iPhone to sell through Helio, and offer VoIP?
Telecoms analyst VisionGain reports that it believes Apple will definitely be releasing an iPhone this year, most probably through new US MVNO Helio. "The odds are extremely good that Apple will launch an iPhone this spring in tandem with Helio's launch in the US," says Pam Duffey, telecoms analyst at VisionGain.
This Spring....that gives Apple two months. Can they deliver in two months? My guess is no - Apple will announce the iPhone this spring, but not release it until the autumn. Only a guess of course, but just as good a one as VisionGain's, I reckon!
More news on the iPhone and Helio after the jump.
[Source: Yahoo, via MobileTracker]
iPhone and Helio
Helio is a new US MVNO whose business model is to provide the type of super-smartphones that Korea is used to the US market. In fact, as a partnership between Earthlink and Korea's SK Telecom, that's exactly what it'll be doing: taking the best Korean mobiles and releasing them in the US using superior marketing strategies aimed at the hip and geeky yoof market - exactly the same demographic as the iPod's.
"There exists a relationship between Apple and Helio management that goes back to the ROKR iTunes phone, and Helio has declared a target audience identical to iPod's existing market. Helio's top rank executives have also publicly voiced frustration with mainstream carriers and appear to be on a crusade to radically shake-up the industry," said Duffey.
"The iPhone will most likely be produced in South Korea by an existing handset maker, and made available exclusively through Helio. The iPhone will likely be as disruptive to the existing carrier market as the iPod was to the mobile music industry. When the iPhone adds VoIP capability, it will be even more disruptive to carriers," concludes Duffey.
Note the 'when' in the last sentence. Quite a strong positive statement for a phone that hasn't even been confirmed yet!
