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iPhone nano rumor update

A lot of the objections here sound an awful lot like when people said we'd "never" get an iPhone with a plastic back, that we'd "never" get third party apps, or when we'd "never" get a curved screen on the iPod Nano.

Phazer
 
milani said:
Apple has never followed your premise. They don't make a low end desktop, they don't make a low end notebook. They never have, and as of right now they've stated they're not interested in that market, so to my mind it doesn't make any sense that they would go against their established trend with a phone. Besides, the iPhone is a premium phone, and thus has little real competition (some high end Blackberrys, Android, and Win Mo handsets, but thats essentially just three names to compete with). If Apple jumps into the low end market it has to compete with many very well established players (LG, Samsung, Motorola, the list goes on and on). The money required to adequately compete in that market wouldn't be worth it - besides cheap products would just dilute the "premium" premise of the brand.
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Sorry, Apple doesn't follow a premise of making money? See, I could have sworn they were a publicly traded company motivated by profits! Glad we cleared that up.

Yes, the iPhone Nano would have more competition. But Apple has a distinct advantage in that they already sell millions of iPods - advertising to all those high school kids would be easy, since they could just brand the iPhone Nano as the new iPod.

I'm sure lots of people were doubtful that the iPhone could compete with the Blackberries and Treos when it was announced, and now it's outselling BBs.

As for what Apple says... they say a lot of things, and they're known for going back on what they say. So even if Apple says "we're not interested in that market", that's doesn't mean they won't be in the future. ;)
 
cellocello said:
Without even reading the thread:

Not going to happen.
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It WILL happen, just a question of when.

MacWorld 09 or July in a iPhone refresh. Just like those September iPod refreshes we look forward too every year.

I'll be surprised if Apple lets the opportunity slip by for a whole year.

Bottom line: iPhone Customer != iPhone Nano Customer

M.
 
MikeDTyke said:
It WILL happen, just a question of when.
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It "WILL", will it?

Apple's going to release a WHOLE OTHER mobile platform (seeing as how the "iPhone Nano" would have difference dimensions/screensize). New UI, new apps, new everything?

Or would it just be the same as an iPhone, only smaller and harder to use?
 
Tallest Skil said:
So I can actually keep hoping for my MacTablet, then.

That's a blatant lie and you know it.

Also, why not just type ≠?
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If Apple follows past form then yes as a prediction i feel very comfortable making it. Jobs has stated they must not leave a price umbrella under the iPhone. If the iPhone fanbois on this thread could see beyond the utopian wonderland of options the iPhone 3G offers they could see the huddled masses who just want to listen to Radiohead on their phone. Not browse the intertubes or download the latest pull my finger app from the increasingly cluttered list of crap that is itunes app store.

The Mac tablet is not in past form as i define it, which is to say post Jobs return, successful past form. Apple will flog the hell out of a tablet when they work out a compelling way to sell one. At the moment no one has yet come up with that way. The purple 2 platform evolved out of tablet R&D if a certain 'wired' article is to be believed. Which means the capability is there, just not the desire.

Anyway peace to all you nano phone haters, tis the season and all that. Now off you trot to Gap to buy black turtlenecks for when you're sitting in the Macworld presentation like a good little droid.

M.
 
Oh and i'm using != as this session is going through a couple of remote access sessions in order for me to access the tubes and i can't be a**ed working out the mappings of this piece of PC rubbish.
 
Why would Apple take on the burden to create something that's ostensibly just another iPod?

Where's the benefit to Apple? Why bother with cell companies, and contracts and other obligations when the only revenue stream on this device is iTunes music?
 
cellocello said:
Why would Apple take on the burden to create something that's ostensibly just another iPod?

Where's the benefit to Apple? Why bother with cell companies, and contracts and other obligations when the only revenue stream on this device is iTunes music?
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For one thing you are assuming that the new phone must use different software, different apps, etc.

It's entirely possible though that it will have the same screen resolution, just a smaller screen.

It's also possible that it will simply be an ipod nano with a basic telephone interface.

As others have said, this is a HUGE untapped market for Apple would be stupid to ignore now that they have built up a massive following for the iphone.

Remember that people poo-poo'd the idea of an iPod shuffle for many of the same reasons you describe and Apple released it anyway and continues to update it.

The only product market I see Apple getting out of any time soon is the hard drive media player market.
 
cellocello said:
Why would Apple take on the burden to create something that's ostensibly just another iPod?

Where's the benefit to Apple? Why bother with cell companies, and contracts and other obligations when the only revenue stream on this device is iTunes music?
Click to expand...

Because iPod sales have been relatively static over the last year and no one seems to be predicting a great big increase in growth going forward.

Apple has to ensure that music phones do not get a foothold, they won't be able to do that with the iPhone, it's simply too expensive when competing with free.

BOM (sorry my figures are old ie. 2007) was $82 for an 8GB nano. The components that turn that into a phone are, speaker, mic, 3G modem, GSM voice stack. That costs around $20.

Double that to $200 for a nice healthy margin and then have Cell phone companies give it away for free.

If Apple thought as you do, we'd all still be toting $400 full sized ipods and Sandisk or someone would own 50% of the mp3 player business.

M.
 
Well, to me, all this iPhone Nano chatter sounds a lot like the "Apple should build a mid-range, headless tower" chatter.

- They could pull in so many new customers.
- Lots of people just want a simple computer tower.
- iMacs are too expensive.
- Apple should get in there before other mid-tower makers get a foothold on the market.

It's all the same reasoning - and I don't believe Apple's going to make a mid-tower any time soon, either.

The iPhone will just keep getting cheaper (and more colourful) as a way to attract more customers. I mean, sure, an iPhone Nano could maybe happen - I just doubt it.
 
cellocello said:
Well, to me, all this iPhone Nano chatter sounds a lot like the "Apple should build a mid-range, headless tower" chatter.

- They could pull in so many new customers.
- Lots of people just want a simple computer tower.
- iMacs are too expensive.
- Apple should get in there before other mid-tower makers get a foothold on the market.

It's all the same reasoning - and I don't believe Apple's going to make a mid-tower any time soon, either.

The iPhone will just keep getting cheaper (and more colourful) as a way to attract more customers. I mean, sure, an iPhone Nano could maybe happen - I just doubt it.
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The mid range tower thing is easy to explain away though. Apple is a consumer appliance company, they've never been keen on home hobbyist stuff. They'll sell you a mac mini or an iMac and when it's not big enough for you, they want to sell you a new one. They don't want you slapping a new graphics card, cpu, hard drive in there. If they thought they could get away with it on the Mac Pro they probably would. A mid tower would be another run t of the litter, just like mac mini, because only a tiny subset of Apple's customer base would buy it.

They can't live by iPhone alone if they want to break out of the 7% that is the smartphone market. If they don't do that then where's the next big revenue stream to come from, it's not new ipods (market is reaching maturity), Mac's (Coming along nicely but that ain't enough to please the shareholders) or next brand new shiny widget (always a risk if you don't know what the market is).

As Steveo said, no price umbrellas. Sure it's not going to be as cheap as a motorola payg that costs £25 with a free £10 credit, We're talking about nokia's 5310 or similar, that is given away free with a contract or can be bought for £100+.

It's physically impossible for Apple to build an iPhone as cheap as Nokia can build a candy phone. Hence there'll be something in the low end. Question has and always will be when.

M.
 
Michael CM1 said:
I'll throw my 2 cents in again and say that a theoretical "iPhone Nano" would likely be the same form factor as the iPhone 3G with some of the guts stripped out. Take out the 3G and GPS and basically make it an iPod Touch with a phone. I don't know how much the 3G data circuits and voice circuits are meshed into one, but that's the idea behind what I would do.

If a model like that was available, I'd have my parents on one as soon as they were eligible for an upgrade at $99 or less.
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You mean like the phone that they ALREADY MADE? Good job there
 
TurboSC said:
you gotta love Photoshop... some people are just so gullible it's ridiculous. I guess that's the fun in Apple rumors...
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Maybe you'll realize that we heard the same things about the new ipod nano, which was also leaked via case details before making statements about people being gullible.
 
TurboSC said:
you gotta love Photoshop... some people are just so gullible it's ridiculous. I guess that's the fun in Apple rumors...
Click to expand...

Hey guys... the MacTablet in my sig? It's not really a "soon". I have it already. I caught Steve in the elevator of 3 Infinite Loop and to shut me up about it he gave me one, but I have to tell you all!

He looks short because he's down on his knees begging me not to release the photo.
 
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