When Will The iPhone Nano Come Out?

Do you remember when Steve Jobs said that it was definitely impossible, not-gonna-happen, no chance in hell that Apple would release a flashed based iPod? And then of course they did. Does anyone remember that? I know, it was a long time ago. Eons maybe. But it happened. You might remember when the first iPod came out and everybody thought Apple would only be able to capture the high end of the market. I believe the prevailing notion amongst the iPod’s competitors was that they could always win on price, if it ever came down to that. So, even if their product sucked they figured enough people would buy it if it was cheap enough, and to a certain extent they were right. That didn’t help them when the iPod Mini, iPod Nano, and iPod Shuffle were released, but up until then it looked like they might at least have a shot.

Okay, so fast forward to today and the iPhone. Doesn’t it seem like history is repeating itself? Here is the timeline I expect the iPhone to take:

1. First the iPhone comes out and everybody claims it’s too expensive.
2. Then the price drops (this is where we are now).
3. Next it gets an upgrade.
4. Soon it will come in different colors.
5. Then Apple officially announces that they would never-ever make a smaller, cheaper, iPhone.
6. Shock! Apple makes a smaller, cheaper iPhone.
7. Apple grabs even more of the market.
8. Apple moves one step closer to conquering the world.

Am I wrong? Really, did anything I predict seem that outrageous? Who knows, maybe that is how Apple is going to get out of its contract with AT&T. Maybe they will let them be the exclusive carriers of the iPhone, but then allow anyone to connect to the iPhone Nano (or whatever amazingly hip name they come up with this time) without penalty. Now, I realize that some features (like their voicemail) would either have to be left out or the carriers would have to adjust, but faced with the prospect of making so much money on all those people who want a smaller, cheaper iPhone, I think Apple will find a way.

Who knows, anything is possible. Maybe they will go one step further and release the iPhone equivalent of the iPod Shuffle. Picture it, it will be a phone with only one button and no screen. There is no touch pad, all you can do is whisper the numbers into the phone and hope it dials the right person.

Or maybe not. What was I saying?

Oh yes, the next iPhone.

So, here I sit, waiting for the next model to come out. And I have to believe Apple has something like this up its sleeve because the major cell phone makers are already beginning to release cheaper, smaller smart phones that are meant to target a group of consumers who normally wouldn’t own a smart phone. Just you wait, Apple won’t be content to leave such a big section of the market alone. By next year, at the latest, expect another iPhone.