"Hello, Apple? HSBC here. World's largest company, maybe you've heard of us? Good, yeah, we'd like to place an order for the iPhone... How many? How about 200,000 for starters, b'okay?"

Sure, maybe the call won't go exactly like that, but ZDNet Australia (via MacRumors) is claiming the call may just be coming. Says HSBC's Australia and New Zealand chief information officer, Brenton Hush:

We are actually reviewing iPhones from a HSBC Group perspective ... and when I say that, I mean globally."

Will the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corp. really quit the Crackberry for a container truck (or ten) of Cupertino's finest? Only time will tell, but one thing's for certain: if RIM honcho Mike Lazaridis was feeling pressure from the iPhone 3G before, this type of rumor must certainly be turning it up a couple gravitational field levels...