OK, I am going there. It's beginning to look like Apple will miss the boat on its deadline for the iPhone. So, why do I think the iPhone will be delayed?First, we learned this week that Apple is being forced to shift engineers from its much-anticipated Leopard OS to make sure the iPhone actually makes its schedule.

Then rumors broke that Apple shifted the launch date from the week of June 11 to the end of June. Some Mac fans claimed that this move was a bait & switch -- i.e. deny that Jobs will launch the iPhone at the WWDC then launch the iPhone at the WWDC. But what if Apple is really struggling just to get the iPhone out sometime in the month of June to save face?

Still not enough evidence that the iPhone's product development cycle might not be on schedule? Let's not forget the rumor that broke last week that the iPhone's battery life is horrible. Or that some mole at Cingular, the same source for the battery life rumor, claimed there are "lots of issues" with the device.

And there is the ever-present skepticism from bloggers like John Dvorak and wireless industry insiders, both of whom claim that the iPhone will be copied by cut-rate, cheaper clones within weeks of its release.

I have said it before and I'll say it again. Building cell phones is tough work and many a first-time company has been humbled by the experience. Many wireless industry insiders have claimed since January that Apple would find building a cell phone much harder than they initially planned. I think these rumors that have been breaking for the last few weeks are possible signs that things aren't going as well for the iPhone as everyone had hoped.

Then again, maybe I am wrong. Do you think that the iPhone will ship on time in June? Or will Apple be forced to eat some humble pie by delaying the release? And even if it ships, will the iPhone be a flop, as some predict?