Add yet another report on the iPhone bandwagon, suggesting that Apple is developing a version that is less costly, smaller than its signature smartphones.
Most recent entries are courtesy of The WSJ to Wall Street, who says the new phone--codenamed N97 (no, not that N97)--will be sold to retailers at half the price of iPhone 4. This means that users of potential iPhone Nano/iPhone Mini could get the device free or nearly free, with a two-year contract. The WSJ also illuminates the fire under some elderly rumors about Mobile Me, iTunes online and a new social networking venture from Apple.
With all the rumors circulating about the next round of iPhone that you can get a little confusing to track who is saying what. So here's a handy FAQ as the rumor iPhone yearly guessing game continues.
What could be a mini-iPhone look like?
Now there are two entries about the appearance of the hypothetical mini-iPhone.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the mini-iPhone is half the size of the iPhone 4, have a screen from edge to edge and make a budget price. The WSJ reports that the mini-iPhone uses what it calls "based on the navigation entry" to enter commands--in other words, it reacts to the voice instructions. The current iPhone has limited the functionality of the voice commands, but it pales in comparison to voice commands available for Google Android devices.
Bloomberg said earlier, the mini-iPhone will be a third smaller (not half) than the current version, have no home button and it will have a price.
The mini-iPhone will have a camera FaceTime?
It is not yet clear whether a mini-iPhone, whether it is a third or half the size of the iPhone 4, could run the same applications that the iPhone doesn't. As for FaceTime, who knows? But if I had to guess, I'd say that an iPhone smaller, cheaper is not likely to have a camera FaceTime.
When will the iPhone-mini debut?
Current reports suggest a summer launch, possibly in June. This entry is not surprising because Apple introduces a new iPhone in June at its annual Developers Conference in the world.
Where would debut?
It is not clear whether Apple would launch says mini-iPhone in the United States and other Western countries, or if this phone is intended for the other regions of the globe. Apple might aim a mini-iPhone to consumers in economically less developed countries that can't afford the iPhone at higher price.
Dell has done something similar at the end of 2009 with his Mini 3 smartphone launched in China and Brazil.
Any other rumors about the mini-iPhone?
It is not clear that if this would affect mini-iPhone as well, but Bloomberg reported the next iPhone (the so-called iPhone 5) will have a dual-mode chips for GSM and CDMA networks. The News says the next iPhone may have a built-in SIM card instead of a removable--something that had previously been said.
What are the entries to MobileMe?
The WSJ says that Apple might announce that MobileMe--the company's online calendar, contacts, sync and file storage service--will be free for users. Apple currently charges $ 99 per year for the service. The entry "MobileMe will be free" popped up in February and in November, so that it is not surprising to see it again.
Transform a free MobileMe makes a lot of sense, since it is already possible to get similar functionality by combining a variety of free services, including Google, Dropbox Sync and Flickr.
iTunes in the clouds?
Another old rumor is the notion that iTunes could become an online storage service of music that you would use to stream music to your Tablet PC or a mobile device. These rumors started before circulating in December 2009 after Apple bought the online streaming service Lala.
The WSJ says, actually, this feature was designed for more than a year, but Apple has been hampered by launching in 2010 due to licensing issues. The newspaper also hints that Apple could make this feature available only for current devices like the iPhone 4 and leave the elderly out of iOS gadget mix. Apple did something similar, when it is issued free of charge its characteristic "find my iPhone" iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch devices capable of running iOS 4.2.
M-iSpace--are you serious?
I wasn't, but Apple may be getting ready to build some social networking features into its cloud offerings. It is not clear what this will look like or what would you do.
In March 2010, rumors circulated about a new location-based social network from Apple called iGroups. The idea appeared to be a social network that would allow people who attend the same event like a wedding, party or Conference for sharing files and data. It is not clear whether the rumors of new social networking, reported by WSJ, would be similar to previous entries.
So far, the only social network that produced Apple is Ping, a social network based on music, inspired by yawn tied to iTunes.
Apple WWDC does not take place for at least another four months, but if iPhone and related cloud keep coming out at this rate, the company's intention to have a lot of talk about come June.
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Artwork: Chip Taylor
Reprinted with permission PCWorld.com from. Story copyright 2011 PC World Communications. All rights reserved.
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