TWO HEADS BETTER THAN ONE...
Engadget Mobile has an interesting story titled "Apple said to be working with Softbank on 
co-branded handset". It reads:
"Japanese news agency Nikkei is reporting that Apple and new Vodafone Japan owner Softbank are working together to develop cellphones capable of downloading and playing music from the iTunes store.
Details are, of course, very slim at this point, as we don't even know whether to characterize this as a "true" iPhone, or simply a ROKR-like model featuring only software from the iPod manufacturer powering a non-Apple handset.
However, Nikkei is quoting sources that say the phone, which may be released as early as this year (and which is definitely NOT pictured alongside this post), it is expected to sport both Softbank and Apple branding, which may indicate that Cupertino will have a hand in developing the hardware as well."
If true, it's interesting to see Softbank moving so fast after it's recently announced acquisition of Vodafone KK from Vodafone, the third largest mobile operator in Japan. That move of course supplements Softbank's already hefty investment in wired broadband infrastructure in Japan, where it's the number two provider already. It potentially makes possible the triple packages for consumers (wired and wireless broadband, along with internet telephony).
It'll be interesting if Softbank's close relationship with Yahoo! via their joint history on Yahoo! Japan, comes into play with any relationship with Apple. This could be especially interesting given that Softbank and Yahoo! Japan are already working together on leveraging the Vodafone KK acquisition.
Neither Apple or Softbank of course doesn't have any direct experience in handsets. Given that the leading providers like Motorola and Nokia have close customer relationships with most of the world's wireless carriers, the two companies are likely going to need a handset partner that's relatively less conflicted in those types of relationships.
It's speculation on my part, but Taiwanese handset maker BenQ could be an interesting partner for Apple and Softbank, especially after BenQ's acquisition of the Siemens handset infrastructure recently, and it's CEO K. Y. Lee's global ambitions. In particular, BenQ doesn't yet have major customer relationships with the major wireless incumbents, and is still ramping up those relationships in Japan.
In any case, it all bodes well potentially for the "iPhone", the current holy grail for Apple geeks everywhere.
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