Rumours

Rumor that Apple is rolling out a larger iPod Touch like device is getting stronger, this time with added flavor that Steve Jobs is actively involved in its design. Remember, the iPod Touch and possibly the iPhone owes its origin to a tablet browsing device that Steve had shot down early on. Anyway, it will be interesting to see if Apple will venture into this market.

Read more in this iPhone Blog article.

Newsarama.com quotes Andy Ihnatko, technical writer and contributor to the Chicago Sun-Times, MacWorld, and the CBS Early Show,

the market for electronic reading devices is "still sort of being shaken out," but the iPod touch would offer more than just a way to read books and documents, making the market for such a device much broader.

While Apple and Steve Jobs have been denying these rumors, it is but logical to conclude that Apple will do it. Because they have everything needed for the platform - the technology, connectivity, rich interface and screen, software, online store... anything you can think of. Apple will certainly do it if it can be done profitably. Granted that is a big 'If' but still...

 The rumor mills have been on overdrive about a possible low-end iPhone sold through WalMart for Christmas this year. Priced at $99, the claim is that Apple is planning to reintroduce the 4 GB model to try an capture a whole new segment of value shoppers during the holiday season.

BoyGenius, who broke the story, writes:

We just got a tip that in addition to the iPhone 3G actually making its way to Walmart, as we exclusively told you, there will be a 4GB model priced at $99 with a 2-year agreement. We're not putting our stamp of approval behind this one just yet as the tipster isn't listed in our Guide to respected Ninjas handbook, but it does make you think, doesn't it?

Certainly does make you think about what Apple and Jobs must be thinking. Personally, I think the iPhone still has that premium feel to it. However, clones are coming up all over the place and the iPhone is still coming out tops in match-ups. A $99 smartphone would be a pre-emptive strike that would shake the fundamentals justifying the R&D investments that Apple's competitors are making. Or, perhaps, Steve really believes that getting an iPhone into the hands of every single person that craves one is the goal, and what is lost in immediate profits can be made up in subscription revenue sharing.