3G Apple iPhone will be subsidised

And the final word on the 3G iPhone? Yes, you can finally rest easy – it’s well and truly on its way, this June 9. Gizmodo, chatting to sources “very, very close” to the iPhone launch, has confirmed what everyone’s been thinking – that Apple boss Steve Jobs will be showing off the device at the company’s Worldwide Developer Conference next month and, what’s more, there will be no wait: unlike the 2G model, the 3G iPhone will be available straight after the launch.

Gizmodo says the 3G iPhone will hit Spain on June 18 at the opening of the Telefonica megastore, with all the other iPhone-carrying countries in Europe getting the handsets around about the same time.

And there’s more good news: the 3G phone will no longer be flogged for a fixed price, with operators likely allowed to subsidise the device as they see fit for the first time. Phew. It looks like some good sense has finally prevailed over at Apple. The question is now: will O2 keep the exclusive rights? Answers on a postcard…