iPhone Pro and iPhone Elite Concepts Hit the Web… Both Make Me Giddy
By James Falconer on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 9:55 AM PST In Apple, iPhone
In case you haven’t seen it yet, the above concept image is the ‘iPhone Pro’ whipped up by the folks at Gizmodo in response to an ‘iPhone Elite’ concept image created by fellow blogger Mat Brady. The new device would have 60GB of storage, a front-facing 1MP camera for iChat PLUS a higher quality camera for regular shots. There would be a real 16:9 aspect ratio, video capability built-in… and perhaps the most notable feature of this concept… The slide-out keyboard.
Now, I can hear all of the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) die-hards out there saying that an iPhone ’slider’ will never happen… and honestly, I’m there with you. I have a hard time seeing how Apple could ‘go back’ to an actual physical keyboard after having set the scene for virtual touchscreen inputs. However… If you think about it from a different angle, maybe it’s not so bad?
Perhaps the biggest appeal the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) has over the iPhone in the business world is it’s physical, tactile keyboard. Most Berry users swear by it, and can’t stand the form or function of the virtual touchscreen text input found on the current iPhone 3G. What if Apple combined the best of both worlds, providing the same, slick touchscreen interface and OS with a new physical QWERTY keyboard in a slider form for the business folk to use? Don’t you think that type of device would take a bigger chunk of the business user market in comparison to the current iPhone 3G setup? I think it would. Perhaps Apple should/could even brand the new device as the ‘iPhone Business’ or something along those lines. For those that just have to have the Berry-ish keyboard to punch out those quick emails on the go.
Whether or not this actually becomes a reality is yet to be seen, but thankfully time will tell us the answer. It always does. I have a feeling that we will NOT see anything like this for some time, at least not until Apple can iron out production costs on such a unit until prices for the device would reach a reasonable point that business users (and others) would be able to swallow.
The concept is certainly something to think about. I wonder what is going on at Apple’s 1 Infinate Loop address in Cupertino… Where are those new iPhone plans Apple? Want to shoot them over this way!? 
Are you retarded? This was originally by Mat, but the version you have posted above was “whipped up” by Jesus Diaz at Gizmodo. It even says his name in the image.
If you are going to copy and paste Jesus’ entire article into WordPress and only change a few words, then at least freaking credit the man. (Not that he cares about a little peon like you.)
jeero,
Last I checked I wasn’t ‘retarded’. That said, I stated clearly in my post that the original ‘Elite’ concept was from Mat (even linked to the source) and that Mr. Diaz whipped up his awesome version in reaction to the original (linked to his as well). Very clear. Also, I’m not sure how I could have copied/pasted an entire article, when all I did was check out the concepts and write about them off the top of my head. My points, my thoughts, my post. I think we can both agree these concepts are fantastic, certainly something to talk about.
Thanks for your comments though, I have added two more links to the source articles, there are now two links going to each, which I’m sure they will appreciate!
James, thank you for writing about my image and Jesus Diaz’s image in your excellent blog. You have been very respectful and jeero does not parallel my feelings at all. If there is one thing that Jesus’s and my iPhone mock-ups have done it has been to generate debate, and a relatively healthy one at that. It’s amazing what simply seeing an image can do. Your voice has been one of the most clear and thoughtful responses so far and I have thoroughly enjoyed the points you raised.
In response to your blog, I believe it comes down to this:
Apple need to soak up more of the business market and having a slide-out keyboard would allow this to happen fairly easily. (I was surprised that the keyboard was the feature that received the most positive response from people) From Apple’s perspective they would be in an internal tug of war between staying with their pure ‘forward only’ innovation angle, or incorporating old tech for the sake of greater profit/market/opportunity/etc. I don’t think people would hold it against them for too long if they did put in a slide-out keyboard, to be honest. You’re “business” re-branding idea is perfect. I’m sure that once the business sector takes up the “iPhone Business” model Apple would slowly phase out the slide-out keyboard once adoption of the touch keypad would have taken place and, of course, if sales figures between the business model and regular model would signal this phase out to happen also.
If it turns out that touch screens are eventually loved by everyone and that physical keyboards really are a thing of the past, then so be it. If it turns out that, actually, there are those that even after decades of use people still prefer a physical keyboard as opposed to those who prefer touchscreen typing, then this is fine too. But without both to explore in the same device we’ll be left to suffer an eternal divide between people buying blackberries and iphones. What’s ironic here is that Apple would probably garner more people to subscribe to touch screen typing sooner if they were to include a physical keyboard. Weird, huh?
Again, this is a really interesting debate that’s taking place.
Great blog, keep it up.
Yeah. . . I think Apple should think about these concepts (gizmodo’s and Mat Brady’s) and not an “iPhone Nano”.