Filed under: Macworld, Rumors, iPhone
Case manufacturer XSKN spilling the beans on iPhone nano?
Rumors of a smaller "iPhone nano" have been flying around the blogosphere since mid-summer. Earlier this month, a TUAW post detailed how a Chinese manufacturer was allegedly starting production of a case for a diminutive iPhone.Now a source that has accurately leaked information about the iPhone 3G and 4G iPod nano has jumped into the fray. XSKN began selling iPhone 3G cases in mid-May of 2008, almost 2 months prior to the release of the 3G. In early September, XSKN was showing off new 4th Generation iPod nano cases.
The XSKN site is currently showing a heading for the iPhone nano (see screenshot at right), although there are no actual cases displayed. Given the track record of this manufacturer for inadvertently or deliberately spilling the beans, this might be pointing towards an announcement of the iPhone nano during the Philnote at Macworld Expo 2009.
Since TUAW readers are the smartest and best-looking Apple fans on the planet, I thought I'd ask your opinion on whether or not the iPhone nano is going to become reality soon. Take our iPhone nano poll and give us your thoughts on the mini-me of the iPhone world.
Update: Sharp-eyed reader William went to http://www.iphonenano.com, and lo and behold the URL resolves to the Apple iPhone web page!
[via MacRumours]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
jathon0815 said 12:02PM on 12-22-2008
I can't actually say that I'd want a smaller iPhone.
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Ryan Trevisol said 1:06PM on 12-22-2008
I want one with a slimmed bezel and bigger screen with MORE PIXELS DAGNAMMIT! :-P iPhone Nano does NOTHING for me.
However!
I think Apple's gonna do it, because I think they want to dominate the entire GSM phone market. I live in south florida and it seems every 5th person I see has an iPhone. This will give them the $99 4GB iPhone that EVERYONE will have.
Even my mom. Which means it'll probably be a good thing. Her Nokia 6061 is starting to be more super glue than silicon.
uhuznaa said 12:13PM on 12-22-2008
Hmm. A smaller iPhone would need either a screen with less resolution, which would make it incompatible with existing apps, or just a higher pixel density (with the same resolution), which would make using it very hard.
If this thing is for real I bet it has just a very basic feature set (more like a iPod nano with an integrated phone) and no appstore access. With no 3G and no WiFi it could be rather cheap, though.
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Brandon Martinez said 2:16PM on 12-22-2008
That thought crossed my mind too; if it is like the iPhone, what about the resolution? Either apps will be squished, or developers will have to release an iPhone version, and an iPhone Nano version.
dandaman said 12:10PM on 12-22-2008
I would love one.
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Ian said 12:13PM on 12-22-2008
I'm holding out for the iPhone shuffle. You shake it and it calls someone randomly.
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matthew said 9:07PM on 12-22-2008
that joke never gets old
Cam42 said 9:45PM on 12-22-2008
*cough cough*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwnsQpcNvpE
*cough cough*
steven said 12:13PM on 12-22-2008
I love those Microsoft errors:
Server Error in '/' Application.
Server Too Busy
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Nawaz said 12:18PM on 12-22-2008
I presume an iPhone Nano would be to the Nano as an iPhone 3G is to the touch, i.e. the iPhone nano would just be an iPod Nano that could make calls.
I like that idea, dont get me wrong I love my iPhone 3G but my missus isnt interested (worthy) of a full blown iPhone but something so that she didnt have to carry an iPod and phone makes sense. I mean before the iPhone came out thats what most people thought it would be.
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Alex Miller said 12:28PM on 12-22-2008
I wouldn't really want a smaller iPhone, especially since screens with higher pixel densities are still much more expensive than the screens currently used on the iPhone.
But maybe Apple could throw these in the box to make up for the cost difference:
http://www.xskn.com/default.aspx?m=Products&sid=292&cid=1
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Proxima said 12:40PM on 12-22-2008
A lot of folks would love to have something like an iPhone, but balk at spending 80 bucks/month on another gadget. They want the elegance Apple always brings to electronic pretties, but have no real need of a full web-browser experience, which the larger screen is largely needed for.
So the iPhone Nano will be more of a basic phone, no data plan required, but still capable of running third party apps if they are screen-size aware. And, it will not be tied to AT&T, in effect, opening up the "iPhone" to any carrier.
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msson said 12:46PM on 12-22-2008
I can't picture the iPhone interface on a smaller screen, so that is a NO for me.
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shivi2006 said 12:38PM on 12-22-2008
I don't think Apple will make an iPhone without a touchscreen. Apple believes that hardware buttons should change. Look at the iPod, the click wheel can do a lot of tasks, but imagine a phone without any number pad. I think apple will just do what they did with the 3rd generation iPod Nano: Just make the screen higher quality but smaller.
www.teencast.tk
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Mike Eggleston said 12:42PM on 12-22-2008
Personally, I think that they could make an iPhone Nano. Chop the screen in half (or maybe just 1/4 off) from it vertically. Same pixel density, however for any of the apps currently out there, would have to scroll. Now, the other thing that I think that would have to happen is the removal of the software keyboard. Now, don't get me wrong, I can almost type as fast on my iPhone keyboard now as I can on my Mac keyboard, but I know some people would love to have a hardware keyboard. I am thinking a flip open phone or slide up phone to expose the keyboard.
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That Fender Strat Guy said 12:46PM on 12-22-2008
On one hand, it would slay competition, and be a knock-out mid-range handset that would open Apple's doors to a new crowd of fans. Nokia, SE, Samsung... all would pale in comparison.
Then again, what's the point? Are they hoping to reproduce the same iPod Nano success story with the iPhone? I can't imagine Apple would choose to focus on such a product over, say, a next generation NVidia powered gaming HD iPhone (for example).
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James Fonda said 10:40AM on 1-07-2009
I think this is going to be something like the Macbook Air and be more of a marketing thing. I can't think of much use or practicality for a smaller iPhone, because look at the Air, looked nice and was innovative but wasn't actually worth getting.
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Galley said 1:11PM on 12-22-2008
An even smaller keyboard? No, thanks!
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OwenP277 said 7:28PM on 12-24-2008
Could be true, but it would be a colossal d**k move for Apple, because there are 2 types of people in this world: people who like Windows and think apple is just a fruit and nothing else and don't use mp3 players, and there are people that like apple and have already got an iphone and wont need a smaller, and probably worse iphone.
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Steven Spiegel said 1:52PM on 12-22-2008
I actually followed the link to XSKN and clicked on the iPhone nano and it showed a case for the iPod nano. I believe it's just a programming error by the webmaster and not a leak of any sort.
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