Apple has just announced from the iPad 3 event that their popular voice assistant, Siri, will be making its way to customers in Japan. It will be part of iOS 5.1 which will be available starting today. Siri will be rolled out in Japan over the next few weeks.

Siri is currently available in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and France. This aligns with Apple's plan to roll out Siri to even more countries during 2012.

iPads equipped with 4G are showing up in Apple's inventory ahead of the iPad 3 event according to a 9to5Mac source. This would mean that 4G would not only be for US models, but for international models as well. This lines up with our recent prediction that the iPad 3 would indeed be equipped with LTE.

The 4G equipped variants are showing up in Apple's system as the following -

> MD369LL/A – IPAD WI-FI 4G 16GBLACK – USA.

If this is the lower model, it would also debunk the rumor of Apple releasing an 8GB iPad. That didn't seem likely , anyways , nor did the rumor that they may do away with the 64GB model. If the screen gets an overhaul like we expect, consumers are going to want that storage for high definition content more than ever.

Source: 9to5Mac

With up to 38 different 4G LTE frequency combinations at play around the world, Apple would need to offer more than one iPad 3 model in order to support North America as well as Europe, Asia, and Australia

Following not only rumors by nearly every tech blog out there, but sources for both iMore and The Wall Street Journal are saying that the next version of the iPad will almost certainly come in an 4G LTE option. The Wall Street Journal says AT&T and Verizon are sure things, but what about everyone else? Not only is LTE up-and-comer Sprint not mentioned, but neither are carriers in Canada, the UK, or anywhere else in the world. Let's dig in a little to discuss if it would be worth Apple's while to make an iPad to work internationally.

LTE is a standard that is being used around the world, starting with TeliaSonera in Sweden and Norway back in 2009. In the US, you have AT&T, Verizon and even MetroPCS with various states of active LTE networks. In fact, there are over 30 countries that have commercial LTE service available, so pushing the standard into the iPad sounds like a no-brainer. That is, until you consider the frequencies used. Unlike GSM which used exclusively the 800, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz bands around the world, LTE is being used in nearly every band available. In North America, the 700 and 1700 MHz bands are the main bands for LTE, but 800, 1900, 2500 and possibly even 1500 MHz are in play. Add in the rest of the world, with 900, 1800 and 2600 MHZ, and you have the potential for up to nine bands that the radio chipset would have to support. Complicating matters even more, even in similar frequencies, there are multiple chunks of spectrum that don't overlap. For example, Verizon uses 746-787 MHz, while AT&T uses 704-746 MHz. While close, these different blocks have different equipment needed due to radio propagation and interference issues. Extrapolate this across the world, and we're now encompassing 38 different frequency combinations around the globe.

Now, a multi-band phone can only do so much. Look at the devices we have now, which include the bands for GSM on 800/900/1800/1900 MHz, and usually only three similar bands for 3G. If Apple is to make the LTE enabled versions available all over the world, a nine band LTE radio is not possible. Keep in mind that Verizon has essentially said that single band LTE devices are all they're going to be rolling out in the near future.

So going back to the question, is it worth Apple's while to make an iPad to work around the world? No, because they can't do it with just one device. However, it is worth it to make multiple devices. One will support the 700 and 1700 MHz bands in North America, and one for the 800, 1800 and 2600 MHz bands for Europe, Asia and Australia. At this time, the 900, 1500, 1900 and 2500MHz bands are outliers, and though will some day be used, aren't necessary for a successful international launch. Remember T-Mobile here in the states? Apple seems to be doing just fine without supporting their 1700 AWS spectrum.

I think the initial iterations of an LTE iPad are going to be similar to the iPhone 4 strategy. Recall the Verizon version shipped months after the AT&T/GSM version and only worked on the 800 and 1900 MHz bands for CDMA here in the US. Meanwhile, an international version worked on GSM and HSPA networks around the rest of the world. I expect the initial version to be rolled out for North America, launching in the US and Canada right away. Then a version with support for the most widely used blocks and bands for other parts of the world in the coming months.

Mickey Papillon host The Cell Phone Junkie Podcast and is a frequent contributor to Mobile Nations. Follow him @TCPJ_Mickey.

Just like [iTunes Match], iTunes TV Shows in the Cloud seem to be rolling out internationally. TV Shows in the Cloud, part of Apple's iCloud service, allows users to re-download previously purchased TV Show content to iTunes on Mac or Windows, or iOS devices including iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV.

If you're outside the U.S. and you're getting your first fix of iTunes TV Shows in the Cloud, let us know where and how it's working for you!

iTunes Match seems to be going live internationally right now -- and for real this time, not like yesterday. International iTunes users are now once again getting the sign up page for the iTunes Match. Folks in Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Australia, France, New Zealand and various other regions are reporting successful signs ups for the service.

Not everyone has been successful though. If you're having trouble:

1. Make sure you've updated to iTunes 10.5.2
2. Restart iTunes
3. Haven't already activated 10 devices (PCs and/or iOS) on the same iTunes in the Cloud account.
4. Jump into our iTunes Match Forum for trouble-shooting help.

It does seem as though the system is a little bit overloaded right now. But let us know when -- and where -- you successfully get yourself up and running, and how long iTunes Match says it's going to take to process your library.

Last week an iTunes TV show menu suddenly started showing up on international Apple TVs, didn't work, and subsequently disappeared. This week iTunes Match suddenly started showing up for international iTunes users, didn't work, and Apple subsequently offered refunds to those who'd tried to purchase it.

So, we'd suggest waiting until a) Apple makes an official announcement about iTunes Match in your country, or b) significant reports come in of it actually working, before c) you give them any money for it.

Whether or not Apple is planning to officially launch iTunes TV shows and iTunes Match in more regions and someone accidentally lent on the big red "launch" lever at iCloud central a tad early -- twice -- or there's some stranger problem going on is uncertain.

International licensing agreements are complex. Cloud services are complex. But false starts and pull backs seem decidedly un-Apple-like.

Here's hoping iTunes gets their international launches back in order, and officially out the door, asap. If you saw either the here-today-gone-tomorrow TV show menu on Apple TV, or tried and failed to buy iTunes Match outside the US and Brazil, let us know in the comments below.

On December 16, Apple will continue the international roll out of the iPhone 4S, launching it in Russia, Brazil, Taiwan, South Africa, the Philippines, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

Apple took over 1 million pre-orders in the first 24 hours in the initial 7 countries where the iPhone 4S launched, and sold through over 4 million sales during the opening weekend.

Although Apple hasn't put forward any official press release about continuing with the 4S international rollout, carrier partners such as Claro (Brazil) and Russian retailers like Digital.ru have announced the 16th as the magic date with pre-orders already being accepted.

Are you pre-ordering an international iPhone 4S, or picking one up on the 16th? If you’re having trouble deciding which generation, color, or capacity to get, we have a complete iPhone 4S buyers guide ready and waiting. Check it out and then come back and tell us which one you're getting!

Source: MacRumors

Apple is set to launch the iPhone 4S in 22 additional countries today, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Apple took over 1 million pre-orders in the first 24 hours in the initial 7 countries where the iPhone 4S launched, and sold through over 4 million sales during the opening weekend before opening up international pre-orders.

Will you be picking up an international iPhone 4S today? If you’re having trouble deciding which generation, color, or capacity to get, we have a massive iPhone 4S buyers guide ready and waiting, and our complete iPhone 4S review to give you the full picture.

Check it out and then come back and tell us which one you ordered!

The iPhone 4S is now available for pre-order in 22 additional countries, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Shipping times are listed at 1-2 weeks.

Apple had over 1 million pre-orders within the first 24 hours in the original 7 launch countries on October 7, and and over 4 million in total sales during the launch weekend starting October 14.

Are you pre-ordering an international iPhone 4S? If you're having trouble deciding which generation, color, or capacity to get, we have a complete iPhone 4S buyers guide ready and waiting. Check it out and then come back and tell us which one you ordered!

Source: MacStories

Asymco has put up some interesting metrics showing how the most recent 20 million iPhone sales quarter can be broken up between AT&T, Verizon, and "other" -- aka international carriers. Not surprisingly, especially in light of Apple's Q3 earnings, international is huge.

Verizon did contribute (4.5 million Verizon iPhone users is nothing to sneeze at) but the contribution was to a degree that was nowhere near a big bang.

That was because the real big bang was from the rest of the world.

These numbers are particularly impressive considering fewer international markets have access to music, movies, TV shows, books, and apps/games, though the latter of those is changing rapidly. Imagine when they catch up?

[Asymco]

Apple has sent out a note to developers telling them they can now peddle their iTunes App Store wares in an additional 33 countries, namely:

Algeria, 
Angola, 
Anguilla, 
Antigua and Barbuda, 
Azerbaijan, 
Bahamas
, Bahrain, 
Barbados, 
Belarus, 
Belize, 
Bermuda, 
Bolivia, 
British Virgin Islands, 
Brunei
, Cayman Islands, 
Cyprus, 
Dominica, 
Ghana, 
Grenada
, Guyana
, Iceland, 
Montserrat, 
Nigeria, 
Oman
, St. Kitts and Nevis, 
St. Lucia
, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, 
Suriname, 
Tanzania, 
Trinidad and Tobago
, Turks and Caicos, 
Uzbekistan, 
Yemen

I believe Apple previously announced the App Store in 90 countries, so this would make 123. It will be interesting to see what type of app availability (especially games, which still aren't available in some existing countries due to local ratings and content rules). It will also be interesting to see, in light of how much money Apple is making internationally, whether any of their competitors will start raising their own outside-the-US-of-A games.

AT&T has announced new international data roaming packages, and while they aren't great, they are better than what's been available before. Here's the spin:

“Mobile data is a huge part of our customers’ wireless experience—whether they are in the United States or traveling around the globe,” said Bill Hague, executive vice president of International, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “We’ve long offered more phones that can be used internationally than our competitors, and now we’re delivering industry-leading value with redesigned international data packages.”

And here are the rates:

• 50MB package for $24.99/month compared to the current 20MB package for $24.99/month
• 125MB package for $49.99/month compared to the current 50MB package for $59.99/month
• 275MB package for $99.99/month compared to the current 100MB package for $119.99/month
• 800MB package for $199.99/month compared to the current 200MB package for $199.99/month

Of course, if you use the 800MB plan more than 3 times, you've spent as much as an unlocked iPhone direct from Apple...

[AT&T via WPCentral]

Travelers to Madrid, Spain can now rent an iPad 3G from PadInTheCity during their visit. In addition to the iPad, the rental includes unlimited 3G data, a case and charger, and the iPad is loaded with 29 travel and business related apps.

The rental costs €39 ($55) per day and the process is very simple. Booking and payment takes place on PadInTheCity's website and they will hand deliver the iPad to you when you arrive at your hotel (or at any location you prefer). You will be expected to sign a renter's contract and provide legal identification as well as a credit card that will have a €500 ($708) hold placed on it. At the end of your trip, PadInTheCity will pick-up the iPad and remove the hold on your credit card.

This is a fantastic option for travelers, possibly even for international ones who own a 3G iPad but don't want to pay international rates.

Would you like to see iPad rentals in your next vacation spot?

[PadInTheCity via appadvice]

It's iPad 2 launch day in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK! (Phew!) That means our international readers (and editors and writers!) will start hitting store.apple.com at the wee hours of the morning to order online (1am GMT, we're waiting to see if it's 1am EDT or PDT here in Canada), and others will start lining up at local Apple Stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers at 5pm local time to pick an iPad 2 up live and in person. And TiPb is going to be there with you!

Not sure yet if you want to get an iPad 2?

• iPad 2 buyers guide
• Should you upgrade from the original iPad to iPad 2?

Once you've made your decision, let us know how your order goes in the comments below -- which one you got and when Apple says it will arrive, and then head on over to the iPad Forum and help us track shipments and deliveries.

Likewise, if you're standing in line let us know where and drop a picture in official iPad 2 launch line thread on the iPad Forum.

And if you want to win a BodyGuardz protective skin for either your new iPad 2 or original iPad, head on over to our iPad Forums and help George Lim name his iPad 2!

Good day and good luck!

Apple has announced they will delay the launch of the iPad 2 in Japan in light of the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that hit the island last week, devastating large parts of the country.

"We are delaying the launch of the iPad 2 in Japan while the country and our teams focus on recovering from the recent disaster," said Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris.

Apple had originally planned to include Japan in the iPad 2 international rollout on March 25th and have yet to announce a rescheduled Japanese launch. This comes after iTunes began accepting relief donations and Apple Retail Japan provided shelter for victims of the tragedy.

[Reuters]

iPhone users on AT&T received an email filled with tips on how to manage usage and save money while traveling internationally. With access to email, Visual Voicemail, safari and data using applications, it doesn't take much to rack up a very expensive bill while abroad. Instead of surprising you with a giant bill, AT&T has decided to give iPhone users some saving money strategies. Here they are:

• If you want to place calls but not use data, turn data roaming "OFF". This will block email, browsing, Visual Voicemail and downloads, but it will not block SMS or MMS messages. But feel free to use wifi; you can do so without accumulating any data charges.
• If you want to use data but not receive email automatically, turn Fetch New Data "OFF". This will allow you to have total control of your data usage because nothing will be synced or downloaded in the background without your solicitation.
• If you want to use data and track your usage while abroad, consider purchasing an International Data Package. The 20 MB package is $24.99 per month, the 50 MB package is $59.99 per month, the 100 MB package is $119.99 per month, and the 200 MB package is $199.99 per month. If you decide to purchase an international data package it is recommended to reset the usage tracker to zero so that you can estimate your data usage while abroad.

Any of you plan to travel abroad for the holidays? If so, which of AT&T's tips are you planning to partake in?

International carriers are finally starting to release their iPhone 4 plans and rates, and as more countries now have multiple providers and unlocked iPhones, does that mean things will be more competitive than ever?

Nope. You say monopoly, I say oligopoly, they'll still take every penny they can.

We'll post them as we find them, and if you've come across the plans and rates in your area, drop them in the comments and we'll add them here.

Canada, Bell

Bell has announced similar promotions, including the $30/6GB and the iPhone/iPad sharing, though for only $10.

Canada, Rogers/Fido

Rogers/Fido has just put up a post detailing upgrade costs, along with a tool to find out what you're eligible for. In addition, they're once again offering a special $30/6GB data plan for a limited time, and are also adding a $20 option to share your iPhone 4 data with your iPad.

Now I'm no math wiz but I do know $20 for sharing data compared to $30 for doubling it doesn't sound like a great deal... yet. Let's hope Rogers improves on that asap.

[Rogers]

Apple's just-announced iPhone 4 will be available in black and white, in $199 for 16GB, $299/32GB, and will hit the US, France, Germany, UK, and Japan on June 24. Pre-orders start June 15.

Other countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada (!), Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, and Switzerland will get it in July, and 88 countries total will be online by September.

Sounds off and let us know if you're getting it, if you're pre-ordering or lining up, or if you're bummed it's not coming to your country sooner...

From the Forums is a great way to see all of the hot topics in our iPhone and iPad forums. In order to create a new thread of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is a simple process that will only take a few minutes out of your day, so if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now!

• International iPad customers still waiting for your device to be delivered? Still waiting? If you're standing in line, add a picture, if you're waiting for a delivery, tell us when it arrives, if you just got !

• Since most of you have had your iPad for some time now or even if you've just gotten it - are you happy with iPad?

• What are your top 5 iPad applications?

For those of you who do not own a iPad, lets address two popular iPhone threads:

• Will you be purchasing the new iPhone when it is released this June?

• What color next-gen iPhone will you choose? Black or white?

See you in the forums!

Just like the on-iPad App Store, Apple has begun turning on the on-iPad iBookstore for international iTunes accounts just ahead of the May 28 international iPad launch. Unlike the App Store, however, which includes almost all major titles paid and free, the international iBookstore only seems to include free public domain titles.

No doubt there are more true classics of literature contained in the copyright-free Project Gutenberg library than I could read in a lifetime, but this once again shows just how fragmented and old-fashioned traditional media remains. Apple can't just do a deal to carry Harry Potter in the iBookstore, for example, as a different publisher owns the rights to that book in the UK as opposed to North America. No doubt some vary by country as well.

Apple still hasn't been able to roll out TV and Movies to many international iTunes store and iBooks probably won't be any different. I'd hope that would embarrass big media, getting caught in the horse and buggy while the App Store Ferrari laps them in distribution but I have a feeling they don't care. They'd rather hold on to the dwindling pennies of the past than embrace the economy of the future.

All other complaints about the App Store aside, it's delivering content to international users today.

Yesterday AT&T released roaming data plans for the iPad 3G and they do not come cheap. Pricing starts at $25 per month for 20 megabytes and goes as high as $200 for 200 megabytes. Unlike the normal data plans, these international plans do not auto-renew on a month to month basis. Here's the full breakdown:

• $24.99/month: 20 MB data
• $59.99/month: 50 MB data
• $119.99/month: 100 MB data
• $199.99/month: 200 MB data

These plans work in over 90 countries and can be accessed directly from your iPad 3G's cellular data settings. You do have the option to select a start date and AT&T encourages travelers to set this up prior to leaving the country.

What are your thoughts on the above prices? Too much to be paying for data in this day and age? And with the iPad 3G being unlocked and GSM, could pay-as-you-go MicroSIM plans picked up when you visit be a far cheaper alternative (if they become available). Sound off in the comments!

[AT&T, thanks everyone who sent this in!]

UPDATE: Add this gem to the list, in response to an (admittedly overboard) customer complaint from Switzerland that accused Steve Jobs of "deliberately pulling the wool over the rest of the worlds [sic] eyes."

Are you nuts? We are doing the best we can. We need enough units to have a responsible and great launch.

ORIGINAL: We're running out of clever things to say about Steve Jobs' recent passion for taking over customer support at Apple, so we'll just pass along his latest missives about the iPad 3G and its shipping status, US and international. The first one is fairly clear:

will there also be 3G models of the iPad released worldwide on the end of may or only the wifi models. Would be nice to know. Can't wait.

Job's answer:

Both models will be released at the end of May. Sorry for the delay

A question from iCuckoo Push [$0.99 - iTunes link] developer Manuel is where it gets trickier:

will the iPad 3G models still ship on time as planned (end of April) in the US, if I order one today? Or will the 3G US orders be postponed as well?

The response:

Yes.

Sent from my iPhone

Um, yes to the on time or yes to the postponed? Need. More. Words!

[via 9to5Mac, twice]

Apple has just announced they are delaying the international release of the iPad by a month, from the end of April until the end of May, with pre-orders beginning May 10.

Although we have delivered more than 500,000 iPads during its first week, demand is far higher than we predicted and will likely continue to exceed our supply over the next several weeks as more people see and touch an iPad™. We have also taken a large number of pre-orders for iPad 3G models for delivery by the end of April.

Faced with this surprisingly strong US demand, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the international launch of iPad by one month, until the end of May. We will announce international pricing and begin taking online pre-orders on Monday, May 10. We know that many international customers waiting to buy an iPad will be disappointed by this news, but we hope they will be pleased to learn the reason—the iPad is a runaway success in the US thus far.

We're happy for Apple and for US customers, but we'd be lying if we didn't say we're bummed for those waiting impatiently in the rest of the world. For international customers who bought US models, we're also less than thrilled that we'll now have to wait another month for the on-device iPad App Store to be turned on. (Currently non-US iTunes account holders can't buy apps on the iPad itself, they have to be bought in iTunes and synced over).

UPDATE: Vodafone, Orange, and O2 in the UK, and Rogers in Canada have announced... that they'll be announcing price plans for the iPad 3G in late May as well.

UPDATE 2: Steve Jobs has once again responded to customer emails, confirming iPad 3G will ship alongside iPad Wi-Fi in late May.

Sound off in comments!

We've all heard the horror stories about the iPhone and international traveling. Whether it was data related or voice related, iPhone users have been slapped upside the head with huge bills.

Well now AT&T customers can rest a bit easier -- you can now access all of AT&T's international features online when you log into your account. So if you plan on traveling internationally any time soon be sure to head on over to your plan features and make the appropriate changes. While this will not save you tons of money, at least it will save you a phone call to AT&T's customer service. That's a good thing, right?

I watched the recent Apple iPhone commercial, the one featuring Loopt that promised to keep me in stronger, better, faster contact with all my similarly teched-out friends, and immediately fired my iPhone to download it.

But guess what? It didn't show up in the App Store. Dieter was kind enough to send me a direct link, so I clicked on that, and know what happened? I got a pop-up telling me Loopt wasn't available in the Canadian App Store.

So, either we Canucks have no friends to stay in contact with, Loopt has yet to expand their offering to our frozen shores, or Apple didn't bother to make a commercial with wider appeal than AT&T's network coverage (or all of the above?)

In a global village, is it odd that an App isn't just an App, and often medieval licensing rights prevent real parity in services?

For our international readers, any other Apps you've been unable to get due simply to where you live? Any Americans ever come across an App you couldn't get?

Have you ever traveled out of the country just to come back home and get smacked upside the head by your AT&T cellular bill? Well one of our faithful readers, Mike, has a very unusual situation... he asked us to share his story with you in hopes of preventing this happening to any other readers.

Mike recently added a International Data Roaming Plan before a trip out of the country. It seemed like all was covered... until he got home and received his latest bill. Here is Mike's story, in his own words:

I was informed by an AT&T service rep that AT&T had charged me the exorbitant per KB rate for international data useage because I had cancelled my International Data Roaming plan after I returned to the United States. The plan is available on a month-to-month basis, so cancelling it when I got home seemed like an obvious thing for me to have done, since I have no plans to go overseas again in the foreseeable future. But the service rep said that AT&T's policy (unwritten, so far as I can tell) is that one needs to leave the roaming plan in place for 90 extra days, so that it is still in place when the foreign carrier finally reports the subscriber's roaming back to AT&T. If the plan is not in place when the foreign data useage gets reported to AT&T, then AT&T's billing system is incapable of recognizing that I had an international data roaming plan in place on the dates that the foreign carrier says I used its data connection.

Ouch, I could imagine this bill would have really hurt. Luckily for Mike, he spoke with a "very nice" AT&T rep and she credited his account for the appropriate amount. Mike is not alone either, for similar stories be sure to check out this thread in AT&T's official forums.

And for more information regarding International plans be sure to check out the plans available here. Mike and all of us here at TiPb really want you to be aware of AT&T's policy. So before you leave the country, if you have any questions be sure to call and ask a service rep! It may just save you a pretty penny... or two...

Thanks for the tip Mike!

Back on July 11, the iPhone 3G launched in 22 countries. Along with much fanfare, hippie attention seekers, lines that would stretch out for weeks on end, and constantly crashing servers. But since Apple sold about a million of the hot new handsets that weekend, you just knew they were going to do it again.

"Today" brings phase 2, where 21 more countries are supposed to come online with the iPhone 3G. (Officially Aug. 22nd, which may or may not be "today" to you depending on your timezone). How are things going so far? Reader Anton was gracious enough to send in this report (thanks Anton!):

Now it's midnight in Estonia and I'm at the iphone launch event. No special frenzy, about 1000 people in one supermarket, a couple of DJs and a lot of light. There's just two plans offered: us$55 and $89. First one includes 100 minutes, 100 SMS and 100 Mb; the other one - 250 of each. Every extra megabyte will cost $.25 and $.21 respectively. The phone itself is $267/8Gb and $396/16Gb with $55 plan and $149/8Gb and $278/16Gb with $89 plan.

Ouch! When will telcos worldwide realize what Henry Ford did almost 100 years ago. Mass pricing leads to mass adoption which leads to mass profits. Sheesh!

So are you standing in line right this very minute, ready to get your shiny new iPhone today? Is your carrier up? Is iTunes activating? Let us know how things are going!

And if your market still doesn't have the iPhone 3G, just remember that Apple promised another 30+ countries -- a grand total of 70+ -- for 2008, which is now set to include Russia via MTS. That pretty much leaves China standing alone as the last major market sans carrier deal... for now.

20 countries launched the iPhone 3G back on July 11 (okay, zut, France straggled a bit), and Apple hopes to launch some 21 more just 6 short weeks later -- only minus some iTunes authentication failures and supply shortages, no doubt.

From iLounge, we learn who's next:

Romania, India, the Philippines, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, four additional countries will see launches. Latvia and Lithuania will see the device launched on TeliaSonera’s LMT and Omnitel services, respectively, while T-Mobile and Orange will launch the iPhone in Slovakia, and SingTel will begin offering the device in Singapore.

This will bring the grand total to some 43, with almost 30 more still slated by close of year, 2008. Looks like Apple may need those 40 million units after all, doesn't it?

During Apple's Q3 conference call Monday, along with App Store updates, Apple's Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cook, announced that the iPhone 3G would launch in 20 more countries/regions on August 22nd, some six weeks after the initial 22 country launch back on July 11th.

While we've previously known that some 70+ countries would launch during 2008, we still don't know which of the remaining 50 will be included in the second wave (or whether carrier and iTunes servers will remain up and running this time!).

Guesses anyone?

The iPhone OS, like its big Mac brother, has a lot of little tools, preferences, and settings, some explicitly surfaced, others hidden away. The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) brings us one of each this week!

First up, by way of RipDev's molecular decomposition of the code (either that or a well-placed source...) is a way to enable screen capture on your jailbroken iPhone:

After setting the preference in /var/mobile/Library/Preferences/com.apple.springboard.plist, just restart Springboard and use the following super-secret key combination: Hold down the Home key and toggle the mute switch. Your screen flashes white, a screen shot appears on your camera roll. [...] If you'd rather not edit your property lists directly, add http://repository.ripdev.com as an Installer repository and install Apple Screenshot Enabler. Warning: trying to remove the mod via Installer.app caused my phone to reboot. It just would not uninstall properly.

Next, for our international readers who may want to use their own TLD (top level domain such as .ca, .uk, .de, etc.) rather than the standard .com, here's a way to internationalize your Safari Touch keyboard:

In settings, choose General > Keyboards and enable some of those international keyboards. Next go to Safari and start to enter a new URL. Tap the globe to switch the active keyboard from US English to some other nationality. [...] Finally, tap and hold the .com button. After a second, a regionalized version of .com appears just to the left of the default.

Hit the links for more and If anyone gives them a try, let us know how they work (or don't) for you!