This post was written by Mary Joseff
When the new iPhone goes on sale Friday, Apple Inc. will also launch an online software store, called App Store, to peddle a potpourri of programs such as games, pedometers, tip calculators and language translators for the device. The company hopes that by enabling buyers to transform the phone into a personalized electronic Swiss Army knife of sorts, it can boost sales. The store is another way that Apple is changing the mobile market since the first version of the iPhone went on sale in June 2007. The new App Store will be the only retailer of Apple-sanctioned software programs for the iPhone family and the iPod Touch.
AT&T, the exclusive iPhone service provider in the U.S., says that the latest version of the iPhone will go on sale at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, July 11. The July 11 ship date had been set by Apple during Steve Jobs’ Worldwide Developers Conference keynote last month, but the exact time of the release was still up in the air. AT&T made the announcement amid detailing the pricing plans for the iPhone 3G. The early-morning release is something of a departure from recent high-profile Apple product launches.