Enough about the Iphone already!

Macworld is almost here and Apple fan boys are going nuts with this Iphone. Its been talked about for years. Macworld is coming up in a few weeks and it could be a reality. Kevin Rose Spilled the beans on Diggnation:

What everyone has been talking about is an Ipod/cell phone device. I think these people are wrong. I think Apple is finally going to let you download your music independent of a computer. You will be able to download songs directly from Itunes to your Ipod. Of course Apple will need to integrate cell phone technology into the player, but its main purpose will be to play music. Cingular is the first carrier to come to mind that they will be dealing with. They have worked with them in the past.

My reasoning for why Apple would come out with this types of device instead of an Iphone comes from a few places. First, taking the computer out of the equation has always been a goal for the Ipod. If you want new music, you want to get it now. You don't want to go to a computer, hook it up, go online...when you can just download music whenever and where ever. Second, Michael Kanellos points out some good reasons is his article:

Apple opted to adopt the 1.8-inch hard drive, a piece of hardware spurned by other manufacturers. That was the world's mistake. The 1.8-inch drive let Apple put a huge amount of storage--the real problem with MP3 players--into a small form factor. The first iPod sported 5GB of storage, or nearly 40 times as much as the upper crust of flash players. The company even locked up supply of 1.8-inch drives for a while, so no one could copy it.

The iPod also conquered the problem of small screens and cheesy navigation. With its newfound popularity, the company was also able to get music publishers to agree to its terms.

Unfortunately for Apple, problems like that don't exist in the handset business. Cell phones aren't clunky, inadequate devices. Instead, they are pretty good. Really good. Why do you think they call it a Crackberry? Because the lumpy design and confusing interface of the device is causing people to break into cars? No, it's because people are addicted to it.

Samsung has scoured the world's design schools and hired artists on three continents to keep its phones looking good. Motorola has revived its fortunes with design. KDDI, a Japanese carrier, has a design showcase in the teen shopping area of Tokyo just to be close to trends. And Sharp doesn't skimp when it comes to putting LCD TVs on its phones.

Apple, in other words, won't be competing against rather doltish, unstylish companies like the old Compaq. The handset companies move pretty quick and put out new models every few weeks.

So I think this news at Macworld wont be an Iphone, just an Ipod that can let you DL songs directly to the Ipod.