Industry sources are now talking about an iPhone Nano to be on sale this Christmas. It is rumored to be available for the pay-as-you-go market.
It is expected that this will be much lighter than the current iPhone and could have a touch wheel interface on one side and a screen on the other, meaning that calls would be dialed from behind. It may not have full Internet browsing functionality as in most smart phone. The new nano iPhone will adopt a form factor that shifts away from the almost square dimensions of the third-generation nano back towards the general shape of the first- and second-generation models.
I actually like the earlier taller nano from a form and function perspective. I think they will expand the screen size a bit and I’d gladly accept a wider/longer screen if it meant not having a wide-bodied player. There are some serious usability challenge to incorporate phone features into a Nano. The patent filing suggests that the design pertains to a user interface for controlling an electronic device, particularly a multifunctional electronic device that is capable of operating in multiple modes as for example a phone mode for communications and a media player mode for playing audio files, video files, and the likealso suggests the use of a scroll wheel, similar to the iPod. It is believed that the Taiwanese metal casings supplier for the iPod Nano, Catcher, is positioned to become its major supplier for casings for the iPhone Nano.
I will probably get one. Hope it comes in different color too. For pricing, I can imagine it will cost anything from $250-$280 and will use mass retail channel and not through any carrier. I think a thin iPhone is more desirable for many who won’t need all the features. I currently have a Prada touchscreen phone and it is much lighter than an IPhone. I am sticking with it until the new nano iPhone is available.
If you wait a few more months you may have another choice “Maple Phone”, designed by Hyun Jin Yoon and Eun Hak Lee. Is a compact wooden phone made of African Blackwood. The phone appears to be a simple block of wood until touched, at which point its touch-sensitive buttons light up when you touch them. It also has a display that is placed at the back, that slides open. Not yet in production.
