Apple Inc (AAPL)

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08:47 AAPL Apple Computer iPhone patents filed - Red Herring (91.32 ) -Update-

According to Red Herring, AAPL filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in August for the patent proposal covering a portable computing device, a cell phone, and a media player—a combination that could rock the industry. That's because AAPL has proven its attention to design and every aspect of hardware to software can create a multibillion-dollar consumer electronics hit. The move is the strongest evidence yet that AAPL is well into plans for its much-discussed iPhone music-playing cell phone.

The most recent hard evidence of an Apple-branded iPhone surfaced in reports that AAPL had contracted with a Taiwanese company to build 12 mln units. Prudential Equity Group analyst Jesse Tortora has said that two phones—a slimmer nano-like phone and a smart phone—should be expected by Jan's MacWorld conf. Another analyst has said that one of the phones would feature iChat mobile instant messaging instead of email.