Apple developing smaller, cheaper iPhones: Report

Washington: Apple is developing
a new lines of smaller and
cheaper iPhones and overhauling
its software to facilitate users ’
access to entertainment, photos
and video, The Wall Street Journal
has reported.
The new device - code-named
“ N97” - will be about half the size
of the iPhone4 and cost about
half as much as Apple ’s main line
of iPhones, the Journal said,
citing a person who saw a
prototype of the new gadget
several months ago.
Meanwhile, the computer and
electronics giant is also
revamping its MobileMe online
storage service, which currently
requires users to pay between
$99 and $149 per year, and
possibly making it a free service
so users could upload photos
and videos there instead of on
devices, according to the report.
The move would free up memory
space on the smartphones and
MobileMe could also serve as a
platform for a new online music
service which has been in the
works for over a year.
Despite taking medical leave in
January, Apple ’s chief executive
Steve Jobs has been closely
involved in the developments,
one of his top priorities, the
newspaper said.
The new devices and software
are due out this summer, but the
Journal noted that those plans
may change