Here’s the story. A trustworthy source supplied us with an actual internal Apple email that went out to thousands of Apple employees earlier today (published after the break). The fact that this was an email sent within Apple’s internal email system to its employees is not in question. Let us reiterate: this was an ACTUAL email distributed within Apple’s internal email system to Apple employees.



As it turns out, the internal memo Apple employees received was actually retracted by Apple shortly after it was sent out. (Also published after the break.) We received confirmation from Apple PR that this initial email sent out to Apple employees was incorrect, and they let us know that the iPhone and Leopard are both still on track, and should meet their expected launch timeframes.



Presumably Apple is now on the hunt for whomever was able to spoof its internal email system.

You guy’s suck! Validate before you publish! I just lost $127K in about 7 minutes because you clowns spooked the street and Apple’s stock got nailed because of your BS article. YOu F***ers are liable!



You shills should go to jail for this. You should be responsible and check with Apple before you run garbage like this. You are a cheap freaking rag and cost folks billions of dollars with either your criminal behavior or negligence.

Respondents were asked to rate how likely they would be to choose different vendor brands for their next personal mobile phone. Unsurprisingly, Nokia came out as the clear leader, with almost half the respondents giving the vendor the highest rating and 84% saying they were more likely than not to consider it. Nokia was some way ahead of Sony Ericsson, which was followed closely by Samsung and then Motorola. Consumers’ ratings of Apple gave it a mid-table position, behind LG, but marginally ahead of well-known smart mobile device vendors like RIM, HP and Palm.



“Apple’s rating improves dramatically when you talk to existing iPod owners,” said Pete Cunningham, senior analyst at Canalys. “Almost half the respondents who owned an iPod rated Apple as more likely than not be considered for their next phone, compared to just 20% for those who didn’t have an iPod, and they were five times as likely to give Apple the highest rating. There is a lot of loyalty there that Apple can tap into.”

“[Americans haven't] had a lot of choice to go out and purchase these kind of higher-end, feature-rich multimedia devices. If that can help that market grow, I think that gives us an opportunity,” Simonson claimed.



The CFO was careful to note that his company’s reaction to the iPhone would likely involve mutual competition. Apple’s strategy would validate Nokia but would likely require some change in what Nokia offers. “Don’t get me wrong, they will bring some things to the table that we have to be responsive to,” he said. “But we have been investing in this area for some time.”

Prices for at least two of the $500-$600 devices have been driven past the $1,000 mark. One sale that closes today had 38 bids as of this morning. Last best offer: $1,025 plus $10 shipping. The seller is eBay member tommy2224, who has a 99% positive rating on the site with 99 previous transactions. He has not yet returned an e-mail request for clarification.



For those willing to “buy it now,” prices for a standard iPhone range from $2,300 t0 $5,399. One seller, gperks46 (also 99% positive), is offering a “14 Kart (sic) SolidGold” iPhone for 10 grand.

“I wish developing great products was as easy as writing a check,” Jobs said. “If so, then Microsoft would have great products.”



Jobs also pointed out the challenges Apple faces when entering the cellular phone market. He pointed out that in 2006 there were 135 million MP3 players and 200 million PCs sold. In contrast, during 2006 one billion cell phones were sold.



“We’re beginners and we have a lot to learn,” said Jobs. “The market is large and the opportunities are great. A few of us have been using the iPhone a lot and if you wanted it back, you would have to pry it from our dead hands.”



Jobs did acknowledge that the company is still struggling to decide if third-party developers will be able to create software that will run on the iPhone. It’s a decision Apple “is wrestling with,” according to Jobs.