The Apple iPhone displayed on a French news magazine this week may not be the Real McCoy, but behind the scenes the development of the Mac maker's first foray into phone hardware is continuing apace with a view to an early 2007 introduction, it has been claimed.

According to a source "with direct connections to [Apple's] plans" cited by Think Secret, the handset is "on track" for a Macworld San Francisco debut in January 2007.

The mole revealed the handset's current spec sheet calls for a three megapixel camera, 2.2in display, "complete" iTunes integration and a full iPod-like feature set. Song capacity will be limited only by the as yet unknown quantity of available storage, not the 100-song limit imposed in Motorola Rokr users, the report adds.

The story echoes a claim made by American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu last week that Apple will unveil the iPhone - or whatever it's called - early next year. Wu said the device will look like the iPod Nano and come in white, black and platinum. The latter certainly ties in with the new-look metal-cased Nano announced by Apple earlier this week.

Separately, the iPhone pictured by French magazine 20 Minutes and credited to Apple is actually a reprint of an artist's impression commissioned earlier this year by UK magazine MacUser, a fact later admitted by the Paris-based publication - and by readers who dialled the number displayed on the screen. ®