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David Pogue, for example, wrote in the New York Times that the "ancient EDGE cellular network...is excruciatingly slow".

Jobs said that EDGE is "terrific" for both email and "basic" Internet use.

"Some of the criticism of EDGE is more theoretical," he said. "Blackberrys use EDGE, and in many cases is slower, because our software is better."

In a <

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virtual meeting with Apple employees Jobs also explained that in addition to providing greater coverage, EDGE also uses a lot less battery power then 3G.

Jobs also emphasised the widespread availability of Wi-Fi, which the iPhone automatically detects.

"People are in areas with Wi-Fi much more than they think," he said. "I walk into work with the iPhone, and it instantly switches to a Wi-Fi network. If I'm walking down the street in downtown Palo Alto, the iPhone will switch from EDGE to Wi-Fi. It's very fluid."

The same may not be true when the phone launches in Europe - Wi-Fi availability is increasing but it is rarely free and iPhone users may baulk at paying for access when they have already coughed up for a data plan. That is something that Apple has time to address. Jobs was succinct when asked when the iPhone would go on sale outside the US.

"We have no announcement to make now," he said.