Apple making final preperations to release iPhone in January

The number of Apple iPhone rumors that have existed for the last half-decade have hit an all-time high as more clues and speculation of an Apple-branded cellphone begin to make more sense. Now seems like the perfect time to release such a product for Apple, considering Apple’s crumbling relationship with Motorola and their recent slowdown of iPod sales.

Digg.com creator Kevin Rose apparently spilled some inside information on the latest Diggnation podcast about the upcoming iPhone. He wouldn’t give out too many details, but he did reveal a few specific specs, including: an official announcement at Macworld, a very small design, 4 GB and 8 GB flash memory models, a slide-out keyboard, a wide touch-screen, compatibility with all major carriers, and a revolutionary user interface. He wouldn’t discuss any more information about the iPhone on the show to protect his source, but he claims he has seen the phone (however not operating) and is positive the source is 100 percent reliable.

Other rumors include iChat video-conferencing on the phone, and tight integration with OS X 10.5 Leopard. The phone is also rumored to use an intuitive, mobile-version of Front Row for the phone’s interface interface. And according to Apple Insider, Apple has made deals with all major cellphone carriers in the United States, with the exception of T-Mobile.

Last week, Motorola released the linux-based ROKR E6 in China and is speculated to release the same phone in the United States soon and start ending their short relationship with Apple computer next month.

It was only a month ago when Motorola introduced the RAZR V3r, which dropped support for iTunes syncing and FairPlay-encoded music playing. The new ROKR E6 has replaced iTunes-only synchronizing with compatibility with basic MP3, WMA, RealPlayer audio, and etc. The release of the RAZR V3r was ultimately the beginning of the end for iTunes-integrated Motorola phones.

It wasn’t a secret that the Motorola/iTunes phones were horrible in their UI, price, and compatibility. The relationship between Apple and Motorola seems to be ending as more and more Motorola phones are dropping their support for iTunes integration and rumors of a 100 percent Apple phone are heating up. Even Apple’s investors are listening to the phone and iTV rumors as Apple’s stock has hit an all-time high.