So a guy heard from a guy who heard from another guy who thinks Apple may turn the iPod Nano into a phone. And then Reuters wrote about it. And now I will too.
Yeah, that's basically the story. Kevin Chang, an analyst at JP Morgan in Taiwan, spoke to some people "in the supply chain" and took a look at a recent Apple patent and now he believes that the company will soon release a new, sub-$300 version of the iPod Nano that can also make calls. "We believe that 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 cannibalizing iPod Nano," Chang told Reuters. The new device would have "rather limited functionality," he added, but it would be attractive to millions of people who want a snazzy new phone but who chafe at the thought of spending $600 for one. Chiang, who says that he heard that a Taiwanese company called Catcher Technology will supply "metal casing" for the phone, is so confident about his speculation that he's even willing to put numbers on it -- Apple could sell 30 to 40 million units of the Nano phone, he says, citing, of course, no evidence whatsoever.
That Apple may turn the Nano into a phone is basically what Unwired View argued last week when it unearthed the patent -- "Touch pad with symbols based on mode" -- but I guess Reuters considers it more real when an analyst, rather than a blogger, says so. Either way, it's just guessing.
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