A Chinese newspaper is reporting that
Apple has
placed an order with a Taiwanese manufacturer for 12 million iPhone handsets
ready for release next year.
The Commercial Times claimed that
Foxconn
Electronics will make the device, and speculation is mounting that the phone
will be launched at next year's Macworld conference in San Francisco.
Foxconn already produces Apple components and has won the contract to produce
the latest MacBook, according to the report.
The manufacturer has refused to confirm or deny the report, and calls to
Apple were unanswered at the time of publication.
Rumours of an iPhone have been circulating for over a year, but speculation
of a launch was heightened when an Apple executive
mentioned the
project in July.
The company officially filed trademark rights on the term 'iPhone' in
mid-October.
Apple co-developed the
Rokr music
phone with
Motorola
but the handset was unpopular, due in part to the fact that it was limited to
holding only 100 songs.
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