Introducing the iPhone--from Cisco?

The iPhone is here! Oh wait, not the one you were thinking of.

Cisco's Linksys division rolled out a new line of VoIP devices, including handsets, dubbed the iPhone.

The press release was a cruel blow to Mac fans, who have been eagerly awaiting some type of phone from Apple Computer for a while now. Rumors had pegged the announcement for the upcoming MacWorld conference. But gadget blog Gizmodo got fans in a lather when it published an item pegging the iPhone launch for Monday. Turns out they were talking about the Linksys devices.

Mac fans were predictably outraged on Apple's behalf, although Cisco has apparently owned the iPhone trademark since 1996.

Blog community response:

"Really, it's just another VoIP handset that Cisco has added to its product line that keeps Linksys competitive. No big deal. Maybe a tiny bit of exploitation on Cisco's part by playing up its apparently trademarked iPhone moniker, but that's about it."
--IP & Democracy

"As for the iPhone, thanks for trying Linksys, but no thanks - we are going to wait for the real thing."
--Om Malik

"The cult still has hope. It's a safe bet that Apple's known that Cisco's had the trademark for awhile. So they've had a lot of time to make up a name as fresh as the word 'iPod' was when it first rolled off our tongues."
--Gizmodo