iPhone 4 Shipment Notifications Coming in Ahead of Launch

The iPhone 4 is set to hit store shelves on Thursday, June 24, but some customers that pre-ordered the new version of the combination iPod and smartphone are receiving shipping notifications showing they’ll receive theirs a day early. Interest in the iPhone 4 ha been so high that servers handling pre-orders weren’t able to keep up with demand, leaving many potential customers frustrated.

Apple and its partners began accepting iPhone 4 pre-orders and reservations for in-store pickups on June 15. Within a day, AT&T and Best Buy stopped accepting pre-orders, and Apple pushed the delivery date for new orders out to July 14.

iPhone 4 delivery: June 23

The new iPhone model is 24 percent thinner than the iPhone 3GS, sports a higher resolution multi-touch display, includes a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, a front-facing camera for video calls, a built-in gyroscope and digital compass, Bluetooth keyboard support, and a new form factor that includes a glass back and antennas built into the case bezel.

The iPhone 4 will be available in a 16GB capacity for US$199, or $299 for the 32GB model. It will be available in black on the 24th, and a white model will ship at a later date.

While Apple’s shipment notifications are showing a June 23 delivery date, it’s possible the company has an agreement with its shipping partners to hold deliveries until the 24, just as it has done with previous iPhone launches and the iPad launch.