Three new iPhones will appear in 2009, according to an analyst with the Canadian research firm Canaccord Adams.

According to a report (http://seekingalpha.com/article/118993-canaccord-three-new-iphones-expected-in-2009) on Seeking Alpha, analyst Peter Misek identifies the most lavish of the three as a 32GB iPhone 3G that will be available in multiple colors - an iPod Nanofication (http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/) of the iPhone's bling level, in effect.

The remaining two projected 'Phones are less fashion-forward. The first would be a rebirth of the original iPhone "targeted for China and India." The original iPhone, as you'll remember, had no GPS circuitry - a limitation that some observers believe would be required (http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/daily-news/081211-Will-China-See-a-GPS-Enabled-iPhone-/) by the security-conscious Chinese government.

The third and final new iPhone would be a low-cost device "about one-third the size of the 3G iPhone," according to Seeking Alpha. That's significantly smaller than the much-rumored iPhone Nano (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/13/iphone_nano_rumors/), for which Shenzhen, China, case maker XSKN is already selling cases (http://www.xskn.com/default.aspx?m=Search&Type=Products&SearchText=iphone%20nano&listType=exprList) on its website. Our guess is that someone at Seeking Alpha mistook "one-third smaller" for "one-third the size of."

Misek believes that any low-cost iPhone, such as the one he predicts, would not be a voice-only device. We agree. The iPhone is a platform, not a mere phone-call machine, and as such it's a gateway into the continuing revenue stream that's the iTunes App Store.

And as King Gillette (http://www.school-for-champions.com/biographies/gillette.htm) discovered with his disposable razor, and as inkjet printer manufacturers have perfected, one secret to success is to offer a product with a price that's a low barrier to entry, to be followed by continuing sales of must-have supplies.

And while the iPhone - unlike a safety razor or printer - will function without follow-on purchases, it's not nearly as much fun without them. ®

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