New Apple European patent art points to iPod-cell phone

Earlier this month, AppleInsider's Prince McLean obtained patent art for 10 new iPod interface designs.

Posted by a "European patent office" of unattributed nationality, these designs contain one that appears to strongly resemble an iPod cell phone.

The designs are attributed to Andre K. Bartley, a well-known and highly regarded Apple interface designer whose work has appeared in other European and U.S. patent applications art. 

McLean believes that one of Bartley's ten sketches resembles an iPod cell phone.

"In one of the design sketches, the Click-Wheel has been replaced by a keypad layout that strongly resembles a traditional mobile handset (or cell phone)<" writes McLean. "Just below the nano's screen is a circular navigation pad, flanked by two input buttons (traditionally these are the "connect" and "disconnect" buttons on a cell phone).

"Below these controls is a keypad layout consisting of what appears to be 12 numeric keys," adds McLean, "which also coincides with the keypad layout of traditional cell phones."

I'll go you one better, Prince. Those don't appear to be 12 numeric keys.

Those are 12 numeric keys.