the Previous Recipients list.
-Modernized the crash reporter code.
-Updated the French and German localizations.
The program retails for a US$30.00 shareware registration fee and provides a 30 day trial period with which the test it. Spamsieve is currently compatible with Apple Mail, Emailer, Eudora, Entourage, GyazMail, Mailsmith, Outlook Express, PowerMail, or Thunderbird and requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later to run.
If you’ve tried the new version and noticed any major changes, let us know.

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On Friday, German technology firm Nova Media announced the GlobeSurfer ICON 7.2 Ready, a USB modem for Mac desktops and laptops.
The GlobeSurfer ICON 7.2 Ready boasts support for HSDPA and 3GUMTS data connections with speeds up to 7.2 Mbps as well as EDGE and GRPS support according to MacNN. The unit will also include launch2net, a collection of scripts that allow for easy creation of mobile Internet connections for a wide number of providers.
The modem requires Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later to run and will ship in late May for US$410.00.

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The guys over at The Unofficial Apple Weblog have pointed out yet another pretty cool thing. The iWay is a small device that connects an SD card to an iPod and allows its images to be displayed on the iPod’s screen. Pretty cool idea and the iPod’s screen tends to be brighter and clearer on average than that found on a digital camera.
The iWay retails for US$69.95 and is available in black and white. Certain specifications must be met and the iWay currently only functions with the 30, 60 and 80 gigabyte iPod Video units.
If you’ve tried one of these or a similar device, let us know.

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On Thursday, Rhinoskin announced its new Universal Aluminum HardCase laptop carrying cases.
The case itself includes a series of mechanisms that restrain the laptop’s movement when the unit is opened or closed and according to MacNN, both hold the laptop in place as well as permit airflow to allow for ventilation. Users can choose between opening the HardCase’s cover and locking the screen in place or folding the case over to turn it into a laptop stand. The case also features retractable handles that can be used to carry the laptop and a shoulder strap with an accessory pack built in which can hold a power supply.
Pricing for the HardCase has yet to be announced and Rhino Skin has yet to update its web site with information pertaining to the product.
Further details to be posted as they become available.

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In the “Hey, that could be useful” category, Findley Designs has released iPod Access Photo a cross-platform shareware utility designed to recover photos from an iPod.
The program, a 5.4 megabyte download, allows users to select either individual photos or entire albums stored on the iPod, isolating the photo images by locating files tagged with “.ithmb” extensions according to Macworld News. iPod Access Photo then attempts to recover the highest resolution image available as well as the standard resolution image and then copy it to the computer in a format most image editing software can read.
iPod Access Photo retails for a US$12.99 shareware registration fee and requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher and iPod software version 1.2 or later to run. The program is coded as a Universal Binary and runs at native speeds on both PowerPC and Intel-based hardware.
If you’ve tried this program and have either positive or negative feedback, let us know.

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A recently released report by the Danish National Consumer Agency cites what it considers to be an unacknowledged error with the iBook G4 laptop. According to a story on forbrug.dk, a specific design defect has been discovered on the iBook G4. The report claims that despite multiple user claims of the problem, Apple refused to acknowledge the fault and take back the laptops given that the complimentary year’s warranty had expired at that point.
The defect cited states that in just over one year’s use, users will find themselves in a position where the power turns off and the screen goes blank. Denmark’s Consumer Complaints Board, having decided that Danish consumers should be able to return laptops with this unit, were able to discover the following facts, as cited in the report:
-Certain users experiencing the problem sometimes resolved it by attaching a clamp to the left front side of their iBook G4 while others nudged cardboard shims in place to allow the laptop to reboot.
-In independent testing, a solder joint between components proved to be broken. This joint gradually loosens every time the computer is turned on and off.
-During testing, when the iBook G4 had been turned on and off a sufficient number of times, the solder joint had broken completely loose and resulted in a blank screen. Jury-rigged solutions such as pressing the components together with a clamp or inserting cardboard shims reconnected the contacts and allowed the computer to boot again.
Photos of the process can be found here, albeit commentary remains in Danish.
Delta, the independent electronics laboratory that performed the testing, cited visual analysis, stereo microscopy, scanning acoustic microscopy and x-ray microscopy as the means used during testing procedures. Individual suspect components were cut out of the logic board and further examined in order to look over the components via microscopy.
If you’ve seen this problem on your end or found a new workaround for the issue, let us know.

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