iPhone speculation heats up around mysterious Best Buy entries

[AppleInsider]

With Apple-related news grinding to a halt near week's end, some are scraping the bottom of the barrel and pointing to some unusual entries in Best Buy's inventory system as potential placeholders for Apple's next-gen iPhones.

Mobile site the phoneArena has published a screen capture (below) of the electronics retailer's inventory system passed on by a store employee showing conspicuous references to an unidentified trio of AT&T devices listed under the moniker "Project Charlie."

There's nothing that ties the entries to Apple or an iPhone, though some speculate that the references may align with some form of code-naming convention by which the third-generation iPhone would be given the "Charlie" nickname using the phonetic alphabet.

With roughly three weeks to go before the next time Apple will host an event (WWDC) suited for new product introductions, it's highly unlikely that Best Buy would have any first-hand knowledge of the company's iPhone plans.

That said, Best Buy is just one of two independent third-party U.S. retailers authorized to sell and activate the touchscreen handsets, with Wal-Mart serving as the other. It may therefore be prepping its inventory system for three new models based on assumptions that Apple will again offer its third-gen iPhones in two capacities with a dual color option at the top of the line.



It's surely no secret that new iPhone hardware is due in the coming weeks, with analysts and bloggers recently facing off in their predictions on whether the devices will make their appearance at Apple's annual developers conference during the second week or June or turn up several weeks later.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[teckstud]

...the plot thickens.
Project Charlie?

[saarek]

Really scraping the barrel here, there is no real evidence to support this, why even bother posting?

[OriginalMacRat]

Originally Posted by saarek

Really scraping the barrel here, there is no real evidence to support this, why even bother posting?

Because AppleInsider needs the ad views.

[paxman]

Originally Posted by saarek

Really scraping the barrel here, there is no real evidence to support this, why even bother posting?

The answer lies in the very first sentence of the piece...

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by saarek

Really scraping the barrel here, there is no real evidence to support this, why even bother posting?

Because with Apple's secrecy it could be true. This could be 3 models of difference capacities that will sold the day of the WWDC. It's the secrecy that gives rise to the possibilities.

[soundsgoodtome]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

With roughly three weeks to go before the next time Apple will host an event (WWDC) suited for new product introductions, it's highly unlikely that Best Buy would have any first-hand knowledge of the company's iPhone plans.

Huh? "Highly unlikely"? So, if -- just if -- Apple were planning to announce at WWDC that new iPhones are available "today" or "soon," you don't think an authorized reseller, who'll be adding tens of thousands of the devices to its inventory, would know about it, three weeks in advance?

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

with analysts and bloggers recently facing off in there predictions...

You meant: "with analysts and bloggers recently facing off in their predictions...."

[sandau]

iPhone 3.0 made in the super secret factory in Vietnam?

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by sandau

iPhone 3.0 made in the super secret factory in Vietnam?

Sorry Charlie.

[Constable Odo]

This is some pretty vague stuff to be considered any form of news about new iPhones.

[akf2000]

hahahahhahaah i LOVE these articles, all that stuff about Charlie being the 3rd letter in the phonetic alphabet hahahahah much better than the Phystar stuff.

[al_bundy]

best buy is also going to sell the Pre come first week of June. and there are stories of multiple models for different carriers

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by al_bundy

best buy is also going to sell the Pre come first week of June. and there are stories of multiple models for different carriers

Pre come?

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Pre come?

Gawd.

[dizzy13]

If it is the iPhone that could mean a WWDC announce / release vs the announce then release a month later. Too bad I don't think that will come true.

[PG4G]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Pre come?

Just getting a little excited at the possibility of Steve's return I suspect.

[hillstones]

Wow, what a load of crap. AT&T does sell other phones besides an iPhone. Of course some are dumb enough to believe it.

[Olternaut]

If this is pointing toward iphone models and not anything else then it would mean that the media tablet will not be shown at the WWDC.
Perhaps at another event it will be shown which should coincide to when Steve Jobs is known to be coming back.

[macinthe408]

If you add up each digit in the Item number and then divide by 5 (number of letters in 'Apple'), you get the model name of the iPhone in question (after adding 5,633 to the result). Convert the first digit to an 'M' (Apple model numbers usually start with an 'M').

On a related note, who watched the 'Lost' finale?

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by hillstones

Wow, what a load of crap. AT&T does sell other phones besides an iPhone. Of course some are dumb enough to believe it.

Right- it's 3 other new AT&T 3G phones that run a SlingPlayer Mobile application .

[mstone]

I love how the screen shot says 'Artist Description'.

Not that they just repurposed their CD catalog software or anything?

[ivan.rnn01]

"scrap-p-ping the bot-t-tom of the bar-r-rel"
Khm... Love pretty much how it's said! Exactly so. Exactly so.

[Olternaut]

Originally Posted by macinthe408

If you add up each digit in the Item number and then divide by 5 (number of letters in 'Apple'), you get the model name of the iPhone in question (after adding 5,633 to the result). Convert the first digit to an 'M' (Apple model numbers usually start with an 'M').

On a related note, who watched the 'Lost' finale?

No lost finale spoilers please. I'm taping the whole season.

[akf2000]

PLEASE no Lost spoilers, it doesn't air in the UK until Sunday night.

[Pooch]

i live less than two blocks from the moscone center (where the wwdc will be held in a few weeks). i just walked by and there was a homeless guy holding a sign stating his name was david and that he needed *cash*.

i'm guessing that may align with some form of code-naming convention by which <some new apple device> will be given the "David" nickname using the phonetic alphabet and for which they'll charge a hefty sum.

[ivan.rnn01]

There's reason behind speculations about "Charlie". The new part (model) number will most probably be "MCxxxxx".
But, Goodness, what a little they all have to speak out!

[akf2000]

You guys are being harsh, this article does contain data, and could almost be thought of as 'information'.

[charlituna]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

It's surely no secret that new iPhone hardware is due in the coming weeks,

because what. they released new phones the last two years. so of course they have to release a new phone this year.

what I find interesting is that this time last year it was a headache and a half to find a store that had phones in. and it seems that shipments had already stopped.

but I went to my local store to pick up some software and they had like 10 phone sales in progress when I walked in and two more (including one for 5 phones) start while I was there. and my best friend walked right into another store with no worries to buy phones for herself and her husband.

makes you wonder why they didn't plan to sell out early against so folks would have the big jones for the 'new phone' when it will of course be announced (if not released) in 3 weeks

Originally Posted by Olternaut

If this is pointing toward iphone models and not anything else then it would mean that the media tablet will not be shown at the WWDC.

??? love that logic. if they release a new phone they won't release anything else new. did the new imacs stop them from releasing a new mac pro tower, a new mini or (gasp) the 17inch macbook pro at the same time. no.

IF, and I mean that every every strongly, there is a new netbook/tablet releasing it or at least announcing it, at the same time as a new phone would make total sense. because said device would be 3g capable if it was to be any good. so the two fit together beautifully.

but as I inferred above, I'm siding with the folks that believe that Best Buy is making an assumption, much like a great deal of the public that there has to be new phones cause there were last year.

[quinney]

Originally Posted by al_bundy

best buy is also going to sell the Pre come first week of June. and there are stories of multiple models for different carriers

spoilsport

[DimMok]

In Mexico...Project Carlos? he

[lopsided]

Apple rarely overlaps its major product announcements, this way each product gets it's own clear attention in the media. WWDC will be all about Snow Leopard. There will be no major hardware announcements out of WWDC. Apple knows that this is their one shot at blunting Microsoft's Windows 7 product that has already gotten lots of good press. Apple needs to make a clear distinction between how solid and reliable 10.6 is vs. the Vista bug-fix known as Windows 7.

New iPhones will be announced at a separate event in late June or early July.

[kill8joy]

Charlie? as in "Alph, Bravo, Charlie..." A, B, C - 1 2 3

Charlie = 3rd Gen iPhone?

[t0mat0]

Originally Posted by lopsided

Apple rarely overlaps its major product announcements, this way each product gets it's own clear attention in the media. WWDC will be all about Snow Leopard. There will be no major hardware announcements out of WWDC. Apple knows that this is their one shot at blunting Microsoft's Windows 7 product that has already gotten lots of good press. Apple needs to make a clear distinction between how solid and reliable 10.6 is vs. the Vista bug-fix known as Windows 7.

New iPhones will be announced at a separate event in late June or early July.

But WWDC is only showing off Snow Leopard, like Leopard was shown off at WWDC 2007. THey're not going to be releasing 10.6 at WWDC. Apple "announced" the product at WWDC2008 a year ago. They're going to be giving a beta update at WWDC 2009, and depending on how it goes, a rough release date (Q3).
There will be an iPhone hardware announcement like there was last year. Announcement, but not release at WWDC, but likely giving a release date a week or so after.

[hillstones]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Right- it's 3 other new AT&T 3G phones that run a SlingPlayer Mobile application .

I see more commercials for AT&T and the LG phone than I do for the iPhone.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by hillstones

I see more commercials for AT&T and the LG phone than I do for the iPhone.

I saw a new full page add yesterday in NY papers this week for AT&T's new Nokia's 3G phone.
They keep adding and adding more 3G phones and netbooks to their already lousy network.

[addabox]

Man, I'm still stunned that it turned out Hugo is the Smoke Monster and that he came from outer space a thousand years ago.










Just kiddin'

[axual]

Okay, okay ... I've come up with something here ...

I've converted the letters in Charlie to their sequence number in the alphabet. Adding these up equals 56. Divide this number by the number of letters in Charlie and you get 8. This just amazingly happens to be 2 the 3rd power. Hmm, the power of 3? Three iPhones perhaps? Yes, YES ... and the number two coincidentally has the same number of letters as the word JOBS .. IF ... you subtract the result by taking the total number of letters in Steve (5) and then subtract the number of letters in Jobs (4) which equals 1.

That's it!!!!! Steve Jobs is going to preview 3 new iPhones!!!! and that happens to be the number of entries in the Best Buy pricing scheme. Robert Langdon probably has an iPhone.

or not.

[ncjettaboy]

If you go to BestBuy.com and type in the item number for the Samsung Rugby phone, it pulls up the same info on their website. It appears somewhat legit. Some of the other item numbers come up also except for the Charlie 1, 2 and 3.

[CU10]

Pic of Oolong the Rabbit at http://morgan.scotblogs.wooster.edu/...y_pancake1.jpg

Originally Posted by paxman

The answer lies in the very first sentence of the piece...

LOL. And we comment anyway.

[P L]

I see I'm not the only one with a short attention span