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May 10, 2007 4:11 PM PDT

Apple patent filing might be iPhone 2.0

by Tom Krazit

The iPhone isn't even here yet, but a newly revealed patent filing could shed light on Apple's next move.

The filing--which we noticed on Unwired View directed by Crunchgear--shows what an iPod Nano would look like with a touch screen on the back of the player. The touch screen interface looks quite a bit like the iPhone, with a QWERTY keyboard and phone pad dialer as options that can be brought to the surface, suggesting that the next iPhone might be smaller and thinner than the current plan.

Apple patent filings (check out the headache-inducing wording used by patent authors here) don't necessarily reflect eventual products, but often provide a decent glimpse of what Apple is kicking around Cupertino, since the company sure doesn't say much. Phone-related patents have cropped up several times in the recent past, with speculation about a zirconia-based iPhone coming soon to an Apple store near you.

Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom.
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They stole my idea, AGAIN!!!
by coryschulz May 10, 2007 6:37 PM PDT
I always get these ideas for iPods, I don't know why, it's just a knack I have... and then like a few months later Apple goes and patents my idea!! I don't really document them at all... I don't even actually own an iPod! I play with my cell phone and think "whoa, that would be really cool if iPods had this feature!" Anyways... I completely thought up the double sided iPod with a touch pad on one side and a screen on the other. That was entirely my idea, like 6 months ago... Too bad I don't have the money to patent these ideas, and too bad I don't have a resume Apple would even considering looking at...

Wasted creativity is in such abundance... *sighs*

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/66
Reply to this comment
yep, happens
by RompStar_420 May 11, 2007 9:10 AM PDT
I used to be the same way, but not with apple. The truth of the
matter is that people think alike more than you think. There are
possibilities of others getting the same exact ideas, with so many
people living these days.

Don't quit your day job.
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