I stumbled across an interesting article on the Guardian here (free registration required) on the possibility of Apple entering the mobile phone market shortly.

The mythical "iPhone" - an Apple designed combination of iPod and phone - has been rumoured for years, and most recently came to an apparently disappointing head with the release of Motorola's ROKR phone - a slightly chubby, bog standard Motorola design with iPod software and iTunes compatibility, but with a software-imposed 100 song limit. This weak attempt to enter the phone market without damaging iPod sales was met with some disdain, and with rivals like Sony Ericsson launching phones that can easily take a thousand songs, it seemed like far too little too late. Now however, there are increasingly firm reports that Apple have taken the design and concept into their own hands and begun the manufacture of a new Apple branded phone. What's even more interesting is the possibility that they won't be selling these phones through the conventional networks, allowing giants like Vodafone and Cingular (in the US) to call the shots, but retailing directly to customers with an emphasis on building in their own products and services.

Details on the iPhone itself are still scant, although it's fair to assume it'll have a good music player and reasonable storage, and a 2mp camera has also been touted. One of the big questions is which OS it'll use - Apple may well have their own, but Symbian might be another natural choice, and as the Guardian reports the Symbian people aren't denying their involvement. If Apple do go it alone without the operators and flog it in the same way as an iPod, we could well see a shifting in control from the big networks to manufacturers, and an end to the subsidised phone model of old in favour of greater competition and more innovative design. I'll still be buying Sony Ericsson's though.