Only lately, talks about the iPhone keep on resurfacing with not a few claiming it's about time the said company venture into the world of mobiles. Well, add Prudential Equity Group analyst Jesse Tortora to those predicting that there will be an iPhone in the very near future.

According to him, he expects Steve Jobs and his crew to unveil a "music phone" in Macworld - a gathering of Mac-anatics - January of next year. He base his guess on the fact that every year, the event is held witness to Apple's revelation of new products. He even hinted that the said phone could be Wi-Fi-equipped, and should be available March, 2007.

The iPhone looks to be a promising one for Apple, but some analysts are a little dubious whether it'll have a shot in the market. They outlined the possible difficulties that Apple may encounter: tight competition, carrier issues, and possibly, Steve Jobs himself.

Of course, Apple has known all along that to hack its way in the jungle of mobile giants, it has to offer a unique product - one that will fill the gaps that other handsets leave unaddressed such as bigger memory, easy synchronization with music downloads, and efficient wireless service providers. Cingular, as we know it, has now tied up with Apple but the iPhone's appeal will further increase if it could work with other providers as well. Question is, will the major wireless providers embrace the iPhone?

Some analysts see the iTV instead as the better bet than the iPhone. Apple are just taking chances, and it was evident in the history of their products. But then again, with their marketing genius and success on the Mac and iPod, who are we to judge what will become of the iPhone?