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Looking back at the history of the iPod it is amazing to think what followed that originally hunk of an iPod (although, it is still a beauty in my eyes). We now have the Nano, the shuffle, etc. So, do you think Apple has plans for other form factors for iPhones?

It would be interesting and probably get them alot more buyers in the mainstream to release a simple non smartphone but im sure they really want to wow the users right now with the really impressive one.  As for that original iPod i personally think its still the most attractive one next to maybe the black ones.  The all white wheel with the buttons around it just looked cooler. The gray wheel sticks out like a sore thumb on the newer white ones...tho anything is better than the 3rd gen with the buttons on top. I dunno what they were thinkin there. it was so unintuitive.

I think we might see one geared towards teens, which might have less internal RAM (maybe 1gb?), the phone it self might also be smaller (meaning it would have a smaller/cheaper screen as well).  If it does happen I just hope they don’t end up calling it the iPhone Nano.

The only thing I guess that would stop apple from doing a cheaper iPhone is that they don’t want to risk the iPhone eating into iPod sales....I guess we’ll see.

Or iPhone mini.... But, you bring up a good point in terms of the younger market for iPhones. I’m not too sure many parents would want their kids walking around with $500 dollar phones (on the other hand they are walking around with 3-$400 iPods!

yeah! the iPhone shuffle!

Im just hoping that the iPhone prices drop because I want one but not for $500.

eventually prices will drop, i think somewhere around 2008. Remember when the Moto RAZR was released? Back in 2004 everyone wanted one of those and companies took all the benefits, charging people more than 500 bucks for a skinny phone… Nowdays, you can get one for 29.99 with contract.
Btw, I am also waiting for for it to be aviable at a lower price and unlocked. Is just a matter of time.

Yes but personally I hope that the prices drop sooner rather than later.

I agree that as the 1st gen iphone gets all the bugs worked out and newer technology rolls out, there will definitely be a second one at a cheaper price. I don’t agree, however, that it will be substantially cheaper like the razr example used above. Ipods have always been the “elite” mp3 player and because of that, Apple pretty much set the prices and keep them where they’re at. Perhaps they will come out with a really watered down version of the iphone one day, much like they did with the ipod shuffle and people will be compelled to buy it just because of the “iphone” name it bears.

see i was thinking about the same thing, and i agree it’ll get cheaper. but only down to about 400 bucks in the next 2 years.

as far as a “watered down” iphone for even cheaper goes, what would they take out to make it less money? a nano is cheaper than a full size ipod cause its got less capacity, a smaller screen and doesnt have hardware to play video. a shuffle is even cheaper because it doen’t have a screen.

but what do you take out of an iphone to make it cheaper? you cant have much less capacity, for it to be a phone you have to have those radios in there, so itll still go online and get email (you cant take out wifi until it has 3G or better, and by the point 3g is ubiquitous, public wifi would be more widespread and cheaper anyway, so might as well leave it)

like the ipod, there was only one product line for 3+ years. I dont see it being that long before the intoduce offshoot lines, i wouldnt hold my breath.

Insiders say that the new Version2 iPhone could be announced at the January MacWorld Conference. 

Apple has already spoken to their manufacturing partners in Asia about the next generation of the iPhone with SmartOffice being told that major software and hardware changes are expected to be introduced to cater for non US markets such as Europe, Asia and Australia.

Among the new capabilities will be GPS and expanded WiFi capability as well as the ability to sync with email servers. Apple research and development executives are according to sources in Taiwan trying to overcome a lack of expanded media support for  Flash memory.

Check it out at:  http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Phones/Mobile/X3L8K4A2?page=1

As probably we all have seen by now, one of the major criticisms of the iPhone for corporate use is the lack of security in the case of lost iPhones.  But it looks like Apple may have already planned for this.

“A newly published Apple patent contains technology that would be able to disable the iPhone (as well as other devices) by disabling the unit’s recharging function if unauthorized use was suspected.  This App is entitled: Protecting electronic devices from extended unauthorized use “

“The Patent Abstract hints at this capability:
When unauthorized use of a device is suspected, a recharging mechanism (e.g., recharge-circuit) of the device is disabled in order to guard against extended unauthorized use of the device.”

Maybe that explains the iPhone’s “non-replaceable” battery.

Check it out at:  http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/?p=1812