Apple just released an intriguing statement involving the Apple iPhone and Leopard - their next operating system. In a statement, Apple said, "We can't wait until customers get their hands (and fingers) on it and experience what a revolutionary and magical product it is. However, iPhone contains the most sophisticated software ever shipped on a mobile device, and finishing it on time has not come without a price -- we had to borrow some key software engineering and QA resources from our Mac OS® X team, and as a result we will not be able to release Leopard at our Worldwide Developers Conference in early June as planned."

Wow. So Apple announced a major delay and places the blame squarely on the much-anticipated Apple iPhone as the reason why their next operating system is delayed. I have to wonder, is this just a PR move so Apple doesn't suffer the same criticisms that Microsoft faced when they delayed Vista. I can just see the Apple fans reading this and saying "Ok, I can live with a little delay in Leopard since I can't wait for the Apple iPhone. A worthy sacrifice to give up some resources to the iPhone team."

While I don't doubt Apple's sincerity that they did move resources around, I have to wonder if they knew they weren't going to meet the target date and then moved resources around so they'd have a good excuse. So far all the reports I have been reading have given Apple a "pass" on their announced O/S delay or very minimal criticism. I guess there is a double standard between the media coverage Microsoft receives vs. what Apple receives.