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Apple teamed up with Softbank for iPod cell phones (iPhone)

Apple and Softbank have joint efforts towards the iPod-like iPhone, Japanese Nihon Keizei Shimbun reported last week

Tokyo, Japan-based Softbank needs Apple's reputation and design in order to beat NTT DoCoMo and KDDI on the Japanese market.

The co-branded Apple-Softbank iPod-like cell phone (iPhone) should be available this year, sources say.

The multi-touch-screen is expected to be one of its key assets, allowing for users to press on several parts of the screen at the same time, all being taken into account. This would be as a result of the 2004 Apple application with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The iPhone would allow users to log into Cupertino-based Apple's iTunes Music Store for accessing their favourite music, unlike the Apple-Motorola Rokr which was a bit of a disappointment as it had limited memory and the inability to download music over-the-air.

Taking into consideration au's "Chaku Uta Full" 300 yen/downloaded song pricing, iTunes' lower prices will prove handy in market share claims.

SoftBank Corp. is a leading Japanese telecommunications and media corporation, with operations in broadband, fixed-line telecommunications, e-Commerce, Internet, broadmedia, technology services, finance, media and marketing, and other businesses.

SoftBank's corporate profile includes various other companies such as Japanese broadband company Cable & Wireless IDC, cable company BB-Serve, and gaming company GungHo Online Entertainment. Additionally, it has various partnerships in Japanese subsidiaries of foreign companies such as Yahoo!, E*Trade and Morningstar.