iPhone Nano - For Real?

[Object-X]

Light speed

While I see the iPhone nano eventually becoming a reality... I just don't see it being released this year.

I would normally agree with you, but I think the iPhone is different. First, cell phones are already established and accepted in the collective digital conscious. The cell phone market is massive. As successful as the iPhone will be, it is too expensive and too big for a large segment of the phone buying population. Apple could easily introduce a different form factor and feature set that targets a different segment of the market without sacrificing sales of their existing product.

By introducing a complete set of phones quickly, they can more effectively compete with more established players. Apple is a newbie to this game. Each of the major cell phone makers has a complete line of phones that target different aspects of the market. Apple has to be able to offer the same and soon. They can not afford to timidly wade into this cut throat business if they want this to be a major part of their business.

Apple needs to keep the momentum going. iPhone mania will die off soon, so by introducing a new type of phone they can capitalize on all the publicity they are getting.

Apple wants to be a leader, an innovator. The cell phone industry changes very quickly. Apple will have to move even quicker if they want to lead in this space.

 

[guitarplizayer]

Apple has a lot riding on this multitouch technology.

Yeah, I agree with you joe if you really do think about it, with the multi touch apple can just make the rotary dial pop up like the keyboard and then it can disappear when not being used. That would make more sense. Going back to the click wheel is very unlikely. If apple wanted they could of put a rotary dialer in the current iPhone as a preference.

 

[gkarris]

Rotary dialing? As cool as this may be for the first hour, I don't think it's a good step. Doesn't anyone remember what a pain rotary dialing was?

It's not "rotary dialing" - the numbers are punched in with the click wheel...

 

[Sir Hobos]

Have you guys looked at the picture?

Have you guys looked at the picture in the link?

from the looks of it, a rotary dialer doesn't mean that you will be dragging across the click wheel to press one number, but rather clicking in that location for that number. They could do it in such a way that press down on a part of the click wheel will pop up a little balloon on the screen showing you what number you are about to press,depending upon your location on the wheel. If you aren't on the correct number, you could then drag around until you hit the correct number, by releasing the wheel you will initiate the entering-in of that last number. This would be easer through time, allowing minimal scrolling and more accurate recognition. In the end, it may be a way to cheapen the iPhone nano, allowing everyone to have one.
I like the idea, but don't know if they should keep the numbers in clockwise rotation like in the picture or do it counter-clockwise like in normal rotary phones.

 

[MidiMonk]

I think Apple needs to stop focusing on trying to publicize the iPhone and start working on updating it's long overdue products. Seriously, like Apple isn't a cell phone company. They make computers and music players. Sorry, it just bugs me about the iPhone because that's the only thing you hear about today. Apple is losing its touch.

My feelings exactly

 

[guitarplizayer]

I also hear that Apple is going to make a Shuffle version of the iPhone too.

It's really cool. When you feel like making a call, it shuffles through all of your contacts and calls someone.

HAHAHA now that would be funny! "allright! who is going to be the lucky caller today! SUFFLE!!!..... oh hi... who is this.... Jeff.... oh hi jeff you have been randomly selected to be called by my iPhone shuffle" lol sorry thats random but thats what ran through my head when i read that hahaha.

 

[LoganT]

Nano phone could use flip out keyboard mentioned from other rumors last year. I remember someone that saw it quoted it was "...as small as s...".

Yes this is exactly what they should do.

 

[MidiMonk]

HAHAHA now that would be funny! "allright! who is going to be the lucky caller today! SUFFLE!!!..... oh hi... who is this.... Jeff.... oh hi jeff you have been randomly selected to be called by my iPhone shuffle" lol sorry thats random but thats what ran through my head when i read that hahaha.

LMAO, its the perfect tool for telemarketers

 

[jdechko]

HAHAHA now that would be funny! "allright! who is going to be the lucky caller today! SUFFLE!!!..... oh hi... who is this.... Jeff.... oh hi jeff you have been randomly selected to be called by my iPhone shuffle" lol sorry thats random but thats what ran through my head when i read that hahaha.

I can think of a few situations in which this might be useful. How about calling someone to come pick you up because you got really drunk... You don't even have to think, just press the call button.

 

[miketcool]

We all look at the word "click wheel" and we think the way its used today, but remember this macrumor a couple of days ago?

Apple Developing Backlit Trackpad?

maybe this patent is being used in the iphone nano? It has the rotary display but is sensitive to touch. You just press the numbers around the click wheel. The light feedback can be used as a guide to know where you are pressing.

Just a thought.

bingo, same thing i was thinking.

It is either that, or a pad that illuminates a wheel and then changes to # keys for texting or dialing. Like a square pad that can show both through a simple iluminescence change.

 

[DVNIEL]

I'm sick of all this talk about a smartphone...

When is someone going to make the dumbphone?

 

[LoganT]

Honestly this is what I believe they should do. Move down the current version of the iPhone to 300 add 3G and maybe shrink the size of the screen to 3" instead of 3'5". The actual iPhone will have 16 and 32 GB's of flash memory and will cost as much as the current iPhone.

The reason I say this is because when you take away all of the features of the iPhone, and just make it a basic phone then it isn't an iPhone.

 

[miketcool]

I would normally agree with you, but I think the iPhone is different. First, cell phones are already established and accepted in the collective digital conscious. The cell phone market is massive. As successful as the iPhone will be, it is too expensive and too big for a large segment of the phone buying population. Apple could easily introduce a different form factor and feature set that targets a different segment of the market without sacrificing sales of their existing product.

By introducing a complete set of phones quickly, they can more effectively compete with more established players. Apple is a newbie to this game. Each of the major cell phone makers has a complete line of phones that target different aspects of the market. Apple has to be able to offer the same and soon. They can not afford to timidly wade into this cut throat business if they want this to be a major part of their business.

Apple needs to keep the momentum going. iPhone mania will die off soon, so by introducing a new type of phone they can capitalize on all the publicity they are getting.

Apple wants to be a leader, an innovator. The cell phone industry changes very quickly. Apple will have to move even quicker if they want to lead in this space.

I have one thing to say to that notion of an arrival this year; the FCC

 

[guitarplizayer]

I can think of a few situations in which this might be useful. How about calling someone to come pick you up because you got really drunk... You don't even have to think, just press the call button.

Yeah i remember getting phone calls from friends that had one to many that night. It wouldn't be to be pick them up though. They just had a habit calling people drunk im sure we all have some friends like that... or not haha anyways back to the iPhone mini/nano!

Oh wait you've seen those one phones for little kids that have only 4 buttons that are preset numbers so the kids can call home or their parents cells or what not... maybe that can be the iPhone shuffle.... nevermind bad idea haha

 

[MrCrowbar]

Have you guys looked at the picture in the link?

from the looks of it, a rotary dialer doesn't mean that you will be dragging across the click wheel to press one number, but rather clicking in that location for that number. They could do it in such a way that press down on a part of the click wheel will pop up a little balloon on the screen showing you what number you are about to press,depending upon your location on the wheel. If you aren't on the correct number, you could then drag around until you hit the correct number, by releasing the wheel you will initiate the entering-in of that last number. This would be easer through time, allowing minimal scrolling and more accurate recognition. In the end, it may be a way to cheapen the iPhone nano, allowing everyone to have one.
I like the idea, but don't know if they should keep the numbers in clockwise rotation like in the picture or do it counter-clockwise like in normal rotary phones.

My thoughts exactly. A touchscreen has to be a certain size to make sense. when the display is barely larger than your thumb it's just not fun to use. I love the clickwheel with the numbers on it. The Ccurrent clickwheel already can tell where they are touched. You can check this in the system test menu. Put 12 items there, 0-9 # and * that's all you really need. Most of the time you'll call someone from your address book anyway. As for texting, use 12 regions on the clickwheel and have some sort of Apple engeneered T9 that also helps you if you touch the wrong region, just like the iPhone helps you with typos. It it fits in my wallet like my nano does, I'm all for it. Might only do 2GB and 4 GB tho...

The reason I say this is because when you take away all of the features of the iPhone, and just make it a basic phone then it isn't an iPhone.

True, the iPhone is the high end consumer model. So the small one should be... Apple Phone Mini?

 

[lou2000]

I really don't believe this but...

I suppose if i had a nano with a contacts list that could be used to place calls I would be OK. I think that's about 98% of how i use my present phone. every once in a while i actually dial a number, so even if it was a little difficult it would only rarely be a problem . But isn't this what Steve Jobs was mocking when he introduced the iphone back in January?

 

[bravedeer]

Here's the answer...

It'll have a clickwheel and a keypad. It'll basically be a touchpad that is lit depending on what you're doing, if you're in iPod mode it's lit as a clickwheel, if you need to dial it's a keypad.

 

[johnpaul191]

Would it be accurate to assume that a new form factor phone would have to go through similar FCC approval as the original iPhone? and if so is there any way to check what has been submitted? I imagine that the process would have to begin very very soon for a new phone to be available by the holidays. If this is the case it may be likely that the new model would be announced at MacWorld in a similar fashion as the original...

yes, it will show up in some form on the FCC website. sites like phonescoop.com always scan the FCC site to figure out what's coming next. it won't tell you all the details, but you will knnow, for example, that Nokia has a new CDMA phone that has an internal code name if G473D or whatever. it would be on here i guess: http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/new.php?m=f

Apple had to come out ahead of the initial iPhone because them making any Apple phone was a surprise. the future models may be leaked on the FCC site first, if Apple doesn't jump them again. if Apple ignores that, it will really just let you know that *some* revision is coming. sometimes the FCC listings don't have images, and they won't tell you non-phone related details.

also remember that there is an iPhone for UK/Europe due soonish, and a Japanese model just behind that. i don't know if the USA will see a 2nd model before the rest of the world gets their first. i guess it comes down to marketing and contract negotiations once the iPhone factory is ahead of demand.

 

[guitarplizayer]

does anyone think that apple will expand to other providers im not sure what the contacts or what not are, bur for example you can get the razor on any provider now...

 

[squirrellydw]

pictures

We need more pictures on what we think this might look like

 

[rockosmodurnlif]

It will also be $50 - 100 cheaper, feature have the space of the current cheapest iPhone, come in five different colors, lose the giant screen, sell like hotcakes and be backordered for a ridiculous amount of months.

Soon your Mac-World will be dominated by talk of the "iPhone halo" as AAPL soars towards the high 100s. The iTunes Ringtones Store will debut, contract negotiations with ringtone providers will result in Apple starting it's own ringtone label. Apple fanboys everywhere will say thats what Apple should have done in the first place and other ringtone services be damned for not being as successful as Apple.

Microsoft will release the Phune with a San Diego Padres white-yellow-orange-brown pattern. Other cellphone manufacturers will release their "iPhone killers" and not understand how Apple took over their market. Creative will sue Apple again over the "nano" name.

All the while there will be discussion that Paul McCartney was spotted with an iPhone meaning Beatles ringtones are on their way to the store.

A vision of the future based on questions I asked my Magic 8-ball dashboard widget, a "trusted and verifiable" source.

 

[rockthecasbah]

The bit about rotary dialing is complete bull. Many people in the market for this may not have even SEEN a rotary phone in their lives since it is such antiquated technlogy. Also, since many people, especially younger people, text even more than they use phone functionality that this is just complete nonsense.


How did this rotary phone bit make front page again?


I don't know if Apple is going to release an 'iPhone Nano' or whatever, but it seems that it would be much later, rather than sooner.

 

[MrCrowbar]

are you guys serious about dialing?

i have dialed 1 of the past 60 calls in my call log. Address Book syncing FTW!

Dialing's not really the problem. I got all my contacts on my nano. having a "call" menu entry would be just fine. Texting is the issue here. This phone would be more affordable for the young people and they love texting. They're just not gonna buy if if they can't type on it. Touchable regions on the wheel and some sort of T9 would do the trick.

 

[thuff13]

I think the a big reason that Apple entered the cell phone market is because cell phones were becoming a threat to iPods. There are tons of MP3 phones now and Apple had to adapt and that meant making an iPod/cell phone. Now, Apple's best selling iPod is the nano and most MP3 cell phones are smaller, cheaper phones, not smart phones. In light of this, it only makes sense that they release a smaller, cheaper version of the iPhone. It also makes since that they release the more expensive, fancier model first. They wanted to make an impression on consumers (which I think they did) and establish their brand in the cell phone market. Now that they have everyone's attention, they can make a more mainstream phone that marries simple cell phone capabilities (including texting) with the iPod. If they do not release a phone aimed at a broader audience, they will never succeed in the market and the iPod will eventually begin to loose it's market share to MP3 cell phones.

 

[iSee]

I can't believe this.

The rotary click dial thing would pretty much suck completely.

Dialing anyone not in your contacts would be so painful. Even working your way through a menu of contacts would be bad:

1. Hit BACK zero or more times to reach the main menu.
2. Scroll to 'Call Contact', click center
3. Scroll to desired contact, click center
4. Scroll to desired number (home, work, mobile, etc), click center

I guess they could allow you to put extreme favorites on the main menu, but if the main menu gets very long, it becomes more difficult to use for everything.

And shouldn't this have leaked out earlier because of the FCC certification process? If they are releasing an iPhone Nano, it can't believe it would use a clunky scroll-wheel interface.