Apple iPhone only minutes away?

According to the Wall Street Journal we are only a matter of a few hours away from the release of the super-highly anticipated Apple iPhone. Steve Jobs will take to the stage at MacWorld at 9AM PST / 5PM GMT today and is expected to reveal details of the new phone and a release date.

Reports from around the internet suggest that the phone has only recently gone to manufacturing, which if true will mean a waiting period before users receive their orders. Speculation on the form factor has been rabid for months but most analysts and Mac enthusiasts agree that Apple will opt for a phone design reminiscent of the iPod, possibly with a touch sensitive screen.

If / when the new phone is released we can hypothesize to a degree of certainty that it will seamlessly integrate with Mac OS X and the iLife suite. Photo sync with iPhoto, music from iTunes, recorded video with iMovie, email with Mail etc. The software framework needed is all there and already established, the expertise in design is clearly there and so is the demand. Now all we need is the product.

The thing that will really be interesting is how they are going to integrate iChat. Will the impending release of Mac OS X feature a surprise addition of an upgraded iChat capable of connecting to the PSTN network. If so, what will they charge? Will they use SIP? Will they do a Skype and go closed source? Will it work with Google Talk? For now we can only postulate on what will happen, but with any luck we should get some answers soon.

[Update] The Apple online store has been closed.  This is a 100% cast iron sign that new products are on the way.