By Slash Lane

Published: 11:40 AM EST (08:40 AM PST)

AT&T has begun shipping iPhone 4 preorders to customers who ordered through the wireless carrier, while the first applications supporting Apple's iAd mobile advertising network are now available with placeholders where the ads will appear when the service launches.

AT&T ships iPhone 4 preorders

Some AT&T customers checking the status of their iPhone 4 order have been notified that their order has shipped. The news follows Apple's own shipments of the iPhone 4, beginning over the weekend.

Some readers' orders show an arrival date of June 23 -- one day before the iPhone launch. For other product launches, shipments have been held to wait for the official launch date before delivery.

AT&T's verification systems for existing customers were bogged down last week on the first day of iPhone 4 preorders, making it difficult for customers to access the company's website or place an order for Apple's latest handset. AT&T is the exclusive wireless carrier of the iPhone in the U.S.

After the first day of availability, AT&T suspended preorders for iPhone 4, revealing that demand was ten times greater than for the iPhone 3GS. The company said that there were more than 13 million visits to its website on June 15. Apple also announced that the first day of preorders alone amounted to 600,000 purchases for iPhone 4.

First iAd apps arrive with temporary placeholders

The first applications featuring compatibility with Apple's new iAd mobile advertising network are now available on the App Store. However, iAd is not scheduled to launch until July 1, leaving the advertisements with placeholders for the time being.

The first apps to support iAd came from Avantar, developer of applications including White & Yellow Pages, AirYell, Munch, Showtimes, and OneTap movies.



According to iLounge, the applications previously touted their compatibility with iAd on the App Store. Since then, the list of features have been revised to remove any reference to iAd.

Ads on iPhones running iOS 4 will show a banner with an Apple logo reading "Test Advertisement." The ads also feature the iAd logo in the corner, which Apple will use to distinguish its iAds -- which will offer in-app content rather than launching a browser -- from competitors.



Selecting a test advertisement pulls up a full-screen page that reads: "This Confirms That Test Ads Are Running Correctly." It features an option to close the ad with an 'X' in the top left corner, and a white Apple logo is displayed in the bottom right.