Lack of leaks forces iPhone nano rumor back into spotlight

We are a mere four weeks away from the Macworld Expo 2009, and those who have been paying attention have noticed that there has been a distinct lack of leakage from the mothership. What do you do when you have nothing else to talk about, then? Revive old 'n' busted rumors, of course. This time around, it's the much-discussed-and-not-yet-materialized iPhone nano.

Thanks to a questionable report on iDealsChina that offers up images of a third-party iPhone nano case design as evidence, this one has been thrust back into the spotlight. If this case design is to be believed, then the alleged iPhone nano will represent a shrunken-down version of the current iPhone 3G and does not appear to have many (if any) significant changes in design besides size.

Image courtesy of iDealsChina

A miniature version of the iPhone has been rumored, at this point, for at least two years now—since before the original iPhone even made its debut. Despite the popularity of the original (and now 3G) version of the iPhone, the Internet has been nothing if not abuzz about a smaller, cheaper, less-feature-rich version of the device. Even some analysts want to see it happen, even if they don't always agree within their own firms. Still, rumors about the iPhone nano have died down in recent months. Until now, anyway.

Of course, iDealsChina claims that such a device will be introduced at next month's Macworld Expo, but you can color us skeptical. Yes, a case leak clued us in to the existence of the current iPod nano before it was announced earlier this year, but an iPod update was all but guaranteed at that point and design was a mere technicality. Apple's timeline has not historically involved new iPhones in the middle of the winter, and the company doesn't often mention new devices far in advance of their public availability (except in the case of the original iPhone). We'll be thrilled to be wrong on this one, although you can bet that there are few of us at the Ars Orbiting HQ holding our breath for the iPhone nano in January.