Apple iPhone launch set for June 29

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Apple's new iPhone, a "smart" mobile phone offering music storage and Internet access, will be launched on June 29, according to television ads by the high-tech group.

The iPhone, which combines the wildly popular iPod music player with features found in other smart phones, was unveiled in January by Apple chief executive Steve Jobs.

The device, to sell at prices of 499 to 599 dollars, will be distributed in the US market through ATT, the new name for the Cingular Wireless brand.

It will weigh 135 grams (3.8 ounces) and have the Apple OS X operating system and four or eight megabytes of storage. It will be able to play videos as well as music and have a screen of 3.5 inches (nine centimeters).

Analysts are divided on whether the iPhone will be an industry-changing device or be too expensive to compete with other smart phones such as the BlackBerry.

On its website, Apple said the iPhone will include "a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device." It will also include a two-megapixel digital camera.

ATT has already received more than a million inquiries about iPhones.