Wolf Tracking

After years of widespread rumors, we watched as Steve Jobs unveiled Apple’s iPhone during his Macworld keynote in January, an announcement that took the mobile and consumer electronics industries by storm.

While the infamous Consumer Electronics Show was underway, in a brilliant marketing ploy, Jobs completely swept the thunder from all of his competitors (who at the time were undoubtedly clamoring for the attention of David Pogue, Walter Mossberg, and the like) as his announcement incited “iPhone-mania.”

As Jobs promised, the iPhone should be ready to ship later this month, and six months since his speech, Jobs’ wonder-phone is still making headlines as fever builds for the big debut.

So what’s all the hype? We all have a cell phone, a music device, access to the Web, right?

Apple’s marketing muscle.

Jobs has driven one of the most impactful marketing campaigns in modern history, successfully building expectations for what some have called “the God machine” as iPhone hysteria is beginning to reach levels usually reserved for the newest video game system at Christmas time.

Despite the device’s lofty price tag – $600 – both Apple and AT&T (exclusive service provider) have received more than one million inquiries about the product’s availability.

Well, for all those eager consumers, the answer’s here. Continuing its aggressive marketing strategy, Apple confirmed it will release the iPhone on June 29 through a series of commercials on Sunday promoting the combination mobile phone and iPod music player.

The company’s promotional strategy has employed a clever mix of traditional television ads (such as those we saw this weekend), well-timed announcements (any recollection of a CES product announcement?) and stunts only the elite few playing in Jobs’ sandbox can pull off. During a recent appearance at a technology industry conference in Southern California, Jobs teased the audience by pulling an iPhone out of his pocket and quickly slipping it back in.

Typical of Jobs’ impressive track record of executing ingenious marketing programs (iPod did pretty well, huh?), his timing again seems perfect this time around. Apple appears to have entered the mobile market at precisely the right moment in technology and consumerism to merge computers with phones.

Most analysts believe that Apple will easily exceed its initial goal of selling 10 million phones by the end of next year. Investors seem to agree – Apple’s stock has skyrocketed due to speculation and excitement over the iPhone in recent months.

But how well has Apple managed the public’s expectations of the iPhone’s performance?

First generation iPods had a host of problems and bugs that were quickly fixed in subsequent generations, but excitement for the music player at the time was nowhere near that of the iPhone today.

It will be interesting to watch how Apple rolls out the product and harnesses its marketing prowess to circumnavigate the bumpy road that will surely follow.