Rumors & Dreams
When rumors first spread about an iTunes phone I immediately thought about a device much like the one pictured at left. The touch pad was smaller and closer to the hinge to allow for a phone keypad, but essentially this was it.
The reality of the Rokr phone was exciting in its own right and I rather liked it despite the lack of an iPod-like touchpad. Now there is a 2nd generation device, the Motorola Slvr, and the touchpad is still missing though the design is much cooler.
Touchpad aside, neither phone has the same ... oh, what's the word? ... ambiance, feel, heft, whatever ... that makes an iPod and iPod. The designs pictured here (and here) are more like I imagined. The odds that we will see a phone along these lines are pretty good, I'd say. It is just a matter of time and commitment. Apple would need a fair economic investment, to be sure, but more so they would need an acceleration of their already unique corporate culture. I'm willing to wait.
