Just when you thought Apple couldn’t do any worse that the iPhone, comes the rumor that they are planning to release a less functional version of the iPhone based on the iPod Nano.This rumor is based on a patent application Apple submitted on July 5th for a multi-function device with a circular touchpad control surface similar to the current Nano. Apple anticipates 10 million iPhones will be sold in 2008, that would be about 1% of the total cellular phone market. A less functional Nano version is speculated to help curb cannibalization of current iPod sales.I now have a question, since the iPhone doesn’t really do anything more than the current crop of smartphones using technologies from Blackberry and/or Microsoft, why would anyone want to
Multi-Touch Tech Archive
Apple Inc. wants to guard its name for the iPhone’s signature interface through a trademark, but has ventured outside American borders as part of the process.On the same day as its first touchscreen devices were rolling into stores, June 29th, Apple was quietly applying for a trademark in a Far East intellectual property office for the term “multi-touch” — a cornerstone of the company’s iPhone marketing efforts in the US. If successful, Apple would have the right to restrict use of the phrase by other companies for more than just cellphones, according to the filing. Most handhelds, including media players and PDAs, would be covered by the trademark. Companies producing electronics outside of Apple’s typical boundaries would also find themselves barred from referring to “multi-touch”