今年春季，苹果公司申请了“外设收发功能”的专利，从附图中可以看出其意图。这种收发外设可以将iPod Touch之类的外设 - MID, PMP乃至iPhone本身变成你希望的各种制式的、能够支持语音、数据的手机。
以下是来自Engadget的一片文章，对我们理解苹果皮的工作原理有一定的帮助。
Looking for that elusive CDMA iPhone? You won't find it here -- but you might hear about a device Apple's trying to patent that could enable it one day. This spring, Cupertino filed an application for an "accessory transceiver" clearly intended to bring mobile calling, data and the requisite APIs to the likes of the iPod touch, not wholly unlike a certain Chinese case you might have heard of. What's more, the patent filing clearly states that this accessory isn't limited to MIDs and PMPs, but could be applied to "any type of mobile computing and/or communication device without limitation," including the iPhone itself... and specifically calls out CDMA as a possibility "because mobile telephone network quality and contract plans can vary" on GSM. Fancy that!
To be clear, patent filings typically try to speak as broadly as possible to assist lawsuits down the road, and as you're probably aware a patent doesn't mean an intent to bring a device to market. Still, we have to wonder whether these veiled jabs mean Jobs and company hit upon a workaround for that AT&T exclusivity deal, and what ZTE might do if Apple puts such a device on sale. Oh, and speaking of the Apple Peel 520 cellular case for the iPod touch, MIC Gadget's reporting that it now comes in eight colors at least as far as a Chinese launch is concerned. Think you'll buy one?
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