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August 3, 2008 6:00 PM PDT

Report: iPhone Nano to ring in the holidays

by Steven Musil
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You can expect an iPhone Nano to be on the shelves in time for the holiday shopping season, according to a report on the U.K.'s Daily Mail Web site Sunday.

The report, which cited "an industry source," said the product would launch in the U.K. by mobile phone operator O2 for the pay-as-you-go market, but offered no clue when or if it would be launched in the United States.

The report seems to indicate the iPhone Nano would be a dumb-down version of the current iPhone 3G.

"The iPhone 3G has been the fastest-selling phone ever in the U.K., but it is too expensive to be a realistic proposition in the pay-as-you-go market," the source told the newspaper. "However, a cut down version, with the candy bar shape of iPod Nano music players, would be a huge hit as a Christmas gift."

The newspaper suggests that the new iPhone Nano could have a touch wheel interface on one side and a screen on the other, meaning that calls would be dialed from behind and lack full Internet browsing functionality.

If this all sounds a bit familiar, it's because this rumor was floating around last year. Considering the wild success of the iPhone and Apple's plans for a family of iPhones, a move like this certainly makes sense. Whether Apple is ready to do it soon seems to be a bigger question.

One of the more-recent rumors has the iPod Nano getting a slimmed-down makeover. iLounge reports that Apple plans to bring back the thinner iPod Nano design of years past but in a taller package that's a nod to the screen size of today's "fat" iPod Nano.

Apple has held a September iPod event the last several years, and we're pretty sure they'll have another one on tap this year, with a revamped iPod Touch likely to accompany a new iPod Nano. In support of that suspicion, AppleInsider is reporting that resellers have been told to expect shortages of iPods and Macbooks in the coming weeks.

Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. Before joining CNET News in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers. E-mail Steven.
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by Shaymojack August 3, 2008 6:53 PM PDT
So is every person speculating what new Apple products are going to be out this year going to be put in the news?
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by Lemon5 August 3, 2008 7:33 PM PDT
The only thing i care about that pertains to Apple is an updated Ipod Touch coming soon that is a cheaper. It doesn't even have to be updated, just lower the price!
Reply to this comment
by JS82712 August 3, 2008 8:38 PM PDT
WOW, thats a realy bad guess, do you really think Apple will release such an ugly product called "iPhone nano"?, how about an iPod nano with 2.5" touch screen, no scroll-wheel and no wifi
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by JS82712 August 3, 2008 8:39 PM PDT
WOW, thats a realy bad guess, do you really think Apple will release such an ugly product called "iPhone nano"?, how about an iPod nano with 2.5" touch screen, no scroll-wheel and no wifi
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by amarvrm August 3, 2008 11:34 PM PDT
Nice posting about iPhone Nano to ring in the holidays. iPhone Nano is the best technology for mobile phone. iPod Nano is best music station you can use and life is color full. I would like to see on the iPod...
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by troyallen August 4, 2008 12:14 PM PDT
I'm waiting for the iPhone shuffle
by Ilgaz August 4, 2008 3:07 AM PDT
Can someone really further dumb down iPhone? Sorry to say it. It has no MMS, no Java, no Flash already.
If we speak about cheaper pay as you go market, they definately need to put better SMS and include MMS with it. That market loves SMS and MMS.
What about J2ME? People like tiny games too.
Reply to this comment
by emoslayer6224 August 4, 2008 9:41 AM PDT
That sounds like a blatant ripoff of the samsung Ultramusic (upstage) and a regular phone. Any new free locked phone can do what they're promising and more. Plus, the iphone is nowhere near the best handset around, it's just the most famous.
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by troyallen August 4, 2008 12:05 PM PDT
Give me a break, Apple doesn't leak info. Crave has turned into a rumor site
Reply to this comment
by JimmyCrackhead August 4, 2008 2:13 PM PDT
Dude, IPhone Nano could well be the coolest phone of ALL times!

JT
www.FireMe.To/udi
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by DumbMacUser1 August 4, 2008 4:37 PM PDT
I can't believe the amount of BS Hype that gets created over crApple's overpriced, obsolete-out-of-box junk. Obviously most people buy into the hype created by craApples BS advertisements,CNET etc. rather than doing basic research into what HP, Sony, DELL, AlienWare, etc are selling at half the price.

And, the Apple's claim that its crap is immune to hackers, viruses, and crashing are all abslolute fraudulent claims...look at the news - right now there is a DNS server crisis because of bugs in apple's so-called servers.
Reply to this comment
by DumbMacUser1 August 4, 2008 4:41 PM PDT
I can't believe the amount of BS Hype that gets created over crApple's overpriced, obsolete-out-of-box junk. Obviously most people buy into the hype created by craApples BS advertisements,CNET etc. rather than doing basic research into what HP, Sony, DELL, AlienWare, etc are selling at half the price.

And Apple's claim that its crap is immune to hackers, viruses, and crashing are all abslolute fraudulent claims...look at the news - right now there is a DNS server crisis because of bugs in apple's so-called servers.

Apple does not have engineers and it is incapable of retaining engineers for any length of time to really come up with something new that doesn't fail, crash or burn people's houses down.
Reply to this comment
by stigmattaman December 29, 2008 10:10 AM PST
You were wrong.
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