Phone Apple

Steve Jobs passed away just a day after the iPhone 4S launch and reports now reveal that Apple execs may have known about Jobs’ condition during the event but had put on brave faces to carry on the show. According to Palo Alto police department spokeswoman Sandra Brown, Apple had informed police that Jobs was close to passing just days before Apple’s official statement.

Since Jobs lived in a modest home on a public street open to pedestrians and without any gates or security, Apple contacted the police department ahead of time so that they could be prepared in case people were to gather in mass around the home upon hearing the news that Jobs had passed.

“Here’s a guy who’s a billionaire and lives in a regular neighborhood, not behind a gated estate with all the security guards,” said former Apple employee Bruce Gee, who drove up to the home. “On Halloween, people go trick or treating there like everyone else.”

Many speculate that the empty chair marked “Reserved” next to Apple execs at the Let’s Talk iPhone event was a silent tribute to Jobs. A small private funeral for Jobs is taking place today for family and close friends. There will be no public services although a separate service for Apple employees is planned.

According to a leaked internal memo, AT&T is pressing Apple to follow along with the carrier’s marketing strategy by allowing the iPhone 4S status bar to show the “4G” indicator. Although still a 3G device, the next-gen iPhone is capable of AT&T’s HSPA+ network speeds, which the carrier is branding as 4G, although at the moment, true 4G is considered LTE or WiMAX.

The memo reveals that AT&T is currently working with Apple to update the network indicator to read “4G” and it seems as though Apple is open to the idea. The memo claims that the change will come in the form of an iOS update directly from Apple, although it did not say when the update would arrive.

However, Apple made it a point at its “Let’s Talk iPhone” keynote not to claim the iPhone 4S as a 4G device. Apple’s Phil Schiller treated the iPhone 4S as a 3G device but highlighted that the device was capable of 14.4Mbps speeds that was competitively fast. It’ll be interesting to see if Apple ultimately concedes. The iPhone 4S will be available starting October 14 with pre-orders kicking off today.

Other recent so called 4G devices marketed by AT&T include the Samsung Infuse 4G and the HTC Inspire 4G. The carrier will, however, be rolling out its true 4G LTE network to 15 markets by year-end.

Strong international sales of the iPhone 4S are seemingly taking their toll on Apple’s stock of the fifth-gen smartphone, with stores outside the US now listing a 1-2 week dispatch estimate for new orders. The iPhone 4S went up for pre-order earlier today, with an expected delivery date of October 14; although that date is still listed on Apple’s US store, those outside the country have been pushed back.

In the UK, France, Germany and Canada, however, that initial October 14 availability has become a little more wooly. Apple hasn’t confirmed anything as yet, but it certainly appears that strong demand – or limited suppliers – have left the company’s warehouses pre-emptively depleted.

It’s certainly not the first time we’ve seen overwhelming interest in a new Apple device lead to shortages. The iPad 2, for instance, quickly sold out when it went on sale earlier in the year, with delays exceeding three weeks. It took Apple some time to bring that number down. Whether offering an unlocked version of the iPhone 4S in the US from November will cause those delays to spread remains to be seen.