You know what this phone needs? A keypad

The Times of London has seen the future, and it may not include a touchscreen.

In the midst of an article on how Apple’s European partners overestimated the demand for first-generation iPhones and will likely take a bath on clearing out inventory for the rumored 3G iPhone that’s in the works, the Times’ Jonathan Richards reports on what form that future iPhone might take.

Industry sources told Times Online that the device will have a “radically different” appearance to the current device, which has a 4.5 inch screen and slick, aluminium backing. Among the possibilities are flip version, which would enable the screen to be larger, and a sliding model with a regular qwerty keyboard — as opposed to a touchscreen one.

In fact, the Times goes on to say, we may wind up with multiple iPhone models — one that looks like the current version for users who basically want an iPod with a phone attached, one with a keyboard for people who want a communication tool, and a third model with a larger screen for people who demand a laptop replacement. Which raises the question as to whether we’re even talking about an iPhone anymore or some new, still-theoretical mobile device from Cupertino.

The Dallas Morning News — from which I snagged the Times link — thinks this is a bad idea. Victor Godinez writes in the paper’s Technology Blog:

The reason the iPhone has become such an iconic device — at least to us naive hicks in the U.S. — is that it dumped all the clunky, conventional cell phone features.

Unfounded speculation or keen insight into the iPhone’s future? We’ll find out for certain later this year, I guess, when the 3G iPhone will reportedly debut.

Category: Musings

Posted by Philip Michaels on Apr 23 2008, 2:36 PM ET

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