“Times Online understands that Apple has placed an order with its Asian suppliers to produce 200,000 of the new 3G iPhones by the end of May, rising to 2 million – 500,000 per week – in June,” Jonathan Richards reports for Times Online.
“With a four week lead time between production and placement, that would leave Mr Jobs free to launch the device during an annual developers conference at which he usually speaks,” Richards reports.
“Industry sources told Times Online that the device will have a ‘radically different’ appearance to the current device, which has a 4.5 inch screen and slick, aluminium backing. Among the possibilities are flip version, which would enable the screen to be larger, and a sliding model with a regular qwerty keyboard – as opposed to a touchscreen one,” Richards reports.
“‘I think ultimately you going to see multiple versions,’ one Asia-based analyst, said. ‘One for customers who want it principally as a music and video device, which will be similar to the existing model, one for people who want to communicate – with the keyboard, and one for people who want it as a substitute for their laptop – that will let them browse the internet on a larger screen,'” Richards reports.
“The new phone may also usher in a change in the way Apple strikes distrtibution deals,” Richards reports. “Kathryn Huberty, an analyst at Morgan Stanley specialising in Apple, suggested that Apple will eventually break with its policy of favouring one network to be the exclusive distributor of the iPhone in a given territory — possibly as early as next year.”
Full article here.
And I MAY find $1000.00.
What a load of BS speculation. That wasn’t a report. That was a guessing game.
No sliding and No keyboard…that is going backwards. How is that going to make a bigger screen?
I think this is a bogus report. I don’t think they will muddy up their product line with too many devices. They are smarter than that.
Jonathan Richards is typing out of his ass.
I agree, Blue Dream. You flip the screen up and it’s still going to be the same size as the unit. Why add a keyboard to something that already has a functioning keyboard when you need one???
Seems these days that anyone can be an analyst. Just guess and type.
The bigger screen thing comes from Apple’s flip touch screen patent ma jig. AppleInsider did a story on it a few weeks ago, go read about it.
While I don’t know if it’s all true, I’d really like this whole thing. I’d go for the flip version, and that would be so nice if I could use it with any carrier, because the only reason I decided to forgo the iPhone thus far is because of AT&T;.
If not, I might still get an iPhone eventually. It’s just too enticing, even with its flaws.
Add more buttons? Over Steve Jobs last dying breath maybe, but certainly not before. As for removing the exclusive carrier, well that might happen a lot sooner than the Times thinks. The iPhone is due to be released any month now in Australia. The ACCC (federal competition and consumer watchdog) might have a lot to say about any exclusive deal with just one telco). Perhaps the reporter should have placed a question mark in the headline so we can dismiss it as the pure speculation it is, yawn, and move along (nothing to see here).
Umm…riiiiiiiiiiiightttttttttttt.
Notice the writing “Among the possibilities are flip version, which would enable the screen to be larger, and a sliding model with a regular qwerty keyboard”. Lets see – we go from a simple, elegant zen device to a flipping, fidgety gadget with lots of buttons and maybe even tail-fins. I think not.
Those speculating over a physical keyboard don’t know Apple and are therefore unqualified to analyze them.
Thought Id share something I read today.
European sales of N95 – 7m in under 12 months, iPhone 330,000.
Thats only 21:1
I love the iphone gui/os, shame about the lack of 3g and the cost in europe
the phone and business model were designed with the relatively primitive US market in mind, it hasnt transferred well to europe, as a consumer in a way im glad it hasnt done well as the whole package is overpriced
There will be no physical keyboard and no flip screen. These analysts are morons.
Apple has patents up the wazoo for multi-touch technology, and now they’re just going to abandon it for something Palm makes. Right.
at Crabs:
Sorry, if Apple foregoes its exclusive deals, it is still locked into a multi-year exclusive rights deal with AT&T;for the US. Apple can’t cancel that just because it wants to.
http://www.news.com/8301-13579_3-9825348-37.html
Joe (hope you beat hopkins by the way) your take is totally correct on the iphone in europe, the market (like Japan, Korea etc too) is a lot more competitive and advanced than the states, the iphone is at risk of doing a mac whereby it only sells in massive numbers in the US, read the above article for a good analysis of the situation
I suppose a lot of the views on here are the US experience of iphone sales, which are good, the problem is that a lot of americans think that because it sells there, that it must sell in big numbers elsewhere too
It’s sad to say, but Apple has totally failed to market/sell the iPhone in Europe in a competitive way.
iPhone is by far the best mobile phone out there, so there are lessons to be learned for Apple on how to conduct business in different markets with a new product.
I know im going off on a tangent, but what do you think apple can do to the nano line in the next revision to revitalise sales? increase in storage only?
I heard they were going to put the power button on the back……
contract != policy
It will be much harder for Apple to establish new exclusive revenue sharing business deals with carriers if the European sales will be dissapointing.
This mystic threw some chicken entrails on the ground and read all kinds of iPhones. Maybe he doesn’t know that a large gizzard means an aluminum case…
Jobs is doing the same Mac-mistake with the iPhone outside the US. He says there are thresholds he cant cross, that he cant sell junk.
Junk is a relative term Mr Jobs, what is junk to you might be a good enough computer for somebody else.
I dont even think that Apple is after high market shares, they would offer low-cost Macs and iPhones if they were, for most people Jobs junk would be more than enough.
If Apple wont cater for these ppl, then the market share will always be low, quit blaming M$ for your own faulty strategy.
And a pointing device too, no doubt!
They simply don’t get it. How do you spot the phonies? They suggest the iPhone will be like phones that already exist.
What utter rubbish.
Remember guys the iPod took 2 years to really take off. And that was down to the mini and the windows version of iTunes.
I doubt that there will be more than one new version of iPhone unless Apple can work miracles.
In one years time a smaller and cheaper iPhone will be released.
i think you were the one that missed the point actually
the iphone business model is a step backwards for europe, our phones are heavily subsidised by the carrier, often they are free, contracts are often only 12 months long as we like to change our phones often and we get a large amount of bundled minutes and texts for less on non-iphones.
i will give an example, recently i got a sony ericsson k850i that is 3g and with a 5mp camera with auto focus and flash for free on 12 month contract (im in the uk) i pay £25 a month and i get 1000 free texts and 600 free minutes of calls, i also get unlimited data and 50 mms messages and 50 video call minutes free.
So the total yearly spend is £300 ($600), an iphone 8gb has just been reduced to £169 add the minimum £35 a month tariff and I will have spent £589 ($1180) in a year and then will still have to use it for another 6 months before being able to change phones.
I will also not be able to use mms or video calls, have a lot poorer standard camera and have 2g edge data speeds and have less included texts messages.
Im not sure how anyone could think in Europe that the iphone is a good deal, it isnt and that doesnt make me a hater, the model was just designed for US market which is about 3 years behind
Perhaps the new apps that are due soon will alter things.