Daaaamn, talk about clout. If DigiTimes' sources are correct, then Samsung, the world's primary supplier of flash memory, just told its non-Apple customers to suck it in favor of a "large batch of orders" it received from Cupertino. The order, is said to be for 50-million "8Gb-equivalent" (we assume they mean gigabyte, or GB) NAND chips "mainly for use in Apple's iPhone." This order follows a June procurement for 25 million of the same chips. In response, Samsung has reportedly told its lesser customers that it would "sharply cut supply" of NAND to them while the order is being fulfilled. The shortage is compounded by Samsung lowering its manufacturing output in April and May in an attempt to reduce oversupply. Still, if these numbers are true (they seem high and DigiTimes can be hit or miss with its Apple source) then the world is about to be awash in iPhone 3Gs come July 11th.

Update: We've given the Gigabits vs. Gigabytes a bit more thought. If it's 50 million 8Gbit chips as stated, they would divide evenly across about 2.1 million 8GB iPhone 3Gs plus another 2.1 million 16GB models. A reasonable production run for Apple's global launch but an order which shouldn't be so taxing on Samsung's production capability.

Psst... you hear that there's a new iPhone coming out next month? Yeah, us too. Here are a few iPhone stories we've been tracking from the past handful of days:

• An analyst for Oppenheimer claims that AT&T is going to be shelling out $325 for each and every iPhone 3G it sells, compared to an average of $200 for other devices on the carrier's shelves. What's more, devices sold in Apple stores (as opposed to AT&T stores) will cost AT&T another $100 for some reason, bringing the grand total to $425 -- not including the $199 or $299 the customer is paying for the 8GB and 16GB models, respectively. Where Oppenheimer is getting its figures isn't exactly clear, but we suppose it's believable -- and as the analyst suggests, the higher subsidy reflects AT&T's confidence that they'll be able to recoup the loss with a higher ARPU.
• The on-again, off-again saga of Adobe Flash on the iPhone continues, with the company's CEO trumpeting during its Q2 earnings call that it now has a version working in the SDK's emulator. That's all well and good, but there's still no sign that Apple wants Flash on the iPhone, and since Cupertino's still the ultimate gatekeeper here, Adobe's efforts could still all be for naught.
• Canada's Rogers has finally decided to stop playing coy and has replaced the silhouette of the mystery device launching on July 11 on its site with the real deal. You weren't fooling anyone anyhow, guys.
• A Columbus, Ohio bus rider was unceremoniously beaten this week in an attempt to nab his iPhone as other riders calmly looked on, showing no emotion whatsoever -- a sad state of affairs, to say the least. Fortunately, the victim was able to hang on to the goods but suffered some injuries in the scuffle. If it had been an iPhone 3G, we'd have to summon every ounce of willpower not to have a go at swiping it ourselves, but an iPhone 1? Seriously, come on.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - $325 subsidy [via Mac Rumors]
Read - Flash working in iPhone emulation
Read - iPhone on Rogers
Read - Bus rider beaten for his iPhone

After spying those "in the wild" shots of Nokia's E71 and E66, we knew something had to be up -- and that does appear to be the case. A forum member over at Mobile-Review has stumbled upon user demos for both of the forthcoming devices, featuring in-depth Flash walkthroughs on how to master all the basic features of either phone. It seems likely that an announcement is due any day now (though we're thinking it won't be coming on Monday) -- but at least you can enjoy a bunch of new angles and animations while you wait.

[Via Cell Addict Blog]

Read - E71 Demo
Read - E66 Demo

Not too much news on the BREW front of late, but this one's pretty big. Just this week, Qualcomm and Adobe jointly announced Flash support for the BREW Mobile Platform. Reportedly, the software will "fully integrate and deliver Adobe Flash technology to mass market handset devices," and it'll also enable Flash developers to "create standalone applications that integrate mobile device functionality with web content and services." Beyond that, there's just a bunch of back-patting going on in the release, but if you're into that kind of thing, feel free to make you way down to the read link.

[Via PhoneScoop]

Keeper of Flash, Adobe, has unveiled its far-reaching "Open Screen Project," garnering the interest of a who's who of heavy hitters ranging from ARM to Verizon and pretty much everyone in between. Why the massive corporate attention? The project ultimately aims to open-source Flash's file formats and portions of its inner workings -- but perhaps more importantly, it'll kill the license fee manufacturers pay to bundle Flash players on their devices, potentially opening the door for the same massive level of acceptance Flash has enjoyed on the desktop in our pockets as well. There's no word on exactly when the fruits of the project will be available to the public -- Adobe says it's "just underway," after all -- but if this means our Flash-laden phone is going to be, like, 20 cents cheaper now, we're all for it.

It seems that Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen isn't a developer for the firm -- or at the very least, he doesn't have a full appreciation for the height of the fence surrounding the iPhone SDK's walled garden. The company and on-again, off-again Apple chum solidly backpedaled on the chief's comments regarding Flash for the iPhone that were made just a day earlier, saying that "...to bring the full capabilities of Flash to the iPhone Web-browsing experience we do need to work with Apple beyond and above what is available through the SDK and the current license around it." For what it's worth, Adobe does say that it's still very much interested in doing up a Flash client, it just needs a little extra help from Apple on the side to make it happen -- so if we see this package pop up in the App Store later this year, we'll know that at least one company's been given a free pass to break the rules.

The word is out, kids. Adobe has apparently gone against old Jobsy's wishes, and it's planning a Flash player made all special for the iPhone (ala Windows Mobile) despite Apple's concerns that the technology -- in its current incarnation, anyway -- isn't cut out for mobile duty. During a conference call today, Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen said, "We believe Flash is synonymous with the Internet experience, and we are committed to bringing Flash to the iPhone," adding, "We have evaluated (the software developer tools) and we think we can develop an iPhone Flash player ourselves." We wouldn't be surprised if Adobe were to be given a pass on all those pesky SDK rules that would likely prevent a proper browser-based Flash component to be coded for the device, though those Apple dudes can be real sticklers for rules.

Well, that's not much of a vote of confidence for Microsoft's own products, now is it? Despite the fact that Silverlight for Mobile development is well underway, Windows Mobile's patron saint has decided to license Adobe's Flash Lite and Reader LE packages directly and make them available to WinMo licensees straight from the mothership. Though Adobe's press release says that availability on specific devices will be "confirmed later," we imagine that it'll be a no-brainer for virtually every ODM to sign right up to offer the goods -- just ask any Nokia N95 8GB owner how cool the in-browser Flash support is.

[Via Mobility Site]

It's always interesting to hear execs chime in on the competition following big announcements. So it's no surprise to hear that Steve Ballmer was peppered with questions about the iPhone during yesterday's Mix '08 event with Guy Kawasaki. When asked about Silverlight -- Microsoft's attempt at usurping Adobe's Flash -- on the Flash-less iPhone, Ballmer said, "Silverlight for the iPhone is of course interesting," adding, "I can't say there's been extensive discussion with Guy's old boss." He also wondered aloud about Apple possibly digging too deeply into developers pockets with its 30% share of application revenue. Ballmer said, "it's a good business if you can make it." A jab at Jobs' claim that Apple doesn't plan to make any money off the App Store. The highlight though came with Ballmer's compliance to recreate his Monkey Boy Dance for Web Developers. Bill, we're going to miss you.

[Thanks, Bryant]

Read -- Q&A on iPhone
Read -- Monkey Boy dance, take 2

At Apple's shareholder's meeting this week, it seems Steve Jobs shed just a little sliver of a light on why it is we haven't seen Flash grace the iPhone yet: one version's too small and the other's too big. Basically, Steve doesn't like Flash Lite -- the pared-down version Adobe has designed for small screens and lightweight processors -- and the full-fledged version has too much bloat for the iPhone's resources. As he puts it, "there's this missing product in the middle." Personally, we'd like to be the judge of that, but we know how Apple operates; with any luck, the SDK will give devs enough power so we'll eventually end up with a Flash player (and a Flash Lite player, for that matter) anyhow.

[Via mocoNews]

Wow, talk about setting new precedents in opacity and secrecy! The addition of Flash support has been rumored pretty much since before the iPhone was even released, and apparently, Apple isn't even talking to Flash owner Adobe -- much less Walt Mossberg -- about when (or if) it's going to happen. Writes company spokesman Ryan Stewart on his blog, "No one aside from Steve Jobs has any idea if or when it's coming." With the SDK right around the corner, we figure Flash is going to end up happening whether Apple provides it or not, but it'd be nice to see Cupertino give Adobe something to work with here, seeing how it's their standard and all. Remember, Apple, there's no "I" in "team."

[Via mocoNews]

We're personally of the opinion that the best way to cure iPhone envy is to... you know, buy an iPhone, but we understand there are plenty of reasons why folks might be forced to admire from afar. A lengthy contract might be stifling your inner free spirit, for example; maybe the lack of 3G is just too much to bear (YouTube addicts, we're looking at you). The aptly-named "WhoNeedsAniPhone" project seeks to ease the pain of this demographic -- likely a sizable one -- by using Flash Lite to bring the iPhone's key visual elements to touchscreen-enabled Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices. Key goals for the release (which isn't yet available -- sign up to beta test it at the site) include a functional launcher, slide-style lock screen, and weather widget; baby steps, yes, but when you consider that the real iPhone's visual fireworks nearly match its actual functionality, that ain't a bad list.

We know, we've all been clamoring for Flash support on the iPhone since before the thing even launched, and while we've seen subtle hints here and there suggesting that it would indeed come to fruition, now we've got someone to blame if our hopes are deflated. In a recent Q&A session, Walt Mossberg himself addressed the issue, and didn't make any bones about sharing Apple's future plans. Speaking directly about Adobe's Flash technology, Walt stated that "Apple says it plans to add that plug-in through an early software update," which he surmises "will occur within the next couple of months." Sadly, there was no elaboration beyond the aforementioned bit, but he certainly sounds confident about the iPhone eventually playing nice with Flash, no?

[Via MacRumors]

The latest word out of WWDC seems to be that the iPhone won't support Flash -- you know, that all-powerful web plugin that seems at times to be more freaking important than HTML itself. This comes just days after the latest iPhone commercial depicted a happy, errorless loading of the New York Times' Flash-enabled site on the handset's Safari-based browser, so we're not too sure what's going on there. For what it's worth, we figure Apple's spent way too long trumpeting the fact that the iPhone rocks a full implementation of Safari for a plugin as critical as Flash to not find its way into the device's firmware at some point -- and word has it that Apple is emphasizing the "yet" in "no Flash support yet" -- so we'll just have to wait and see what Adobe's cooking.