Apple iPhone: US release date announced

The US launch of Apple's eagerly awaited iPhone will take place on 29 June 2007.

An Apple spokesman told CNET.co.uk's sister site, silicon.com, the iPhone will be available in Europe in late 2007, while Asia will have to wait until 2008.

Apple announced the date via three television adverts in the US demonstrating the iPhone's touchscreen and its ability to display photos, play music via an onscreen iPod, surf the Web and show videos.

The iPhone also features a Google Maps mash-up so users can find the nearest restaurant. Speaking at the Google Developer Day in London, Ed Parsons, geospatial technologist at Google, said: "It's good to see the big guys like Apple are using our APIs."

The ads can be seen on Apple's Web site. The iPhone will be available via US network provider AT&T.

The iPhone will cost $499 for a 4GB model with a two-year service contract and $599 for an 8GB model with the same contract.

Apple's move into the mobile market has inevitably been accompanied by a great deal of hype. According to research from analyst house Strategy Analytics, 90 per cent of mobile users believe the iPhone will be better than the mobile they currently have -- despite never having got their hands on one.

But in the drive to get the iPhone out on time, Apple has been forced to delay the release of the next version of its OS, Leopard, until October.