Various sources are citing internal contacts at Cingular stating the iPhone will ship earlier than expected. At the Macword keynote, Steve Jobs gave June as the timetable for the official release, although sources say the iPhone release could come as early as April.

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Sources say FCC certification and approval is not delaying the release, but rather getting Cingular's backend to co-exist with the Mac OS X variant that runs on the iPhone. Prior to the announcement at MacWorld, the China Times reported that Taiwanese manufacturer Hon Hai will produce between 500,000-600,000 units per month starting in early CY07. No official confirmation, but it appears that perhaps Apple and Cingular could ship the iPhone as early as April.

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Thanks AppleInsider and ThinkSecret!