Say hello to the Apple iPhone soon

Stan Beer
Tuesday, 21 November 2006 02:51

IT Industry - Market

Apple as usual is still crammed up about the much discussed arrival of a hybrid mobile phone and music player, dubbed by the market as the iPhone. However, enough reports keep leaking out to suggest that the new device will be unveiled at MacWorld 2007 in San Francisco next January.

Last week, a report in the Commercial Times, a Taiwanese financial newspaper, claimed that contracted iPod manufacturer Foxconn had received an order to produce 12 million iPhones, Now analysts are speculating as to what shape the phone will be, as if its arrival is a fait accompli.

Apple has sold about 70 million iPods so far and the popular music player continues to sell at a rate of about 8 million a quarter. However, if the company can successfully make the transition into the cell phone space, which has about 2 billion users, its market would be dramatically expanded.

The entry into the mobile phones space could also enable Apple to take advantage of the subsidised payment plans offered by mobile carriers when users purchase phones under contracts. If so, this would be the first time a portable music player would be sold under such a scheme and it would open up the market to a much wider audience, young and old.

However, with Apple saying nothing, the iPhone is still just speculation, although the name itself has been registered by Apple.