iPhone nano is coming October 2008, here's my thinking >>
A picture says 1000 words, in this case 2000.
Same great design, only smaller. Why mess with perfection right?
The Smartphone's the one on the left. You know, QWERTY keyboard, WiFi, internet etc.
(iPhone nano uses a T9 software keypad - just like the Prada)
Same great design, only smaller. Why mess with perfection right?
The Smartphone's the one on the left. You know, QWERTY keyboard, WiFi, internet etc.
(iPhone nano uses a T9 software keypad - just like the Prada)
Comments
Also typing maybe a bit hard if the layout and proportion of the keypad is the same as iphones. Some people alreadyb moan about typing on the current model. It would maybe have to be landscape typing only so that the usability isnt jeapordised.
Easy solved. Use a stylus by adding InkWell support. I'd prefer that actually. I can scribble on my UIQ phone quicker than I can use T9.
Easy solved. Use a stylus by adding InkWell support. I'd prefer that actually. I can scribble on my UIQ phone quicker than I can use T9.
yikes. I cringe at the thought of a stylus. I think "Yuck" is a direct quote from steve jobs concerning how Apple feels about the idea of a stylus. I'm with bav. in thinking that a qwerty keyboard would pop up in landscape mode.
Cost-wise, the 2008 component costs should be half to 2/3rds of 2007. The 8 GB storage certainly should be half its current costs by Summer 2008. The screen is probably more like 2/3rds. Everything else should be somewhere in between. So, it'll cost something like $100 to $150 to make, putting it somewhere between $200 to $250.
For the higher end iPhones, there are lots of things to differentiate the two: 16+ GB storage; GPS; UMTS / HSPA; 3+ MP camera with flash, auto-focus etc; faster processors; more RAM; more microphones & speakers; larger displays in the 3.8" range at 600x400 resolution; and different / more applications.
And yeah, I cringe at the thought of a stylus.
yikes. I cringe at the thought of a stylus. I think "Yuck" is a direct quote from steve jobs concerning how Apple feels about the idea of a stylus. I'm with bav. in thinking that a qwerty keyboard would pop up in landscape mode.
Sometimes you need the precision, especially with a small screen. I'm not suggesting they move away from their finger driven interface but it'd be nice to use both.
I'd say "Yuck" for a keyboard of any sort personally. There's already too many buttons on the iPhone.
And the whole point of the iPhone is that it is a multi-purpose device.
- Storage
- Processor/RAM
- GPS
- camera quality
- Business ready; Exchange/Notes compatible (ActiveSync)
- Maybe the Radio (2.5G vs. 3G)
Some things I feel should be extended to all models regardless of price:
- video recording
- Flash support
- Screen quality
- mic and general audio quality
- Airport
As far as functionality goes it should definatley retain most if not all of the multi touch functions we saw on iphone. It all depends really just how small the device itself would be.
If anything were to be downgraded in terms of hardware I would have thought it would be the internal memory and maybe the picture album.
After putting some thought into it, going smaller on the screen size will affect usability, specifically in text input.
It does. But I think the iPhone "nano" should be in the "normal" cell phone type of form factor, as opposed to a "smarthphone." By normal, I mean 1.8 to 2 inches in width. About half an inch less wide as the current iPhone. Virtually the entire world is used to this type of form factor for their cell phone, so it's a usability factor from another point of view: how well a cell phone fits into one's pocket or purse.
The current iPhone is large by cell phone sizes, and I think it's very important for the "nano" to feel like a cell phone as opposed to a "smartphone".
The original post also said T9 as the text entry method. That sounds about right. 90% of the world uses T9 for text entry in cell phones, and it should be a no brainer. With a GUI, Apple can also implement a T9 interface with some additional buttons not on current phones. This can actually enhance T9 usability. So, it's not a bad idea.
It's not trivial to do though, like the iPod nano and classic is, because some applications have to be redesigned for a smaller screen. So, Apple would have to try their utmost to put in as large a screen as possible in the form factor. If they can make the bezels 0.1 inches thin (or 1/8 of an inch), they can squeeze a 3-3.2" screen in there. That'll surely be a big big win in the features list for phones in the $200 to $250 price range.
Sorry. But Apple has a knack for creating innovative products. There is NOTHING the least bit innovative, and most of it is just a worse delivery of something the company has already done right. In some respect I do see where the market would support this product, but I say leave it to the other companies to deliver (most of them already have, or will be launching that product in the next few months)
It took a long time between the original release of the iPod and the iPod mini (around 2.5 years).
And the whole point of the iPhone is that it is a multi-purpose device.
Huh? That makes zero sense. The iPod can do more than nano can, well at least it used to be more obvious. That doesn't stop the nano from being the worlds most popular mp3 player. In it's current incarnation, even if the iPhone was available in every country in the world, not carrier locked and contract- free it still wouldn't have a hope of being the worlds number one phone, simply because of it's price. The iPhone nano is absolutely going to sell more units than the iPhone because of its smaller cost, and when Apple leaves WiFi / Internet out in its first incarnation that alone will get many people looking towards the iPhone, and those who can't afford one will still get the nano because it will be the coolest regular phone on the planet.
iPhone nano is coming, that much is certain.
The iPhone nano is absolutely going to sell more units than the iPhone because of its smaller cost, and when Apple leaves WiFi / Internet out in its first incarnation that alone will get many people looking towards the iPhone, and those who can't afford one will still get the nano because it will be the coolest regular phone on the planet.
iPhone nano is coming, that much is certain.
I agree apart from leaving 'Internet' out. Wifi maybe but not internet. All phones have internet access via at least GPRS.
The trick with an iPhone Nano is solving text input in a form factor that is too small for a QWERTY keyboard but otherwise I think it'll have exactly the same software as the iPhone today which is still feature light. What they need to do is add software to the iPhone, not take it away to make it a nano.
Like with computers, I don't see Apple going after the low end of cell phones. There isn't any money to be had there. The phone Ireland has shown looks like a poor value to me with limited features and a steep price. Most cell phone buyers would expect that phone to be free.
The multi touch feature isn't that useful unless you're browsing the net, which that phone looks incapable of doing. As I understand it, and I could be wrong, Apple gets revenue from Google when someone clicks an add using google search from the iPhone. If so I would expect all apple cell phones to have robust internet capabilities. It's what sets the iPhone apart from the rest.
Sorry. But Apple has a knack for creating innovative products. There is NOTHING the least bit innovative, and most of it is just a worse delivery of something the company has already done right. In some respect I do see where the market would support this product, but I say leave it to the other companies to deliver (most of them already have, or will be launching that product in the next few months)
There is no point in Apple putting in the time and resources for creating innovative products if they don't capitalize on the innovations.
Now the product as outlined in the first post was wrong, and I agree that an iPhone "nano" with those feature has no point. A prospective iPhone "nano" must have Internet (Safari, Mail, Youtube, Google Maps, etc.) on EDGE/WIFI. There's no doubt about it. Apple has strategic interests with Webkit/Safari, AJAX (and not Flash), H.264/MP4 (and not FLV), AAC (and not WMV) and adding another 20m users using the standards they promote is vitally important.
What's the market? Affordability. This will give Apple a chance to sell 30 million iPhones a year rather than 10m. $200 dollars is way more affordable than $400. $50/month for EDGE is way more affordable than say $70/month for UMTS/HSPA over 24 months. Assuming there will be a breakdown like that between an old and paid for EDGE data network compared to a new and expanding UMTS/HSPA data network.
Frankly I don't see this product, as Ireland has described it, as happening.
Agree. It must be like the existing iPhone (with just one storage option of 8 GB) and have all of its capability including EDGE/WiFi, but in a smaller form factor.
Like with computers, I don't see Apple going after the low end of cell phones. There isn't any money to be had there. The phone Ireland has shown looks like a poor value to me with limited features and a steep price. Most cell phone buyers would expect that phone to be free.
The original concept as laid out, yes. But if it is just the current iPhone in a smaller, cell phone sized form factor (4x2 inches), I think it would be of great value and strategically very important. It's not low-end, but mid-range. It's virtually a required move in my mind if Apple wants to proliferate the standards it supports.
As far as money is concerned, Apple can make oodles and oodles of it selling a "mid-range" $200-$250 phone. Additionally, more importantly, a revenue sharing model with its exclusive carriers could net Apple another $400 to $500.
The multi touch feature isn't that useful unless you're browsing the net, which that phone looks incapable of doing.
They can put a 3" 3:2 screen into a 4x2 inch form factor. And at that size, it would be quite usable in virtually all of the apps that the iPhone has. There probably needs to be some changes to certain apps, but definitely usable.
The QWERTY soft keyboard looks to be a non-starter in portrait orientation, but a T9+ is definitely doable, and QWERTY in landscape mode is doable.
Like with computers, I don't see Apple going after the low end of cell phones. There isn't any money to be had there.
Please excuse me while I laugh to sleep...
The original concept as laid out, yes. But if it is just the current iPhone in a smaller, cell phone sized form factor (4x2 inches), I think it would be of great value and strategically very important. It's not low-end, but mid-range. It's virtually a required move in my mind if Apple wants to proliferate the standards it supports.
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Browsing on anything smaller than the current iPhone wouldn't be a very enjoyable experience IME. The current iPhone form factor is as small as it can get and still have a decent browsing experience.
While it would be nice for Apple to have a cheaper entry level phone, its difficult to come up with one that has the enough features to even justify paying for. The phone Ireland showed is nice looking but who would pay for phone and mp3 player when most carriers give those away?