iAd sales top $60 million in advance of iPhone 4's debut

As expected, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) unveiled the fourth edition of its iconic iPhone device during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, staged Monday in San Francisco. iPhone 4, scheduled to hit retail June 24, boasts the new iOS 4 (a renamed iPhone OS that hints the operating system is poised to power a new wave of non-phone devices in the months and years ahead) as well as a front-facing camera for video calling, HD video capture, application multitasking, support for iBooks and a three-axis gyro that should herald significant strides in mobile gaming.

iPhone 4 will arrive in two versions: a 16 GB edition priced at $199 and a 32 GB model priced at $299. AT&T Mobility will remain Apple's exclusive iPhone operator partner in the U.S. for the foreseeable future, despite rumors that WWDC would yield confirmation of an agreement with Verizon Wireless.

The announcement of iPhone 4 was no surprise: Earlier this year, technology website Gizmodo purchased and publicized a lost iPhone prototype, and in April, Apple announced plans to upgrade the iPhone OS to incorporate features like folders and a unified inbox. In the absence of real suspense, Apple CEO Steve Jobs' WWDC keynote instead emphasized iPhone's game-changing success in the mobile segment: According to Jobs, there are now 225,000 iPhone and iPod touch applications in the App Store, while the number of native apps for the iPad tops 8,500, with downloads in excess of 35 million, or 17 apps per unit. In addition, there are now more than 100 million iOS-powered devices worldwide, generating App Store developer revenues in excess of $1 billion.

Jobs also confirmed Apple's new iAd mobile advertising network will go live across all iOS-powered devices on July 1. According to Jobs, iAd sales are already at $60 million--developers will earn 60 percent of all iAd revenues, translating to pre-launch earnings of $36 million. Brands including Nissan, Citi, Unilever, AT&T, Sears, Target, JC Penney and Best Buy have so far signed on.

"Why are we doing iAds?" Jobs said. "We are doing it for one simple reason. To help our developers earn money so they continue to create free and low-cost apps for our users." Jobs also stressed the simplicity of the iAd system, promising the crowd "All you have to do is tell us where you want to put them and make money."

For more on the iPhone 4 launch:
- read this New York Times article

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