iPhone Nano

[igneous]

It seems worthless to me. The main draw for the iPhone is the 3.5" screen, atleast for me

 

[xintelinsanex]

Yeah that's true, it was one of the big selling points. But remember, there are people out there, and I'm betting its a big market, that don't care to watch videos on their iPhone. They want something small that is technologically advanced. A simple phone from Apple would help create price points like the iPods did. Say you sell the high-end 3G model for $199. What about the $99 segment? This is what the iPhone nano could accomplish.

 

[alex.stef]

I think it's possible they're looking that way but unlikely it will be coming out any time soon. I read an article in MacLife where they found a patent for a flip phone and drew a mock up something similar to:

A touchscreen glass piece with small LED lighting. Interesting none the less.

I like what I'm seeing in this pic

 

[volsfan0911]

I love the concept and hope it's real. However, remember the Moto Vader? Damned thing was so small, you couldn't use it. Someone in a magazine described it as "so small your chiguagua might swallow it by accident". The iPhone has to have a big enough screen to fulfill its current "mission" - touch screen phone, video player, internet device with a real browser (Safari + flash this software update please) and touch screen iPod with friggin' coverflow. If they want to mini-size it and dump everything but phone functionality, then maybe. But imagine trying to use a nano-sized thing as a phone!??!! Not for me, thanks!

 

[xintelinsanex]

When I created this thread, I never meant the iPhone nano would be the same size as the current gen iPod nano. I just meant the iPhone will come in a smaller size.

 

[NPR_Aficionado]

I believe that Apple is working on a smaller phone, who knows exactly how small it will be. I agree that there are some who don't want/need all the functionality of a full PDA phone. Maybe just something for basic e-mail and music player. Leaving out all the other apps coming in the SDK and the internet based stuff (but who would really want to leave out the beautiful internet interface of the iPhone). But with a much lower price point (read free AT&T) with rebates it could be enticing to many.

 

[emceechad]

I'd assume so somewhere down the road, Apple could be branching the iPhone into different models, possibly making it appeal to more people.

 

[xintelinsanex]

I wonder if they are going to split into a three-product line line their iPod (classic, nano, touch) and Macs (pro, iMac, and notebooks).

 

[BeyondtheTech]

They really need to make one that's just Phone and iPod. Leave Safari, Email, YouTube, and the Widgets out. Make it with a tinier screen, and sell it at $99 with a 2-year contract, not requiring a data plan. That will likely pick up the rest of the public, guaranteed.

 

[Rene Ritchie]

We covered something like that here:

Patent Watch: Apple Preparing for iPhone Nano? | The iPhone Blog

 

[dstrauss#IM]

They really need to make one that's just Phone and iPod. Leave Safari, Email, YouTube, and the Widgets out. Make it with a tinier screen, and sell it at $99 with a 2-year contract, not requiring a data plan. That will likely pick up the rest of the public, guaranteed.

Wasn't that called the Rokr?

 

[jasonact]

I don't see any reason why they wouldn't release a "nano" iPhone. They released a nano iPod that didn't seem to hurt the business. Why would a nano iPhone?

I suspect that they would put it in competition with the mid-range phones, such as the RAZR and LG Chocolate. My guess is that it would lose WiFi, AppStore, and maybe the robustness of Safari, but maintain the iPod functionality. It would probably be a simple combination of phone and iPod and nothing more. That product would make sense and have a spot in the marketplace.

 

[jasonact]

Wasn't that called the Rokr?

The ROKR was a disaster because it wasn't well designed. Apple is known for design. Any iPhone Nano would certainly be the phone that the ROKR should have been.

 

[sailorgirl]

I think an Iphone nano would kill in the market, especially if it was anywhere close to reasonably priced.

 

[BeyondtheTech]

I agree. There's nothing like the simplicity and instant acceptance of the user interface accompanied with full functionality like there is on the iPhone.

I tried to teach my non-techie wife on how to switch her RAZR V3xx to vibe before the movie. Press on one of the volume buttons while the flip is closed and the profile types will show up on the the tiny display. Press the button above the volume buttons to cycle through the different profiles until Vibe appears. Then press one of the volume buttons to commit the change.

I then showed my wife the ring/vibe switch on the side of the iPhone.

Needless to say, she's getting an iPhone this coming Friday.