For one reason or another, Apple has uploaded the iPhone OS 3.0 Software Update to its servers, making it available for free download to anyone using a web browser. Appropriately labeled “iPhone2,1_3.0_7A341_Restore.ipsw,” the file is roughly 300 megabytes in size. iPhone and iPod touch owners are advised against downloading and installing the new software, as the “iPhone2,1” listing refers to the iPhone 3G S, the yet-unavailable device model from Apple.

Previous iPhone firmware updates from Apple also contain references to their designated nature. As such, “iPhone1,1_2.2.1_5H11_Restore.ipsw” is the correct OS 2.2.1 restore / update file for first-generation handsets. An “iPhone1,2_2.2.1_5H11_Restore.ipsw” listing signals that the firmware should be applied to second-generation iPhones (iPhone 3G). In the same manner, a listing containing references to iPhone2,1 can only represent the upcoming iPhone 3G S model. Implicitly, the new software update cannot be applied on existing handsets.

iPhone OS 3.0 is said to deliver more than 100 new features, including Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS (available later this summer), Spotlight Search, landscape keyboard for Mail, Messages, Notes and Safari, expanded parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store, video-recording and editing capabilities, the ability to capture and send audio recordings on the go with the new Voice Memo app, the ability to wirelessly download movies, TV and audio programs and an enhanced version of iTunes. Students will be able to download learning materials on the go, using iTunes U.

On the iPod touch front, a Stereo Bluetooth capability will allow users to enjoy audio and video content with compatible headphones, while Peer to Peer (P2P) gaming “will make it easy to play head-to-head with a friend — whether your friend is sitting next to you or across the country.”

iPhone OS 3.0 will be officially available worldwide for iPhone and iPod touch owners tomorrow, June 17. iPhone 3G S is scheduled for release two days later (June 19).