Nano mobile phone buzz
Thursday, July 12, 2007
JP MORGAN says Apple will replace its popular iPod Nano MP3 player with an inexpensive Nano-style mobile phone by the end of the year.
Sources in the manufacturing supply chain and a US Patent and Trademark office application indicate Apple will follow the June release of high-priced iPhones with bargain-priced Nano phones, according to analyst Kevin Chang of Morgan's Asia Pacific Equity Research unit.
"Putting all the information together, we believe there's a strong sign that Apple will come out with a second phone that will replace iPod Nano," Chang wrote in a report to investors.
"Or to put it another way, iPod Nano will be converted into a phone because it's probably the only way for Apple to launch a lower-end phone without severely cannibalising iPod Nano."
The "Nano phone" will likely be priced at US$300 ($454) or less as compared to the US$499 and US$599 price tags on iPhone models, said Chang.
Apple's patent filed in November of 2006 indicates Nano phones will have wheels for dialing instead of the touch-screen capabilities of iPhones, Chang's report says.
The patent states the invention regards "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 like".
AFP
Sources in the manufacturing supply chain and a US Patent and Trademark office application indicate Apple will follow the June release of high-priced iPhones with bargain-priced Nano phones, according to analyst Kevin Chang of Morgan's Asia Pacific Equity Research unit.
"Putting all the information together, we believe there's a strong sign that Apple will come out with a second phone that will replace iPod Nano," Chang wrote in a report to investors.
"Or to put it another way, iPod Nano will be converted into a phone because it's probably the only way for Apple to launch a lower-end phone without severely cannibalising iPod Nano."
The "Nano phone" will likely be priced at US$300 ($454) or less as compared to the US$499 and US$599 price tags on iPhone models, said Chang.
Apple's patent filed in November of 2006 indicates Nano phones will have wheels for dialing instead of the touch-screen capabilities of iPhones, Chang's report says.
The patent states the invention regards "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 like".
AFP
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