iPhone 3G at 'end of life'

An e-mail in circulation to Vodafone staff in Australia hints at the timing of the next iPhone, a source from the country contends. In particular the e-mail is said to be going out to retail workers, informing them that Vodafone's regional supplier -- Brightpoint -- has marked the 16GB iPhone as "end of life," along with the Nokia 6121. Both items have only a few weeks' worth of stock available, according to the memo.

Apple is known to allow inventories to dwindle as the launch of a new product approaches. The Vodafone note may thus suggest a late June or early July shipment of a next-generation iPhone, in contrast to some predictions which have argued that only the announcement will happen at that time. Most industry observers have anticipated a formal unveiling at WWDC on June 8th, followed by delivery a few weeks afterward.

by MacNN Staff