As promised, Apple and AT&T will launch the iPhone this month—June 29, to be exact, so they can use up as much runway as possible without the appearance of a delay. That’s a Friday for anyone planning a campout. The companies announced the date Sunday night—I saw one of the ads on ESPN late in the Yankees-Red Sox game; others caught it on 60 Minutes. The ad demos the phone, showing how easy it is to use touch to turn it on and off, play music, check email, go vertical and horizontal, view pictures, read the New York Times (not sure what app is being used to show it off) advanced Safari browser that shows “any” web page as designed, and allows zooming), answer the phone. Apple has posted the ads. The one I saw is called “How to.” You can also take a series of QuickTours for various features.

SEE ALSO: iPhone Launch Ad Campaign To Be Handled By TBWA

—iPhone buyers will be required to sign a new two-year contract. Based on current Cingular/AT&T rules, this means anyone who has signed a two-year plan in the last 18-plus months won’t be eligible unless he or she adds a line or opens a new account.

Update: If you thought the hype was intense before this, you ain’t seen nothing yet. The likely main difference: less conjecture about launch features.
NYT: John Markoff has the prototypical anecdote of a potential customer seeing an onscreen demonstration and being surprised that it’s a cellphone, too.
One nugget:
—Apple CEO Steve Jobs may be willing to bend a bit when it comes to outside software. “A person briefed on Apple’s plans said that at its software developer conference this month, Apple intends to announce that it will make it possible for developers of small programs written for the Macintosh to easily convert them to run on the iPhone.” (For what it’s worth, the iPhone tour mentioned above includes a gleeful mention of widgets.)

—http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/03/ap3782959.html” title=“AP”>AP: “The combination cell phone, media player and wireless Web-surfing device will retail for $499 and $599, depending on configuration.”

Keep in mind: Great software will only go so far ... it can be the most wonderful touchscreen iPod in the world but none of the frills will matter if it isn’t a good phone. Only usage in real conditions will give us that answer.

James: This El Reg piece about why the iPhone isn’t going to get one percent of the mobile phone market makes some good points—not least that the iPhone should be compared to the smartphone market rather than the mass market, and 10 million is a whopping percentage of that. It also notes the difficulties of launching smartphones, noting that the first efforts by companies are almost always late and bug-ridden. Irrespective of whether the iPhone is any good; irrespective of the price or how many people buy it; if Apple gets the iPhone out on time and without any major bugs it would represent an incredible achievement.