The iPhone 3G is days away from being released. The blogosphere has gone wild with speculation of some new releases and updates to product software. Here’s a round-up of the latest rumors and news:

1. The iPhone 3G is set to launch on July 11th at 8:00AM worldwide. That means that the iPhone will be released simultaneously around the world in 22 countries at 8:00AM (for each respective time zone). Rumors have suggested that the early store opening is in relationship to the prolonged in-store purchase time associated with the activation (in the US).

2. The iPhone v2.0 firmware is set to be released at the same time as the iPhone 3G on July 11th, with the possibility that it may be delivered in an iTunes 7.7 update.

3. The iTunes 7.7 update, which is necessary to run the iPhone 3G, should come out with these releases and enable iTunes users to make App store purchases and downloads through the iTunes store interface.

4. The .Mac platform will officially be switching over to the MobileMe platform of products on July 9th at 6:00 PM PST. This number reflects the initial start time of the platform’s deployment, and says that the update could finish at 12:00 AM PST.

5. Last, but not least… The Apple Online Store is down right now. Rumors are circulating about a new MacBook product or the possibility of a public opening of the App Store. We’ll probably see tomorrow morning.

Apple is continuing to surprise Windows users every year. Macs have begun to beat PCs for Windows driven applications. Following in this new tradition of actually beating out Windows PCs, the new MacBook Pro has just been awarded the “Best in Class” award from Maximum PC!

Maximum PC had a face off between the Dell’s XPS M1530 and Apple’s MacBook Pro. The Apple notebook was the “clear winner” and was rated a 9 out of 10. Maximum PC highlighted the Mac’s graphic processor, Intel core, battery life, and the thinness of the computer.

There were some things that bugged Maximum PC nonetheless: Screen doesn’t angle far enough; no slot for cellular modem; hard to open up. These are problems, but nothing that would stop someone from buying the MBP.

Check out the article here.

The American economy and market has been suffering for quite some time now. This economic stress has had a direct effect on the worldwide notebook share, decreasing by 6 percent in the first quarter of 2008. Meanwhile, frequently bucking the trend, Apple saw a 60 percent increase year over year, which placed the company in the top ten of computer companies.

A data company called DisplaySearch, placed Apple at 7th place among computer retailers like HP, Dell, and Acer.

Also of particular note were Apple’s 7 percent and Samsung’s 15 percent [quarterly] growth. Apple’s entry-level notebook starts at more than $1,000, while Samsung, at present, only sells notebooks in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and greater China.

While the majors continue to occupy the top ten, it’s encouraging to see Apple move forward. This move may point to investor optimism in this upcoming quarter. Look at one of our recent articles for more details on Apple’s perspective quarterly results.

In the month of April, Mac sales surged another 50 percent year over year. This was a huge leap compared to the broader market growth of about 17 percent year over year. Lehman Bros. forwarded analysis that points to Apple Inc.’s revenue growth at 46 percent. Alongside these staggering numbers was an impressive 15 percent leap in sales of iPod music players.

Shares of Apple (AAPL) closed up more than $2 to 185.90 during market hours. Third quarter earnings are due out July 22nd, 2008. Average estimates point to a $1.08 quarter in earnings.

MacRumors.com is forwarding a variety of news that speculates a MacBook revision to appear in the 3rd Quarter of this year. The news is originating from the Commercial Times, who is citing a research large purchase of flat-panel displays from AU Optronics and Chi Mei Optoelectronics.

Read the full article @: http://www.macrumors.com/2008/05
/15/apples-next-macbook-due-in-q3-2008/

What seemed like a drastic collapse of Apple (AAPL) stock at the beginning of the year, has turned into a necessary sale to get rid of extreme speculation. It seems overwhelmingly true that Apple’s strategies and product moves have been quite beneficial to their earnings and in turn, its investors.

Finally, now halfway into the year, Apple is returning to its previous highs and filling in the gap at $200. The question now is should investors speculate at this point by purchasing shares in AAPL?

Before doing that, it’s important to understand that the MacBook Air has a lot of potential. The device is far ahead of the curve, and many people are still getting used to the fact that a fully-functional laptop could be without a CD/DVD-ROM drive. Along with that, the lesser power (CPU), fewer device inputs, and large storage reduction don’t help its cause. On the other hand, the device could see heightened popularity when the general population understands the practicality of a lightweight, highly-portable, and fully-functional laptop. Wireless standards have a lot of room to grow, but as wireless internet continues to grow in popularity and the sharing of broadband connections around the states increases, the device will continue to see a niche demand.

We’ve just published an article regarding the 3G iPhone update that should come within the next couple of weeks. With this update, price reductions may occur alongside a greater demand for the faster, greater business-like phone.

Be careful about purchasing more AAPL at these levels, but with any sizable pullback, a purchase consideration should be made.

Dates for this year’s WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) have just been released. The conference, which consistently features new Apple products, will take place in San Francisco from June 9-13, 2008.

The update that came as an e-mail to developers today highlighted the iPhone and new Mac hardware such as the MacBook Air. The e-mail also has the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco splitting into two. What this may or may not mean will be plenty of nourishment for the rumor mill.