His holiness Steve Jobs is set to be fuming when he finds out that a 22-year-old Chinese programmer has worked out a way to turn a cheap iPod Touch into a fully functioning iPhone 4.
According to CNN the gadget is made up of a case that fits around the outside of Apple's iPod Touch.
Called the Apple Peel 520, the case contains a battery, dock connector and SIM card that allows voice calls.
You still have to install special software to enable a text messaging function, and to allow the device to properly work with the iPod Touch and break some of the iPod software but once installed, the Apple Peel gets around five hours of talk time and 120 hours on standby,
The inventor admits he is an Apple fanboy but thinks it is far too expensive in China. He began building the device last April, revealing the final product online about a month ago via a company he started called Yosion Technology.
The iPhone, which was officially launched on the mainland last October, more than two years after its debut in the US, costs between $588 - $740 while an iPod Touch is around $235. The Apple Peel sells for $57. So basically you are getting an iPhone for about half the price.
According to a Chinese review translated into English on M.I.C. Gadget, the Apple Peel does not support 3G and there is a small lag time when calls are made from the iPod Touch. There are also some minor niggles with the software.
