04/29/2008, 10:45am, EDT
Tuesday, April 29thPaper: 3G iPhone to be smaller, lighter
The next generation of Apple's phone should include a significantly smaller phone that may replace the existing model, according to claims by Taiwan Economic News. The paper echoes recent rumors in claiming that the device will use a plastic backing in place of aluminum but also contends that the device will be significantly smaller than the original, with a 2.8-inch screen replacing the 3.5-inch model used today. The combination of a lighter material and smaller frame is said to reduce the weight to between 3.9 and 4.2 ounces from the initial model's 4.8.
Battery life will also improve, says the Economic News, though whether this is from the smaller screen alone or newer technology is unknown.
The publication also reiterates previous reports which claim that Apple is requiring that Foxconn produce 3 million iPhones for June and adds that the order will initially require a batch of 300,000 devices before full production begins. No explanation is given for the preliminary quantity.
The 2.8-inch screen size would bring the Apple device into more closer size competition with phones from several other manufacturers, many of whom have similarly adopted touchscreen-focused designs but at smaller sizes. Phones such as the LG Vu and Samsung Instinct use screens closer to the 3-inch mark, while the HTC Touch has used a 2.8-inch screen since its launch in May of last year.
Filed under: iPhone, industry
Other story tags: Samsung, LG, htc, Touch, instinct, Vu
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If this report is for real, it must be another model. Perhaps one with only visual voice mail and a few widgets (maps, stocks, weather), but with no email or web browsing. I just don't see those on a screen that small (literally).
It's very abundant but you should go look up the process of extracting it from Bauxite Ore and then refining it_ =====================
Anyway - Apple will probably tweak the dimesnions here and there as they did with the different Generations of iPods over the past several years_ My iPod Classic has different dimension - thickness and screen-size and type than all previous models_
Also - unless Apple goes and retools all of it's Proline hardware with Plastic this ain't happening to the iPhone_
Seeing as they just migrated the iMac [which has not been a Proline Product] to a metal structure and they've migrated even the the low-end iPod Shuffle and Nano to metal Cases lately - this doesn't make much sense_
I wouldn't be too surpised before long if they migrated the low-end Macbooks to a metal body_
I have to agree - those folks that say they may be releasing a stop-gap product mid-level or low-end iPhone are probably more on target_
Size seemed to be the same, but was hard to tell as i could not size the guys hand up.
This was on a video talking about some fire that was on a mountain??? I was just passing by and glanced when the phone got my eye.