Motorola iTunes Phone Cancelled

mac-er said:

According to The Seattle Times, the Motorola iTunes phone is a no-go.

I was watching CNN this morning, and they also said the Motorola phone will not happen.

According to both CNN and the Times, Motorola blames Apple, while most industry analysts say wireless carriers were opposed to the deal.

An earlier MacRumors article stated the phone had been "delayed indefinitely", but the phone has, in fact, been cancelled.

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Could never really imagine making use of an iTunes phone, but doesn't this bring back the good old days of Apple and Motorola pointing fingers at eachother?

Now there will be rumblings of a 'Napster to go" phone

Good, maybe now Apple will make their own iPhone, whith a OS X like UI and perfect Address Book and iCal sync wia Bluetooth and/or USB... I would buy such a phone in a second...

...iTunes compatibility would be a bonus, but mainly to customize ringtones, untill proven otherwise I still think I would prefer to have a seperate iPod...

How sweet would it be if apple made their own phone.

JzzTrump22 said:

How sweet would it be if apple made their own phone.

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Doubtful, but we can dream. I'd buy it in a second. And I hate phones.

Dissappointing, but at least I won't end up regretting my recent cell phone purchase.

Mitthrawnuruodo said:

Good, maybe now Apple will make their own iPhone, whith a OS X like UI and perfect Address Book and iCal sync wia Bluetooth and/or USB... I would buy such a phone in a second...

...iTunes compatibility would be a bonus, but mainly to customize ringtones, untill proven otherwise I still think I would prefer to have a seperate iPod...

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Well, even if Apple did make the phone, which service provider would you get to give you service. If companies like Cingular and Verizon aren't going to buy the phone from Moto, they sure as hell won't buy them from Apple.

BTW, to the original poster. Nothing in the Seattle Times article said that the phone was cancelled. Who on CNN said it was cancelled?

ftaok said:

Well, even if Apple did make the phone, which service provider would you get to give you service. If companies like Cingular and Verizon aren't going to buy the phone from Moto, they sure as hell won't buy them from Apple.

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That's just an American (and maybe Japanese) problem. Here in Europe you can use any phone with virtually any provider... even change provider without changing your phone (with a few exceptions)... No problem...

Mitthrawnuruodo said:

Good, maybe now Apple will make their own iPhone, whith a OS X like UI and perfect Address Book and iCal sync wia Bluetooth and/or USB... I would buy such a phone in a second...
.

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Have you tried a sony-ericsson, like the T637? It syncs pretty well via bluetooth, file exchange works great (download/upload pics). I even got a "theme" that gives the phone screen a look like OS X.

Mitthrawnuruodo said:

That's just an American (and maybe Japanese) problem. Here in Europe you can use any phone with virtually any provider... even change provider without changing your phone (with a few exceptions)... No problem...

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I agree. However, I remember reading a few months back (forgive me as I've forgotten the source) that European service providers are shifting to a more "provider friendly" mode. More like what we have in the US. I think the provider in question was Vodaphone.

Anyways, I highly doubt that Apple will ever make a cell phone. Personally, with the advent of the iPod Shuffle, the Moto iTunes phone isn't necessary anymore ... at least for me.

I wish the US providers would switch to the European way of cell phone business. I'd gladly pay full price for a phone if it meant that my features weren't disabled.

ftaok said:

I wish the US providers would switch to the European way of cell phone business. I'd gladly pay full price for a phone if it meant that my features weren't disabled.

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CAn't you buy most phones without service, and then activate with the apprropriate provider?

I would use an iTunes phone. Currently I have a Nokia 6230 that has a built in mp3 player with a MMC card. If I had iTunes I could download songs right when I wanted them instead of writing them down to download later, and I could listen to them through my phone on the go and then transfer them to my G4 via bluetooth.

hmmm and i was thinking about seriously checking it out for my next phone

oh well scrap that idea


its a shame, and i do wonder who is to blame for this all
does make you wonder and hope that this will only make Apple make their own phone even though we all know that they wont

Overstating the story

This was first reported by another Seattle newspaper - the PI. Motorola hasn't cancelled the phone. They're just frustrated with the big boys (Verizon and Cingular) not wanting to offer it. The speculation is they may try to work with a smaller provider such as T-Mobile, who will be more willing to be flexible since they'd like to get an edge to help them grow market share.

Le Big Mac said:

CAn't you buy most phones without service, and then activate with the apprropriate provider?

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Oh, you can, but the problem is that you'd have to have the correct programming to get stuff like voicemail, roaming lists, etc. I don't know about Cingular, but I bet that Verizon wouldn't want to help you set up the phone you bought somewhere else.

It's quite a hassle.

The providers have a vested interest in keeping the status quo. Customers get locked in to 1 or 2 year contracts and they limit you on functionality.

I think you all are reading between the lines. It doesn't say anywhere in the article that the phone was cancelled.

It says
"Ultimately, while it's unclear whether it was a wireless operator that blocked the debut of Motorola's iTunes phone"

They are simply speculating on the reasons behind the decision not to announce the phone, not whether or not the phone will be released.

Lee Tom

ftaok said:

Oh, you can, but the problem is that you'd have to have the correct programming to get stuff like voicemail, roaming lists, etc. I don't know about Cingular, but I bet that Verizon wouldn't want to help you set up the phone you bought somewhere else.

It's quite a hassle.

The providers have a vested interest in keeping the status quo. Customers get locked in to 1 or 2 year contracts and they limit you on functionality.

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Good reason not to use Verizon, I suppose. The biggest annoyance with my T637 is that AT&T customized the interface so that virtually every button logs on to MMode. That's not true with the Cingular version of the phone.

Le Big Mac said:

Have you tried a sony-ericsson, like the T637? It syncs pretty well via bluetooth, file exchange works great (download/upload pics).

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Yes, I do sync my iBook regularly with my good old T68i, using a Keyspan Bluetooth USB dongle, and even if the T68i has an out of date UI it still works quite all right...

Nice theme, by the way...

Le Big Mac said:

Good reason not to use Verizon, I suppose.

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That's perhaps the biggest reason why, when our 2-year contract with Verizon ended this month, we switched over to T-Mobile. They do try to sell you add-on services; but they don't artificially cripple their phones.

I made sure Verizon knew that was why we left, too. We'd been with them for the past 4-5 years, back before they were even Verizon (in this area anyway).