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Apple Testing iPhones with Physical Keyboards?

TheRegister.co.uk claims that Apple is currently circulating prototype iPhones with physical keyboards amongst some mobile carriers to gauge demand for such a device.

actual prototypes - not just mockups - have been sent to senior executives at some operators. I'm not allowed to even hint which operators... but I can report that the keyboard has "issues" which are not yet resolved.

The author believes that despite Steve Jobs' open criticism of the fixed buttons on existing smart phones, that he is currently exploring keyboarded iPhones. The design is said to be a "slider" type design where the keyboard would slide out behind the screen. The reason for the interest is an attempt to further penetrate the enterprise market where physical keyboards are the norm.

Worldwide, it has not escaped the attention of mobile network execs that the bulk of corporate sales are not into the executive corridor. Rather, they are phones which are provided for staff, and the vast bulk of them have full-QWERTY keyboards - and all the best-selling ones, Nokia, Sony-Ericsson and HTC alike, have slide-out keyboards. The popular Danger Sidekick, too, has a slide-out (spin-out) QWERTY keyboard.

Of course, even if such prototypes exist, there's no guarantee that Apple will actually release such a design.

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47 months ago
Let's hope these execs put it on ebay, for the sake of seeing what the heck it looks like. Why? Because we're all obsessed nerds here.
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47 months ago
I had problems with the iPhone keyboard for about a week. I don't think a physical keyboard is very necessary.

The iPhone's keyboard is easy enough to get used to - especially with the auto-correcting.
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47 months ago
I won't get one. I'm such a fan of the ".com" button and all the other clever things the soft keybaord can do.

Haptic? Sure. Physical? pass.
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47 months ago
pics or it never happened :)
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47 months ago
I'd rather see the ability to use a BT keyboard with the existing iPhone. Any built in keyboard is likely to be too small to be really useful.
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47 months ago

I won't get one. I'm such a fan of the ".com" button and all the other clever things the soft keybaord can do.

Haptic? Sure. Physical? pass.


care to explain what haptic is?
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47 months ago
meh. I will never go back to actual keys. I like the virtual keys, way more possibilities.
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47 months ago
Keyboard or no, it will likely be a hit. The problem is that rather than being a trend setter, Apple risks being a trend follower.
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47 months ago

care to explain what haptic is?


When you touch a key if gives off a slight vibration
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47 months ago
Interesting, adds more to the rumors of more than one model of iphone being developed.
I don't think its necessary personally, but i guess they'd be several models, just like the ipod branched out as it increased in popularity.
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