Apple on iPhone: "We're not sitting around doing nothing"

Apple's been dogged with rumors of an iPod / phone hybrid (the real deal, not a rehash of a Moto E398 with iTunes support) for nearly as long as the iPod's been kickin' around. Apparently looking to beat the dead horse yet again, an analyst mentioned Sony's success with their Walkman line of music-oriented phones during Apple's Q3 earnings call, prompting CFO Peter Oppenheimer to respond with a fairly solid non-denial: "As regards cell phones, we don't think that the phones that are available today make the best music players. We think the iPod is. But over time, that is likely to change. And we're not sitting around doing nothing." Knowing Apple, of course, this is about the biggest admission we'll get until the iPhone actually drops, so relish in the moment, keep your eyes peeled in a year or so, and if you're really hard up, you could fashion your own, like the pictured Nokia 6680 makeover.

[Via MacDailyNews]

[Brendan @ Jul 20th 2006 2:37PM]

iPhone by Christams, or Steve gets a punch in the face. Who's with me?

[Mark @ Jul 20th 2006 2:45PM]

Brendan: threatening bodily harm on someone is a felony, no matter how innocent or jokinlgly it is done.

[cyclingplatypus @ Jul 20th 2006 2:46PM]

I'm not buying it simply for the fact that it makes no sense to place a camera lens on the same side as the LCD screen (upper left).

[Unbeleve @ Apr 9th 2009 1:55PM]

Boy were you wrong!

[x @ Jul 20th 2006 2:47PM]

"iPhone by Christams, or Steve gets a punch in the face. Who's with me?"

Good idea. I'm all for it.

[Red Light District @ Jul 20th 2006 2:54PM]

iPhone by Christams, or Mark gets a punch in the face. Who's with me?

[david @ Jul 20th 2006 3:00PM]

"I'm not buying it simply for the fact that it makes no sense to place a camera lens on the same side as the LCD screen (upper left)."

The other reason would be that it doesn't exist.

[hestermofet @ Jul 20th 2006 3:02PM]

"I'm not buying it simply for the fact that it makes no sense to place a camera lens on the same side as the LCD screen (upper left)."

Video calling. It's a mockup, though.

[Synergy @ Jul 20th 2006 3:02PM]

The reason for placing it on the same side as the LCD is video iChat via mobile phone. Get it?

[Jeff Foster @ Jul 20th 2006 3:03PM]

apparently cyclingplatypus doesn't finish reading articles.

that's obviously not real. :


I wish Apple WOULD release a phone, if only that all cellphones on the market today are poorly designed pieces of craptastic junk.

I've been buying "cutting edge" phones for years, and the ALWAYS disappoint.

my only fear would be service provider lock-in. Apple would probably have to become a MVNO for this to work, which might not be all that bad, but i imagine the consumer cost would be prohibitive.

[Stephen @ Jul 20th 2006 3:03PM]

Anyone else notice the NOKIA buttons+shape?

If this is REAL? Then why in the world did they choose to work with NOKIA? They are a dying company!

[iHATECELLPHONES @ Jul 20th 2006 3:05PM]

Don't get yer hopes up folks. "And we're not sitting around doing nothing." Doesn't mean "were working on a phone." it just means that Apple is adapting their proucts to stay ahead of emerging technologies and coming up with new innovative stuff.

Personally, I will be very dissapointed if Apple DOES make a phone. I think its a stupid idea.

[korey @ Jul 20th 2006 3:05PM]

Jeez Mark Chill out, I highly doubt an iPhone buy Christmas or by a year from now but i like the idea as long as it runs bootcamp i just like Macs clean white design i would buy one i guess

[Chris Ziegler @ Jul 20th 2006 3:09PM]

Folks, this is not the *actual* iPhone, but a Nokia 6680 remade to look like a Mac (follow the backlink for the full post). Sorry for any confusion.

[hkkevinc @ Jul 20th 2006 3:12PM]

In the new apple ipod nano firmware, there have been traces of iphone support. If you dont belive me, look at this link: http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?threadid=64885

[mjparker @ Jul 20th 2006 3:13PM]

I don't think the IPhone is coming. I think Mobile ILife is coming. Microsoft has the business side of smart phones covered... why won't Apple scoop up the entertainment side. Phones that can access Itunes music store, mobile Iphoto, etc. Makes much more sense than just doing a phone. Or maybe it doesn't.

[Perrey Z. @ Jul 20th 2006 3:14PM]

Brendan: I hate Everything Apple, I just find so entertaining the way the fanboys go crazy in here posting useless information defending and justifying the poor performance and quality of their beloved iPods and iMacs. But i like your approach to a well-deserve beating for Steve BLOWjobs.

Mark: Just for your information, you can treat with physical violence almost anyone*, as long as you don't actually act on it. Beating someone, That's a felony., learn the law, friend.

*= Except Police officers, Judges, Politicians., that includes the president of the United States, foreign politicians and ambassadors, religious personalities, unarmed individuals.

[ixalon @ Jul 20th 2006 3:15PM]

Just like the customised Nokia above, someone has done a fantastic series of OS X themes for Sony Ericsson's K750/W800/etc. Including an iTunes skin for the K750's media player and the W800's Walkman player.

http://forums.se-nse.net/index.php?showtopic=3959

[David @ Jul 20th 2006 3:15PM]

"[T]hreatening bodily harm on someone is a felony, no matter how innocent or jokinlgly it is done."

Mark, you've got to create a reasonable apprehension of immanent physical injury in order for such a statement to constitute an assault. This might not seem that relevant to a discussion about Apple products, but I, for one, enjoy the robust expressions in the debate that this company creates.

[ChillyWilly @ Jul 20th 2006 3:16PM]

If Apple came out with a phone, I'd be guaranteed not to get one. Not because I didn't want it, but it's a sure bet it would be GSM/GPRS, which isn't Sprint. I may be tempted to switch carriers, but Cingular wouldn't be my first choice (even though I have a pay-as-you-go phone from them, in addition to my Treo 650.

[Will @ Jul 20th 2006 3:34PM]

I think we are overlooking one thing here. The Treo line has proven that people want all in one devices. Now, looking back at how revolutionary the Ipod was when it was released, I would assume that Apple is working on some kind of very high end smart phone, which would have to inlcude a very large amount of memory, like an Ipod hard drive, or a large chunk of flash memory. Couple that with the almost mandatory high speed data connections avialable, and the Iphone will probably be more like a UMPC, but in a phone form factor with plenty of storage and ipod functionality. Apple tries to get a few steps ahead of the competition, and this would be one way to do it.

[tf @ Jul 20th 2006 3:37PM]

My guess is it won't come until 802.11n is approved and someone can prove that a wifi-phone/MVNO can be profitable (Apple isn't going to accept any carrier lock-in)... So if you want an iPhone, root for Earthlink/Helio for now because it's 2-3 years out at least.

Your wishes (or threats) won't make it happen -- only the success of a tech that will allow Apple to jump in and control it from top to bottom... or a major threat, and I agree with Oppenheimer that phones will not be a threat for quite a while.

[aes @ Jul 20th 2006 3:37PM]

I can't picture Apple making a cell phone as we know it. I could, however picture one of those little isight cameras built into the iPod, with additional wifi capabilities, and a version of iChat. Of course, there would also be access to the music store, RSS/Podcasts ...

[The Jeremy @ Jul 20th 2006 3:40PM]

I would love to see Apple jump in as an MVNO mobile phone provider running on Cingular's and T-Mobile's American GSM network. Since Apple's motive would be to sell phones, they wouldn't stoop to crippling various features on the phones for the American market like Verizon and Cingular do (and often). They could incorporate all the advanced features that are commonplace in the Korean and European markets and would blow away the competition in the process. Hell, if you bought a certain level Mac with the phone, they could wave the 1 year service contract.

I would think the smart thing to do would be to go 50/50 with Vodafone, build up the brand, and then eventually gobble up T-Mobile USA in a merger. Bundling access to commercial hotspots (such as T-Mobile's ones) via .Mac also would not be a bad idea.

But word-to-the-wise, Apple... don't go exclusively with the candybar form factor. Many of us like flip phones. More RAZR like (form factor, not GUI) and less Nokia'ish.

[Morty Salt @ Jul 20th 2006 3:53PM]

Just imagine if Apple could sell 1/10 of the phones Motorola does in 1 year. That would be like 5 billion to their bottom line. I would prefer an all Apple world to an all Microsoft World.

[r @ Jul 20th 2006 3:54PM]

Mark and Perrey, both of you need to get the law right. Making threats such as the one made by the first poster would most likely not be illegal, almost certainly not a felony. That is true if the threatened victim is Steve Jobs or the President. There is a seperate federal law making threats against the President a crime, but that law has requirements that must be met. It is unlikely those requirements were met here (assuming the target was the President and not Stevo). Anyway, just my two cents... really had nothing to say about the iPhone.

[James Dehnert Sr @ Jul 20th 2006 3:57PM]

Well, I have been waiting for an iPhone for a while. I have a RAZR now and while it's industrial design is nice, it's OS is crappy (OK, crappy is diplomatic at best).

I like the looks of the Q, but I'm not a fan of Windows mobile, and the Blackberry and Palm OS based units leave me cold.

Gimme an iPhone with EVDO or HSDPA that I can integrate with my laptop. Gimme am IMAP Mail client (Mail is pretty clean already), gimme iCal and Address Book sync. I don't really care about iTunes myself, but 8 to 16 gigs would be nice for Podcasts. Hell, lets throw in a card slot so we can add our own memory.

Personally, I think Apple has the best chance of making a phone that does what I want it to do, cleanly, easily, seamlessly. Time will tell.

[Jordan @ Jul 20th 2006 4:27PM]

To Mark, the second poster. You know, the poor spelling lawyer.

For Brendan's "assault" of words to be a felony, he must be reasonably able to carry through with the battery that his words implied.

He obviously isn't, as to Steve Jobs, he exists only as a poster on this message board.

Brendan's act could be considered a misdemeanor in some states, but please. Just chill. No one is going to hurt his Steveness.

[Scott Ahten @ Jul 20th 2006 4:47PM]

If Apple released a phone along the lines of the Sony Ericsson P990i that can play DRM tracks from iTunes, I'd buy it.

[fannyboy @ Jul 20th 2006 5:26PM]

Oh Perry Z.
Stop being such a jealous hater and go buy yourself a Mac. You know you wanna.

[Brendan @ Jul 20th 2006 5:38PM]

Someone just please Mobile Me ;)

[Chris Robinson @ Jul 20th 2006 8:08PM]

Morty Salt: You make it sound like it's an all Microsoft world already. I think an all anything world is bad.

[will @ Jul 20th 2006 8:14PM]

I'm with Brendan,

It'll happen, but Apple should start a little phone service like that Helio dealy, or they should make it available for all networks. If they make it available for all networks by 2009 Apple will own Xbox

[T @ Jul 21st 2006 2:23AM]

> The other reason would be that it doesn't exist.

This is a Nokia 6680. It exists.

http://europe.nokia.com/A4142052

The N80 has a camera on both sides, too.

http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/images/features/nseries/N80-1.jpg

[JohnnyRocket @ Jul 21st 2006 9:03AM]

Or you could just find that awesome phantom app called pPod and load it onto your Q, XV6700, Treo, etc etc etc. Instant iPhone.

[Eliminator @ Jul 21st 2006 2:42PM]

Nokia is the world's largers maker of mobile phones and growing faster than companies like Motorola. Hardly a dying company.

[harry @ Jul 21st 2006 10:28PM]

if it only plays music, I'm not interested. I'm fine with my Nano. however, if they make it sync with my .Mac account (email, calendar, etc) then I'd be interested.

Forget the pen interface. Everybody knows by now that didn't work. Nice idea, but you don't want to be walking down a sidewalk pecking away at a PDA with a pen....

[jokki @ Jul 22nd 2006 7:58AM]

"I'm not buying it simply for the fact that it makes no sense to place a camera lens on the same side as the LCD screen (upper left)."

don't u guys read anymore? "...and if you're really hard up, you could fashion your own, like the pictured Nokia 6680 makeover."

that's a nokia 3G phone with two cameras

[Tellion @ Jul 22nd 2006 8:12AM]

Really a great move by Apple. Curious about the end result. We will probably hear soon.

[Ben Johnson @ Jul 22nd 2006 3:45PM]

I just got my Mac up and running with a softphone program that is running on Http://www.voicestick.com

I looked all over for a Mac softphone and this software and service work just fine.

Glad to see Mac support in this area.

[SED TV Guy @ Jul 23rd 2006 3:21PM]

How long has the iphone been in development anyway?

[debohun @ Jul 29th 2006 3:44PM]

Hehehe, anyone who understands Apple design would know that the pictured phone is not an Apple product. First off, its butt ugly. And second, it ergonomically a catastrophe.

[Braden @ Aug 1st 2006 4:03PM]

Starting with iTunes and a good pair of talking/listening hands free, add iChat, Video iChat, and automatic download of photos/videos taken on the phone into iPhoto and iMovie, and...

...then you have a killer phone, that would make me buy one.