Nickname: Ian Rowley

Review: I'm one of the writers of this article. Thanks for the comments. Actually, while Softbank's Japanese said that the Nikkei story was media speculation, it didn't deny the story outright. Today, meanwhile, the Nikkei once again mentioned the possibility of a tie-in with Apple, noting: "Softbank's Son...has added yet another powerful ingredient to his mobile strategy: allying with Apple Computer Inc. to jointly develop iPod cell phones. This is seen as a wise step to cross-leverage Softbank's broad portfolio of businesses." Of course, that's a long way short of guaranteeing iPod phones are going to arrive anytime soon, but it'll certainly be interesting to watch how this unfolds.

Date reviewed: May 19, 2006 6:07 AM

Nickname: MPO

Review: Softbank denied this "news" on monday

Date reviewed: May 17, 2006 12:55 PM

Nickname: Lobo

Review: Softbank denies Apple iPod tie-up Tuesday, 16 May 2006 Softbank Corp has released a statement saying that the rumours concerning a strategic partnership with Apple Computer Inc to develop iPod-enabled cellphones are untrue. Softbank Corp was rumoured to have teamed up with Apple to jointly develop mobile telephones with built-in iPod music players. According to reports on Nihon Keizai Shimbun's website, the pair had agreed terms to co-develop the dual-branded phone for commercial launch - possibly as early as this year. The statement refuting the claim can be found (Japanese only) at: http://www.softbank.co.jp/news/release/2006/060515_0001.html.

Date reviewed: May 16, 2006 6:18 PM

Nickname: Phani

Review: Steve will get into the Japanese market as well. The battle is not to outwit NTT & KDDI, but to expand its own presence and image in Japan.

Date reviewed: May 16, 2006 4:58 AM