Well, according to Gizmodo who, I am certain, are just looking for publicity. This is starting to remind me of when Dean Kamen told us that "IT" would revolutionize transportation, reshape cities, resolve the energy crisis etc. and everyone speculated on everything "IT" could possibly be, from properly recounting the Florida ballots to cold fusion but, in the end, it turned out to be a scooter that very rich people can play polo on!
While I don't think the iPhone will turn out to be a Segway-sized disappointment, I'm very concerned that I won't be able to play polo on it and, with expectations running as high as they are, it had better at least cure cancer!
One cool thing that is in the works from Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL) is a patent they filed earlier in the year to embed "microscopic image sensors" in an LCD screen, effectively turning your monitor or, more importantly, your phone's screen, into a camera -- allowing for true face-to-face communications!
And have you ever wondered why Apple insists on keeping that huge amount of space at the bottom half of their laptops? Well here's the embedded docking station they filed a patent on!
Now if that were a cell-capable iPod you could get web access anywhere in the world.... Interesting! According to Kevin Rose, of Digg, the iPhone will have the following features:
- January launch on "all" providers, both CDMA and GSM
- Extremely small form factor
- Two battery design (with single charger) -- one for playing music, the other for phone functions
- Flash memory: 4GB for $249, 8GB for $449
- Slide-out keyboard
- Possibly touchscreen
Apparently the Apple guys are not up on the KISS rule of product design, but we'll see how this all meshes together. Surely the fear of Apple has been holding down Motorola Inc. (MOT), who have already shifted their marketing focus to the lower end, ceding the high ground to a product that doesn't exist yet from their former (or maybe still) partner.
So do we buy into this hype? Hell yes! If Steve Jobs came out with a blender 5M people would pre-order on Amazon, so when Apple tells you (or doesn't tell you but you hear anyway) that they are going to sell over 20M $250 phones in year one, you'd better add it to the bottom line at their standard 9% net (+$450M).
Analysts were already expecting them to increase EPS by 20% pre-iPhone but this could add another 20% to that figure. Then there's the Tablet (I want a good tablet way more than a phone!), and the Apple Universal Remote (as long as it beeps when it's lost -- I'm a fan!), to go with the Apple ITV Media Center...
As a not-at-all-unrelated side-note. The Kleer Corporation has been quietly marketing an "Ultra Low Power Consumption sub-sampling radio architecture that delivers 
excellent radio performance at a fraction of the power consumption of other radio architectures. The enables OEMs to integrate wireless technology into portable audio players without suffering a large penalty in battery life. And OEMs can introduce new small form factor products knowing that small batteries will still give them acceptable battery life."
How is this related? Well you can just drop them a line at 19925 Stevens Creek Blvd in Cuperino, just a quick Segway ride away from Apple's HQ!
Read all of Phil Davis's articles on Seeking Alpha
