Apple Store Sold Out Of iPhones, 3G On the Way?

Apple is out of iPhones in its online store, leading to speculation that Steve Jobs will announce that the updated 3G model is hitting the market at his keynote at its World Wide Developers Conference on June 9 in San Francisco.

Both the 8 GB and 16 GB models are currently out of stock, Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris told Bloomberg News, and Monday Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote in a report to clients that the updated iPhone launch was "imminent."

There are other indicators that the next-generation iPhone would be hitting early next month, like the June launch of the software development kit for the iPhone and AT&T's memo to employees that vacations were verboten between June 15 and July 15, as they were at the time of last year's iPhone launch.

Apple issued a press release on Tuesday announcing that Jobs would be giving an address at the World Wide Developer Conference on June 9, highlighting the conference's first-ever iPhone tract.

"The five-day WWDC event, which runs from June 9 to June 13, will feature the first ever iPhone track for mobile developers with in-depth sessions and hands-on labs to fully explore the capabilities of the OS X iPhone 2.0 software, including the iPhone SDK and the App Store, a breakthrough way for developers to wirelessly deliver their applications to iPhone and iPod touch users," Apple said.

Along with the much-anticipated launch of the 3G iPhone, capable of transmitting data at faster speeds than the current variety, Apple is issuing its iPhone 2.0 software next month which, among other things, will allow users to access Microsoft Exchange from their iPhones.

Apple had been criticized for the iPhone's lack of Exchange support because it limited its potential in the business market.

Steve Jobs announced the iPhone at MacWorld in 2007, and the product hit the streets last July.

In the U.S., wireless carrier AT&T has an exclusive contract with Apple and resellers cannot sell the iPhone.