iPhone Rumors Accelerate as WWDC Approaches: TelecomNZ, Support Staff, Possible Specs?

With Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference only a few weeks away, a larger number of rumors are starting to appear about what Apple might have in store for us. While legitimate reports do often emerge closer to the event, there also tends to be an explosion of speculative claims.

Here are a collection of recent tidbits which may or may not mean anything:

- A Telecom NZ representative claimed via Twitter that "we are in negotiations with Apple... we are very focused on the 3rd gen iPhone.. we will keep u updated". The "3rd gen iPhone", of course, would refer to an as-yet unreleased iPhone.
- Apple recruiting 450 new technical support staff this summer. While the most likely explanation for this expansion is the growing popularity of their products, some are speculating it could be related to the launch of a new product.
- Wired recaps some poorly sourced rumors that claim the next iPhone will be released on July 17th with 1.5x the battery life and an OLED screen. We aren't putting too much faith in these reports.

Phil Schiller will be giving the 2009 WWDC Keynote on June 8th at 10AM Pacific Time. Apple will be detailing iPhone 3.0 to developers and has also been rumored to be announcing details about the next generation iPhone.