Speculation has long been that the new version of the iPhone - one with more storage, fast 3G Internet connection, and other new features - would be released this summer, around the time of the first anniversary of the original iPhone's release. But new details seem to indicate that the new phone may appear sooner than that.

First off, there are no iPhones to be had at Apple's online store. This comes after widespread iPhone shortages in retail stores and a temporary sell out of iPhones in the UK last week.

Then, yesterday, AT&T's website very briefly listed a device called the "iPhone Black." An AT&T spokesman offered a somewhat weak explanation for the listing, saying that that was just a placeholder used in system maintenance, but given that rumors hold that the next iPhone will be all black, this doesn't seem completely credible.

So, maybe we'll have our hands on the new iPhone before Memorial Day?

And if not, June should be it. Telecom Italia's executive vice president for technology and operations says his company will be selling a 3G iPhone in June.