iPhone nano rumors heating up, destined for Q4?

While analysts have been speculating that Apple may unleash a smaller (and cheaper) handset in the not too distant future in order to grab a sect of market share not interested in the relatively pricey iPhone, the rumors are seeming to gain traction. According to Kevin Chang, a JP Morgan analyst based in Taiwan, Apple is actually looking to "launch a cheaper version of the iPhone in the fourth quarter that could be based on its iPod nano music player." The report cited anonymous sources "in the supply channel" and also referenced the now-famed patent that suggests such a device could be materializing. Still, we'd highly recommend taking all of this in with a healthy heap of salt for the time being, but don't be incredibly shocked if your next iPod nano unexpectedly rings while you're stereotypically browsing through Gorillaz tracks.

[Thanks, Matt, image courtesy of InformationArchitects]

[david ray @ Jul 9th 2007 7:35PM]

How can they get all that over-hype in such a small package?

[Krolls @ Jul 10th 2007 5:49PM]

Trust me I have been hyping a small package for years. So far "sales figures" are better than expected

[John @ Jul 10th 2007 12:05AM]

hahaha oh wow.

best. reply. EVER.

[Duy @ Jul 9th 2007 7:36PM]

Yay! My dream! Really.

I hope this rumor is true. It'll be the iPod family and the iPhone family only this time spawning little touch-screen semi-smart phones that'll be free with activation (oh, I wish).

But yeah, sounds sweet.

[Xander @ Jul 9th 2007 7:38PM]

perhaps a phone-only iphone?

[Jay @ Jul 9th 2007 7:38PM]

Of Course it's coming Just in Time for the Holidays! Apple always offers the High End Product
first and then offers a Product for the Rest of us! History Repeats People! Think About it!

[Brien Mizell @ Jul 9th 2007 7:51PM]

yep, like the 20th anniversary mac ((high-end)10k) and the 30th anniversary mac(low-end)0k)... oh yeah that never delivered! nice try with the "ALWAYS".

[Jeremy Sjodin @ Jul 9th 2007 7:40PM]

I thought the current iPhone was based on the Nano. Steve said that the price was a combination of a smart phone and the most popular portable music player, the iPod Nano. Plus, how could something that small be usefull? They'd need to get rid of the home button and integrate the sensors/speaker into the crome at the top so the screen could be as large as possible.

[Duy @ Jul 9th 2007 7:49PM]

The only similarity I see with the current iPhone and iPod nano is its memory capacity, and I think that's what Mr. Jobs meant.

Size-wise, it's more like the regular old iPod, isn't it?

[Jeremy Sjodin @ Jul 10th 2007 12:09AM]

Yeah, you're right. Size wise it's like the iPod. I still don't think that a nano sized iPhone would make too much sense. Imagine trying to type on that small virtual keyboard.

[PynkFloydd @ Jul 9th 2007 7:45PM]

--singing- "Hey! Hey! iPhone! ...I don't like your boyfriend. No Way! No Way! ...I think you need a new one. Hey! Hey! iPhone! ...I could be your boyfriend. AT&T sucks AT&T sucks. Hey! Hey! iPhone! ...I know that you like me. No Way! No Way! ...I know it's not a secret. Hey! Hey! iPhone! ...I want to be your boyfriend! AT&T sucks AT&T sucks."

[Scooter @ Jul 9th 2007 8:06PM]

get a room!

[Tired_ @ Jul 9th 2007 8:54PM]

That song infringes on my copyrighted AT&T-hating. Expect a letter from my lawyers.

[Dan @ Jul 9th 2007 9:28PM]

You better be wearing a mini-skirt and knee socks.

[PynkFloydd @ Jul 9th 2007 9:50PM]

...so far I received a citation for public indecency, got sued and got sexually harassed by a member of the same sex. All in one comment! Thank you iPhone!

iPhone ruins peoples' lives...don't do iPhone...please...

[John @ Jul 10th 2007 12:19AM]

My mom knows I'd never hurt her. THEN SHE GOT IN THE WAY.



iPhone.
Not Even Once.

[Dustin Frazier @ Jul 9th 2007 7:51PM]

I hope they just change the size. I can't imagine what features they could remove form the already feature free iphone.

[Ireland @ Jul 9th 2007 8:23PM]

Well maybe you have no imagination? Here's what I imagined last week: http://www.flickr.com/photos/83512992@N00/718518654/

[Nick @ Jul 10th 2007 9:36AM]

@ireland

I personally say have dual typing functionality. T9 typing if you want to hold it vertical and QWERTY if you want to hold it horizontal. Kind of how they have the dual search functionality with the iPod mode. Virtical is lists.. and Landscape is Coverflow.

[Bill @ Jul 9th 2007 7:51PM]

I'm not buying this rumor. The phone is already quite small and relatively simplified. If it gets any more nano-like, there won't be much left to differentiate it from other phones.

It would make much more sense for Apple to release a "Pro" version of the phone with more robust business like features, more like a Blackberry, with 3G, full Exchange support, more options, etc., and better 3rd party software support.

But they are already pushing it on price, so they'd need to drop the price of this phone when that happens, and release the Pro version at no higher than the current iPhone price.

[Brien Mizell @ Jul 9th 2007 7:52PM]

based on the picture the nano will be for Cingular? Are they changing the name back to cingular for the iPhone nano? This is great marketing scheme!

[Jeremy K. @ Jul 9th 2007 7:52PM]

*cough* bullshit *cough*

[Rence @ Jul 9th 2007 7:53PM]

no no no no.. now we're going to get all this iphone nano crap for months on end???
Can't we please get an i-anything specific site and get all the stupid rumors on that site? I'm getting so damn tired of all that Apple stuff.

[MrGam3r @ Jul 9th 2007 8:22PM]

try the apple hater rss feed.

[KC @ Jul 9th 2007 9:35PM]

A shuffle iphone would dial numbers randomly. That would be cool.

[SteveMB @ Jul 9th 2007 7:55PM]

If I had to choose, I'd take the bigger piece of crap over this little piece of crap.

[MrGam3r @ Jul 9th 2007 8:20PM]

what if they released a shuffle iphone? what would that be? and teeny tiny piece of crap?

[Homeboy @ Jul 9th 2007 7:59PM]

Instead of launching a smaller why doesn't they focus on a Service Pack 1 for the iPhone in order to get rid of all the stupid functional limitations Steve Jobs has implemented on what could be the perfect phone.

[Jeff @ Jul 9th 2007 8:13PM]

I'm looking forward to the even smaller iPhone shuffle, which has no screen and calls a random person when you press talk.

[sr @ Jul 9th 2007 8:42PM]

Ha Ha!

[Chuckles McGee @ Jul 9th 2007 8:07PM]

Feel good...chugga chugga...feel good...

Gorillaz!

[J. Chung @ Jul 9th 2007 8:08PM]

Reminds me of that "iPhone shuffle" mock-up... You don't know who you're gonna call.

The thing is, what's going to happen to the actual iPods? Any upgrades?

[coldconfession13 @ Jul 9th 2007 8:09PM]

I can assure you that I can add something to this iphone stuff. Come december there will be a 3g iphone with a bigger capacity hard drive. I was told this info from the people at my work.

[sr @ Jul 9th 2007 8:42PM]

There is no hard drive in the iPhone. It is all flash memory.

[gpsxsirus @ Jul 17th 2007 3:07PM]

Unless you work at Apple the people at your work are only going off of rumors. That being said they better come out with a 3G unit, and soon like. Without that and some other improvements (better email support, mp3's set as ringtones, ect.) the iPhone is going to start to lose it's luster very quickly.

Though I don't pay much mind to rumors I do see a strategy for something like this. The iPhone interface is quite remarkable. It is possible that they had a nano-type (just mp3 player and cell phone)iPhone ready but realized just the interface alone wouldn't push sales. So they released an almost finished smart-phone version to generate revenues and beat MS to market. Now they can release the nano before the hype dies down and really capitalize on all the attention people have been giving to the interface. And they're left with time to make sure they get every feature in version 2 that should've gone into version 1.

[humpty @ Jul 9th 2007 8:08PM]

The problem is that the screen would be too freakin small for a USEFUL, completely touch interface. They would need buttons.. then it would just be an overpriced phone with a 2 year locked in plan.

[Mike Street @ Jul 9th 2007 8:16PM]

How about we don't want a new phone Apple and just give us the damn touch screen iPod already. I will not switch over to AT&T

[simplyjas @ Jul 9th 2007 8:25PM]

I can put money on this. A smaller iPhone will come out by Chirstmas time...

[Bobo @ Jul 9th 2007 8:32PM]

Jesus Jr. ?

[Constable Odo @ Jul 9th 2007 9:24PM]

Baby Jesus?

[Jason @ Jul 9th 2007 8:32PM]

Makes sense to produce a smaller version that has less features and a lower price. They will probably sell a higher volume and have a higher profit than the original.

[Fred @ Jul 9th 2007 8:37PM]

Don't you people get enough? Seriously iPhone coverage overload.

[sr @ Jul 9th 2007 8:41PM]

Isn't the iPhone a Nano with a phone tacked on and an admittedly innovative interface?

[Dismal @ Jul 9th 2007 8:46PM]

No thanks, I'm waiting for the iphone shuffle.

[Tim @ Jul 9th 2007 8:51PM]

Me too! Call a random person in your contact list!

[Jay Hash @ Jul 9th 2007 8:53PM]

From what I've heard of the problems with the regular iPhone release and function, I think that Apple and At&T should get their $#!t together on this one first before going ahead with a nano version. Whereas I think this post is bunk. First off, an analyst in Taiwan said this? What about an analyst in the country that actually distributes the iPhone? If an analyst actually got to play with an iPhone, they might think twice about the possibility of prophesying a nano release. Second, all these unnamed sources in the supply channel I have a hard time buying. I know this was the case for the first iPhone where everyone thought it was a lie, but someone leaking information from a no name supplier in Asia doesn't really have me yelling "Stars & garters! A Nano iPhone!". Trust me, you'll see it when you believe it.

~JYH

[sr @ Jul 9th 2007 10:23PM]

You're right. They are probably smart enough to get freakin' apps on the first iPhone and get it working well before a smaller version.

[Lyrrad @ Jul 10th 2007 12:32AM]

Taiwanese companies (with factories in China) manufacture the iphone for Apple, so the analyst might know what he's talking about.

[threepointone @ Jul 10th 2007 7:10AM]

BS at the moment. Unless it's also thicker or has worse battery life, I'm quite certain current technology does not allow the iPhone to get too much smaller than it is right now. Unless, of course, I'm underestimating the power savings a smaller screen will give. Or if the OS is signficantly less powerful.

Maybe in a year, but not anytime soon.

And honestly, I don't think the iPhone will sell too much further than this hype. I don't think apple has quite figured out that the mobile phone market is nothing like the DAP market. I suspct somethign really nasty is going to come out of their deal with at&t--probably something along the lines of unlocking phones, at&t/customers getting pissed, and other more restrictive cell phone providers (i.e. everyone but at&t) not allowing apple to use their network without serious restrictions.

Or maybe a lawsuit regarding broken glass.

It's all speculation of course. We'll see what happens.

[ScotteusMaximus @ Jul 9th 2007 9:09PM]

while there might be a new iPhone out toward christmas (european version?), i don't think it'll be called the iPhone nano. the video iPod and the nano differ in the storage capacity and medium, so the current iPhone is already more akin to a nano than a regular iPod. there's no way to make a 60 gig iPhone without making it cost an ungodly amount of money (flash memory) or killing the battery life (hard drive), and what would even be the point of a 2 gig iPhone?

plus, as some people have mentioned, typing is already hard enough on the iPhone keyboard. i shudder to think what it'll be like on a screen half the size, and i don't think apple will ditch the iPod functionality unless they ditch everything else because a processor that can run OSX is certainly powerful enough to decode MP3s.

imo, a stripped down iPhone would be nothing more than something that can make calls with a touch screen interface, and i don't think even apple could get away with charging a premium for that.