Is Apple banking on HSBC to solve the iPhone keyboard conundrum?

Davey Winder
Friday, 15 August 2008 15:34

Your IT - Mobility

This is already causing quite a stir ahead of the official release later this month, and much has been written about its potential as an iPhone killer.

Apple could, however, be tackling one of the major complaints head on: the lack of a full 'hard' QWERTY keyboard.

While there has been much speculation about Apple releasing a corporate iPhone complete with a 'proper' keyboard, there has been little actual proof. Kewney, however, does mention that some operators "notably Vodafone" have "received prototype iPhones with pullout keyboards."

Quite how they, and others, will react if HSBC goes ahead and places a massive order within the corporate sphere for iPhones with the virtual keyboard remains to be seen. Much will depend on whether, I suspect, Apple views this as the go-ahead to scrap any plans it might have to release the iPhone-Business model.