iDeals China claims that it is, and offers plenty of specs to back it up. They say that the new iPhone nano will be the same height as the current iPod nano and include "3 sensors, camera, [and a] mirror screen but no 3G." They also say that production of the iPhone nano will begin on December 20th, when we can expect to see all sorts of shots on the web.

Of course, there are a slew of reasons why these claims could be completely nuts. For one, it actually seems less likely for the manufacturer that leaked the last iPhone to leak the next iPhone. Does Apple really need third party cases ready at launch so badly that they're willing to forgo any level of secrecy and hand over device mockups (along with full specs?) to a company that historically cannot be trusted? No way. A factory-to-factory dialogue is all we could imagine.

And then there's the absurdity of the iPhone nano itself. On one hand, it could be an entry-level iPhone that allows Apple to corner the same market they did with their original nano (and shuffle, for that matter). But on the other, an iPhone nano would be comically small—almost like holding a Bluetooth headset to your face.

Needless to say, the entire Giz staff is highly skeptical of such a rumor—most of us don't believe it. But we wanted you to know what's going on in the world of iPhone rumors leading up to Macworld next month. Consider yourself armed and geek-dangerous. [idealschina via PMPToday]

If anyone could/should include a QuickTime-exclusive chip in their hardware, it's Apple, who uses QuickTime for iTunes, iMovie, Final Cut Pro and a slew of other programs (as well as plenty of functions within the core of OS X). The chip could be small, cheap and take a load off the CPU while providing silky-smooth playback of any and all Apple-based A/V content. Nothing can beat the quality and speed of a chip dedicated to one particular video function. That's why such solutions are still huge in the professional video industry.

Then again, such a chip would serve a niche use that video cards already handle pretty well, and it wouldn't have the functionality to replace a 3D graphics card. Plus in most Apple products, the CPU isn't burdened by the load of QuickTime because the GPU is handling the work. Also, at WWDC, Apple claimed to be developing QuickTime around multi-core technologies. That would mean NOT a dedicated chip.

Nonetheless, it's a pretty juicy rumor that's fun to think about. [Alley Insider]

Last week, when a Cingular business sales rep told me that the date for release was June 11th, she also told me that the data plan would be $30 bucks. I have less reason to believe the date, but the pricing seems like something she knew as a fact. $30. Such an exact number.

I told her that I thought it was a bit high, since the phone doesn't have 3G. She said that they had the best data network in the country, so the phone would download fast, so again, take this with a grain of salt. This is a sales person, not an engineer. Maybe it includes Wi-Fi. Maybe you can't just get the EDGE access. That would make me a bit upset if you couldn't split the two up.

Because I can stomach the monthly fee for minutes and txt, and I can stomach the iPhone's $599 price tag, but I'm not sure I want to pay another $30 for EDGE data plus Wi-Fi. That's maybe more than I can swallow.

This is all speculation, of course. – Brian Lam

...sources, for whom AppleInsider holds the utmost respect, are now pointing towards the mini's impending demise.

Whether Apple will squeeze another revision from the mini, and how long it plans to allow existing models to linger, are both unclear.

Due to its small footprint and low cost, it was immediately nominated by seasoned techies as the perfect media server for the living room. But with the advent of Apple TV, Apple seems to have shoved the diminutive device into the far corner of what had already been a niche audience.

Kasper is 100%, but we'll label this as a rumor. A big, fat juicy rumor. So don't go trading any stock.

Closing the book on Apple's Mac mini
[Appleinsider]