Rumours flourished throughout 2006 about the release of a mobile phone from Apple. The existence of the device, which came to be known as the 'iPhone', has yet to be confirmed by Apple.

Still, the Apple mobile phone was one of the most anticipated new devices in 2006. Fuelled by a reports of Apple patent applications, bloggers, analysts and reporters speculated that the device will have everything from a touch-screen to a full keyboard to a case made out of zirconium.  

Rumours of the impending release first began to surface in April, when an analyst said that the odds were "extremely good" that Apple would release the device some time during the Spring of 2006 to coincide with the launch of Helio, a combination 3G/VoIP service. The product was, of course, not released with Helio.

Predictions began afresh in July, when an Apple executive was quoted as saying: "We do not think that the phones that are available today make the best music players. We think the iPod is. But over time, that is likely to change, and we are not sitting around doing nothing."

The comment, made by chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer, led many to anticipate the iPhone's arrival at the WWDC summit in August and later at September's Apple Showtime event.  

Again, Apple made no mention of a mobile phone project. In November, however, rumours again surfaced that seemed to indicate the imminent release of a mobile phone.

Factories in Taiwan and Japan had reportedly received an order to produce two million phones for Apple. 

According to the report, two models were to be made, one containing a full keyboard and video capabilities, and another more suited to playing music.

The reports have led to the latest speculation that the phone may be introduced by Steve Jobs at January's Macworld expo.