iPhone (Nano?), Smaller Shuffle and Cheaper MacBook in 2009?

[idannyb]

honestly... what i think would make an excellent iPhone nano, would to make it a non-smart phone.

Take iPhone 3G

strip out GPS
strip out App store (otherwise the screen size/resolution HAS to be the same, making decresing the size impossible)

Basically... it wouldnt have any more functionality then your regular cell phone. So it would pretty much be your new "krazr" or "*insert other popular cell phone teens are crazy for*"

Since it'd be made by apple it would still most likely be a ton better then all the cell phones in its class.

The beautiful part is they could sell this for like 100 maybe 150 dollars without a contract. I can honestly see it happening.

#1 reason i dont own an iPhone is I dont need a smart phone, and i dont want to spend tons of money each month. All i use my current cell phone for is texting, and calling. I dont need/want any more then that. But if this iPhone nano came out I would buy it because it wouldnt cost me bundle and i'd love to own an iPhone.
ATM i simply just bought an iPod touch, its kinda like owning an iPhone

You're on to something ...

This is guesswork but … This all begins to make more sense if you consider that the Nano iPhone might have been specially built for China Mobile.

There are many reasons why a “Nano” iPhone does not make any sense … yet there are reasons why it might fly in the Far East . Consider that this could be a “customized” (see link re customization) model designed in concert with China Mobile (no wifi, no app store, no mobile me, no itunes, etc.). This model would be compatible with EDGE 2.5G and TD-SCDMA 3G and would support Monternet (China Mobile’s VAS platform). China Mobile is subsidizing all “TD ready” handsets authorized in China. Of China Mobile’s 400+ million users, approximately 290 million are pre-paid users (no contract). Many pre-pay users aspire to iPhone but cannot afford without a price incentive (China Mobile subsidy to go on contract). The Nano iPhone may also be available “unlocked” at a slightly higher price-point. Bottom line … a Nano TD iPhone (locked or unlocked) might be in reach for hundreds of millions of pre-pay users in China.

While building any customized model for a carrier is totally out of character for Apple, consider that showing support for China’s TD-SCDMA is Apple’s prerequisite entry fee to China’s official telecom market. The Nano may even be pre-sold in quantity to China Mobile for their inventory. Yet I do not believe Apple signed an exclusive with China Mobile. The next deal will be with China Unicom. This will be for a more standard (full size) iPhone 3G supporting W-CDMA 3G.

More relevant news ... China MIIT issued all three (3G) licenses to China's wireless carriers TODAY!

Guesswork on iPhone deals in PRC:

I look for two (2) official iPhone deals in People's Republic of China -

1) TD-SCDMA iPhone for China Mobile (could be the Nano iPhone). China Mobile's deal is likely to be announced first and possibly as soon as MacWorld 2009 ... It would be fun to have Steve Jobs and Wang Jianzhou beamed in live on the big-screen from China to make the announcement ... a nice "one more thing" dove tail off of Phil Shiller's Keynote.

2) iPhone for China Unicom (W-CDMA) may not be announced for several months.

More >
http://idannyb.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/official-iphone-3g-in-china-coming-soon-we-think-so/
http://idannyb.wordpress.com/2008/0...centure-to-assist-with-td-handset-acceptance/
http://idannyb.wordpress.com/2008/12/16/new-full-size-iphone-may-address-the-prepaid-market/

 

[SactoGuy18]

I'm not sure if a smaller iPod shuffle is a good idea. The fact that Sandisk's SANSA Clip has sold very well shows that customers actually want some sort of display on their very small player, and I for one would love to see Apple offer a minimal display on the iPod shuffle so it can compete against the like of the SANSA Clip.

 

[Harmless Abuse]

Yup...<cough>...msi windbook...<cough> $350..runs OS X...<cough>....

I fiddled with a Windbook a while back.

That was before the wireless was fixed, not sure if audio has been fixed yet, but it worked great!

I'm content with my Aspire One for now though. I like OS X, I don't like OS X prices, and I have nothing against Windows. Perhaps in a couple of years I'll invest in the current most hackable netbook that can run OS X.

 

[Peterpanhub]

I'm the one who decided to buy one (Macbook).

This topic makes me getting crazy. Very Very

As i read from first to last, i saw 100 difference ideas and 1,000 difference questions

I would not believe any rumors until the coming of MacWorld 2009.

But this topic is so great for me (Thanks all) ...it is because to make me thinking twice to buy MB due to the economic's situation.

 

[Eso]

*Facepalm*

If these iPhone nano rumors turn out to be true, which I'm seriously doubting, I think something around an iPod touch with phone and SMS included.

I think everyone can agree that what we really want to see is an iPod Touch with a phone component. I'm thinking they will call it the iPod Phone. Or better yet, the iPhone...

it would have to support app store though b/c apple is making a LOT of money on apps.

...

2) the ipod/touch/iphone product line is starting to get too compressed. an iphone nano would be pretty darn similar to a touch. the only thing i could imagine is if they got rid of the current touch and replaced it with this iphone nano

Exactly - 90% of the speculation of what an iPhone Nano would be is just the current iPhone without 3G (which has nothing to do with having a required data plan, by the way). People need to "think outside of the box" as they say. If an iPhone Nano does come out, it will be significantly different than either the iPhone or the iPod Touch. It will not have apps, safari, email. If it comes with WiFi it's sole purpose will be for the iTunes WiFi store.

If you want apps (or argue Apple is making a lot of money on them), you already have sufficient options, the iPhone 3G or the iPod Touch. When you have 3rd party apps on your phone, it's called a "smart phone", get it? When you can check your email and browse the full web on your phone, it's called a "smart phone", alright? If the iPhone Nano is a non-smart phone like most people are speculating, it will not have these features, WiFi or not.

The only circumstance where this would not be the case is if it the iPhone Nano would turn out to be not a second model, but the next generation of the iPhone (replacing the 3G), in which case it will absolutely have all those features. Of course the data plan would still apply.

 

[Santabean2000]

The shuffle is an amazingly small and wonderful ipod already...I'm sure it CAN get smaller, I'm just not sure why it would need to be smaller. You need to have room for the headphone jack for sure. Other buttons can be made smaller for sure (see the new Apple in-ear head phones with remote and mic).

Perhaps the're going to make the ear piece the music player its self..?

 

[puffnstuff]

Perhaps the're going to make the ear piece the music player its self..?

My god that would suck


I like this

 

[firewood]

No apps

Not sure what a smaller "Nano" would bring to the iPhone market. Making the screen smaller just makes it more difficult to use and it might require software developers to create multiple versions...

Easy. The iPhone Nano won't run apps. Rather than being a cut down iPhone, it will be a souped-up iPod Nano. Scroll wheel instead of a touch screen. Add a cell phone radio, microphone, speaker, larger battery, a ringer switch, and not much more. Dial with the scroll wheel, or sync with iTunes/MobileMe to upload ones music and phone book. They could even do SMS using a scroll wheel.

The iPod Nano sells very well. Add a cell phone option to the Nano that doesn't require a data plan, and lots of people who can't afford a regular iPhone will snap one up. Apple's cell phone market share will balloon.


.

 

[bête noire]

Either way, I've decided to not open my iPhone if I can stand it and wait until Tuesday . . . My only question now is if there is any repurcussion if I wait another week to open and call AT&T to activate the phone or if I'm fine just waiting.

Call them and ask if it's OK if you don't call them.

 

[pysl]

How much smaller can they make the iPod Shuffle? If it gets too small, there won't be space for the keys.

maybe there are no keys! Just shake the Shuffle in different directions for next, previous, stop, vol.

 

[Demosthenes X]

My god that would suck


I like this

I think that would be neat if it also acted like a digital picture frame, so when it was in standby mode it would show your snapshots. I see plenty of "keyring" digital picture frames for sale for $20... could be a neat functionality.

Easy. The iPhone Nano won't run apps. Rather than being a cut down iPhone, it will be a souped-up iPod Nano. Scroll wheel instead of a touch screen. Add a cell phone radio, microphone, speaker, larger battery, a ringer switch, and not much more. Dial with the scroll wheel, or sync with iTunes/MobileMe to upload ones music and phone book. They could even do SMS using a scroll wheel.

I can see an iPod nano-based iPhone, but if they go that route, it will have to have more than the click wheel. Entering new numbers and texting with only the wheel would be impossible, and counter-intuitive. Apple's mantra is ease of use - a scroll wheel is great for browsing, but a terrible interface for entering data.

I'm not stressing much about how they'll do it. People keep raising "how will it work" as a reason the nano cannot happen... to that I say, Apple has teams of very well trained engineers working on solving problems just like that. The iPhone's data-entry medium was revolutionary - I'm sure Apple can handle entering data into an "iPhone nano" device.

I'm now thinking an iPhone nano form factor, but with the entire front touch-sensitive, but the bottom half would be just the number pad. When entering data, it would use a Blackberry Pearl-style keypad with two letters per key. Leastaways, that seems like a viable input option to me...

 

[pysl]

The shuffle is an amazingly small and wonderful ipod already...I'm sure it CAN get smaller, I'm just not sure why it would need to be smaller. You need to have room for the headphone jack for sure. Other buttons can be made smaller for sure (see the new Apple in-ear head phones with remote and mic).

Perhaps the're going to make the ear piece the music player its self..?

may not need headjack, can be wireless.

 

[therealdt]

price drop as in 100 bucks off. lol

as for the shuffle it's an ideal size, great for the gym

 

[uncdwm]

you guys are all losers posting on new year's eve about these rumors. oh wait...

 

[captnfun]

Steve Jobs has said over and over again through the years we're not interested in ..... (fill in the gap) only to have the product appear.. I think they will introduce a netbook, it will be the most expensive one on the market probably with something special to offer, thus setting it apart from other offerings..

I hope thats true, I'm still hoping for blu-ray. Anybody know how well blu-ray did for the holidays? I finally got one and now I have about 15 movies I can't watch on my laptop....

 

[wizard]

Ideas.

For the shuffle I could see Apple taking the USB dongle approach. This provides for a straighter approach to charging and data transfer. If Apple can implement new battery technology they could potentially half the size of the shuffle.

As to another iPhone model that is a given. The real question is just how much in the way of electronics Apple will be able to stuff in the little beast. Little because I'm accepting that the Nano rumors are in fact on target. In anyevent I don't know why people would think that Apple would stay in the market with just one phone. It isn't a one size fits all world.

As to a clam shell netbooks, I think the people that see these things as viable must be off their rockers. I would love to see a bigger iPhone and an even bigger tablet. The iPhone only ever so slightly to accomodate an HD ratio screen. That would be 16:9 or wider which should actually make for an extremely large iPhone. As for the tablet, how about an HD ratio device that has around a 6" diagonal on the screen. Look at an O'Reilly pocket reference for an approximate size. Actually the right size IPhone Nano and the right size tablet could work well together. The phone could act as the tablets data modem and communicate over BluTooth. That would give users access to telcos when WiFi isn't available but no separate contract.

In anyevent the next few weeks will be interesting!


Dave

 

[wizard]

Hey I blew the dust off my TV to watch the ball drop.

you guys are all losers posting on new year's eve about these rumors. oh wait...

Considering that it is like 9 degrees F outside right now and we are getting heavy lake effect snow I feel nice and warm inside.

Dave

 

[Ropedartman]

Another iPhone...

The 3G just came out, it is making tons of money. The App Store is a goldmine. Why would Apple cut into this? More market share? They are locked with AT&T and I can't see why they would do anything now while in that agreement. But I'm sure, if they do make an iPhone Nano...it'll be cool

 

[ebm14]

The Mc Donalding Apple

Apple is suppose to be an exclusive high end brand and not some cheap company. By making cheaper products the image will become like Mc Donalds
"cheap" and whatever for the buck. The Mini Mac was supposed to be the answer to a cheap Mac, nothing else. I think they are getting bored at being at the top rather quick.

A cheaper I Phone makes sense since it really isn't a computer, but it is kind of also destroying the brand's exclusiveness and freshness.

 

[MacsBestFriend]

all these are the makings of a great mw!!!

 

[therealdt]

Considering that it is like 9 degrees F outside right now and we are getting heavy lake effect snow I feel nice and warm inside.

Dave

Bingo. It's cold as hell, if that's even possible. I'm too old to out, anyway.

 

[Demosthenes X]

Apple is suppose to be an exclusive high end brand and not some cheap company. By making cheaper products the image will become like Mc Donalds

For the love of God, why won't this bloody argument die? Apple is not trying to be an "exclusive, high end brand". Their reasons for not making "cheap" computers are rooted in a desire not to "ship junk" (as per Steve Jobs), not in trying to be "exclusive" or "high end".

Apple wants to ship good computers. If they could make a good computer for $400, they would.

If you need proof, just look at the iPod shuffle. When it was introduced, Steve said they were going after the mid-level flash player market. And they priced it, not as an "exclusive", high-end device, but as a mass-market device. They smashed the competition in terms of storage and undercut them on price.

Apple is not trying to be "exclusive". They are simply trying to make the best product possible. Sometimes that means its priced higher than the competition. But that does not by default mean, if they can pull it off, they won't undercut the competition on price.

 

[alexbates]

My god that would suck


I like this

It looks awesome! If Apple really came out with something like this (and it has a touch screen and continues to have the clip on the back), I would be the first to buy it.

 

[BTW]

Not as skeptical about the Netbook and iPhone Nano.

I'd prefer a Tablet Mac instead of a Mac Netbook and an iPhone Flip with two screens instead of the proposed iPhone Nano.

A Mac Mini with a trackpad on it like a Macbook would be nice too.

 

[Patcoola]

this sounds stupid, who would by this really, and the screen well be so small it's unusable, like really what can you do on a small touch screen.