Mac Soda

This kind of bulk wont be added to the iPhone...

So today’s hot rumor is that Apple is planning on introducing an iPhone with a built-in projector, along with others, including Nokia. This rumor doesn’t make sense on a number of levels. First, if Apple were to add this to the iPhone, not only would it suck every last drop out of the battery, it would add substantial bulk to the iPhone’s design… something I doubt Apple would do. Also, Apple just released a brand new iPhone, iPhone 3GS. Could you imagine the backlash Apple would get if they released a new iPhone by year’s end? The price drop backlash would seem like nothing. Now Digitimes has proven to be a solid source of Apple rumors in the past… so why mention Apple’s name if they didn’t actually hear about something? The answer I think is this: their story is correct, but the internet’s interpretation of the story isn’t.

International brand vendors, including Nokia, Samsung Electronics and Apple, reportedly all plan to launch handsets with built-in micro projectors by the end of this year, indicated the sources, adding that Foxlink is likely to benefit from the emerging trend due to its strong business relationships with Nokia and Apple.

Handset doesn’t necessarily mean phone. Just because Nokia is almost entirely a phone company, Samsung’s phones are a big part of their business, and Apple has the iPhone, doesn’t mean that this is the only connection between the three companies. So what is the connection then? All three companies make mp3 players, but if putting one of these projectors in a phone is unlikely, an mp3 player is even more unlikely. Apple makes computers, and Samsung and Nokia don’t, so that can’t be it. Besides, computers aren’t handheld. Nokia and Samsung both have handheld tablet computers, and Apple doesn’t, so that can’t be… oh wait. From what I recall from Digitimes, Apple has plans to introduce an iTablet by years end… which would fit perfectly into this projector rumor.

So wake up internet… the micro-projectors wouldn’t be used in these three companies phones. They’re going to be used in their handheld tablet computers.