I bet some of you forgot about the iPhone.  No?  Well, for those that let one of the most exciting products of 2007 slip into your subconscious, the handheld should be launching in the next four to six weeks.  So, what’s the word from Apple? 

Perhaps taking a page out of competitor Microsoft’s book, the Cupertino-based company is remaining mostly mum about the device.  However, provider AT&T, although trying its darndest to imitate Apple’s secrecy, has let a big detail slip.

In a “Pre Launch Sales Brief” leaked to the tech media, AT&T both lavishes the iPhone in praise and discusses its retail strategy.  Yes, yes, it’s a revolution, but what we’re really interested in is the fact that, evidently, there will be absolutely no pre-sales of the much-anticipated device.  Instead, it seems the lonely IT manager for that small-town company will have just as much opportunity to swipe up an iPhone as executive management for Corporate America.

Why?  Call it the “Wii Windfall” or even “Console Craze,” in the last 18 months three next-gen video game systems have launched into dog-eat-dog retail feeding frenzies.  Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was the 2005 toy of choice, with the Wii (and to a much lesser extent, PS3), following suit last year.

Apple is surely hoping that long lines and mainstream media buzz will create a “me, too” phenomenon.  Although many consumers are concerned about Apple’s $499/$599 price tags for the iPhone, enough trampling and eBay ridiculousness could help consumers forget about mortgage and car payments.