Today, Apple released a guided tour that shows all the ins and outs of the new iPhone 3G with version 2.0 firmware. From GPS to the App Store, the new iPhone is coming with a mighty upgrade.

iPhone 3G and V2.0 Firmware are to be released on July 11th, 2008.

Watch the guided tour here.

Sirius and XM Satellite Radio are fantastic platforms that offer wireless, satellite-based forms of radio. Unfortunately, the two companies haven’t prospered. They continue to suffer losses and subscription rate decreases. One of the major reasons has been the poor economy, but even more disruptive to these satellite companies has been the problem of user accessibility.

They have car receivers, home receivers, portable devices–You’d think they cover the whole gamut. But they haven’t really been successful at marketing their portable devices since they’ve been expensive, small storage capacity, and no universality between computer platforms (PC and Mac).

The iPhone has come along and made application development a booming tycoon of business opportunities. Fortunately for the satellite radio companies, a basic program was created to allow consumers to login to their satellite radio account (subscription required). From there, users can scroll through the entire list of satellite programming.

Download the program at: uSirius

iTunes 7.7 is only a few days from being released. A special pre-release version was seeded to developers tonight.

Use iTunes 7.7 to sync music, video, and more with iPhone 3G, and download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later. Also use the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home — a free download from the App Store. — Source

So, in a free app, Apple will be giving users the ability to control Macs, Apple TVs, iTunes, etc. with the touch screen of the iPod Touch and iPhone. Look forward to this app coming with the next update of the iPhone firmware.

The iPhone is due to make a large international debut in only a couple of weeks. Alongside the rapidly approaching release date, Apple has just finished the iPhone 2.0 firmware and it has reached a state of “Golden Master”.

Golden Master means that this is the final version before shipment of the product and that it is ready for release. There may be online updates to come, but once the Golden Master is set, it’s final. Speculation over when v2.0 firmware will be released is unclear, but the consensus would suggest a simultaneous release with the new iPhone 3G on July 11th.

The 1st generation iPhone was said to cost approximately $226 for Apple to make. Now, iSuppli, a supply analysis group, is estimating that the iPhone will ring in at $173–a savings of $53 per iPhone.

Not too long ago another product analysis group estimated the cost of the new iPhone to be $100 per unit, but new evidence by the trusted iSuppli group seems to discount this previous rumor.

Costs associated with 3G, GPS, and other expensive components and royalties have kept the iPhone expensive, but Apple has made incredible steps towards making the iPhone affordable to a greater audience.

iSuppli analysts are quite confident that Apple will be able to bring costs down to $148 per unit by 2009.

While there are always a flurry of companies that grab the iPhone and rip it apart to size up all the product’s insides, there’s a company that’s already speculating. Their speculation puts the previous iPhone’s cost at around $170 for Apple, but is estimating that with deeper discounts, they’re making the new 3G version for about $100.

The number is just a rough estimate based on what the parts thought to be used may cost the company (hence it being quite speculative). There’s been a great amount of chatter about whether Apple’s earnings can sustain another price cut to the line, especially when it started at $599. There’s also a new theory that because the iPhone’s new price point is so low, it potentially could cannibalize the company’s own earnings with iPods.

Those things could materialize, but the $199 new price point is like saying 0% APR for 6 Months–it sucks you in (grabbing the new buyers that couldn’t spare $599), but it’s not like it’s free or cheap. AT&T still will be charging about $60 per month for the iPhone plan with data. It allows the regular iPod lines to continue to flourish. Then, the increased international exposure of the iPhone could increase general Mac hardware sales, a theory that would lead to major gains in Apple stock.

A recent article from TUAW has suggested that Apple should expect to “sell a boatload” of new iPhones with the combining price point and popularity. Less than a month until the new iPhone 3G is released, and it seems like it will be the most popular release yet.

A few years back, Starbucks founder and CEO Howard Schultz sat in on one of Steve Jobs’ keynote speeches, presaging a vital computer/caffeine partnership. It wasn’t long before those little iTunes download cards starting showing up on the Starbucks counter, and iTunes was featuring a specially designated iTunes + Starbucks feature. iTunes cards often feature music of the month and the download cards are for a full album. It’s saved a vast amount of space and made the search for music an entirely different experience. The larger the selection of iTunes cards, the more Starbucks will seem less like a coffee shop and more like a record store of the past. But that’s not the end of the story; it becomes even further intertwined when a third party comes into the mix.

Around the time of the launch of the first generation iPhone, Apple decided upon AT&T to provide wireless service. It was highly publicized that Apple was looking for a company that would allow them to get royalties off monthly cell phone payments on the iPhone. As we all know, Apple priced the iPhone at $599, with no savings by signing on for two years. Without a doubt, Verizon Wireless missed the boat here when they declined the opportunity to work with Apple, citing that they could make a phone of their own, without having to pay third party royalties. And so it evolved that Apple and AT&T teamed up to provide service for the iPhone.

Perspective consumers were dismayed when discovering that the device would be running on AT&T’s slower “EDGE” network, known for having notoriously abysmal data service. Add into the equation that 3G technology was already working and delivering close to Wi-Fi speeds. In preparation for the major launch of the original iPhone, AT&T prepared their EDGE network lines and markedly boosted speeds. Without a doubt, these preparations were all tailored for the iPhone.

Eventually, AT&T’s CEO (and rumors around the blogosphere) acknowledged the development of Apple’s next iPhone: the iPhone 3G. AT&T delivered again, by upgrading the EDGE network to 3G. Apple was now ready to release the iPhone 3G on the network.

Right before the announcement of the new iPhone 3G on June 9th, Starbucks was in hot water with T-Mobile, which initiated a lawsuit as a result of Starbucks’ sudden jilting of T-Mobile, in preference for AT&T. Starbucks was preparing to have iPhone/iPod Touch + Starbucks content and music ready for their Wi-Fi consumers. And who does Schultz choose for cafe wireless? None other than AT&T. The new AT&T wireless internet at Starbucks allows 2 hours of free internet when connected to a Starbucks Rewards registered card account. Registration is free, and has made a trip to Starbucks even more appealing.

There have already been a number of rumors about iPhone users receiving unlimited free Wi-Fi service inside every Starbucks. Now more than ever, the probability of the two products working in tandem seems a given. Apple, AT&T, and Starbucks are collaborating so closely these days that one can envision these three companies developing an even closer partnership to serve their niche consumers.

In Apple’s WWDC 2008 Keynote speech by Steve Jobs, he mentioned that Apple had sold out of iPhones–selling 6 million total. Immensely successful and potentially another great story for Apple. But there’s a downside for investors.

The downside in all of this iPhone news for investors is the simple fact that Apple hasn’t/won’t be selling the iPhone for close to two months by the time it finally releases iPhone 3G. I’m ready for it and most everybody I know is excited about the new $199 price point for the 8 GB model. But that won’t help investors in the latest quarter.

Apple is set to release this quarter’s earnings on July 21st, 2008. This will allow an initial number of iPhone 3G sales to be mentioned in the quarter. Without a doubt that should be a positive catalyst for Apple stock. But once again, Apple hasn’t been selling the iPhone for about two months by that point.

What does that mean for Apple’s quarter? Will we see record numbers once again? This all seems very uncertain and up in the air as of right now. Not to mention that Jobs’ health has continued to put pressure on Apple stock as of recently.