Motorola iTunes Phone Delayed?

MacRumors · Mar 9, 2005

This Reuters article reports that Motorola is set to introduce several new phones on Thursday which will make it easier for consumers to store, share and print pictures.

iTunes users' eyes have been on the cell phone maker this week after comments that the previously announced iTunes-compatible Motorola Phone would be coming this week.

According to the article, however, all parties were not yet prepared to go public with the new phone, despite initial plans for a release this week. Of note, the article mentions that this week's release was only the "first of several music-compatible phones developed to work with [iTunes]".

iAdam · Mar 9, 2005

I'm still waiting for this phone, better hurry up, I need to renew my plan soon.

Dr. Dastardly · Mar 9, 2005

That new Moto PEBL phone looks sexy as hell and I can't wait to see that thing in person. I also can't wait to see the inside aswell.

Philsy · Mar 10, 2005

Either these reports have been incorrect, or someone at Motorola is cocking up badly here...

I'm hanging on to see what Motorola has to offer before making my yearly phone change but I'm getting impatient here

macidiot · Mar 10, 2005

Dr. Dastardly said:
Oh for gods sake were not doing the 1st 2nd 3rd thing now like those asinine PC boards are we?

That new Moto PEBL phone looks sexy as hell and I can't wait to see that thing in person. I also can't wait to see the inside aswell.

Agreed, the PEBL does look cool. I just hope its thinner than the v60 type flip. And here's hoping that Moto has figured out how to make a phone that doesn't break after 2 weeks.

Oh, and Al Gore invented the cell phone.

iZac · Mar 10, 2005

carriers fault

i woke up this Thursday with a gleam in my eye, thinking i may see a cool apple designed moto, but according to Gizmodo its some wireless carrier that has halted announcements of the ROKR phone

how can a network have such control over a phone maker!? its ridiculous!

Philsy · Mar 10, 2005

More info here

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?StoryId=CqI6c0eicq1bulu1pve9st0Xb

I wonder if the phone companies want a cut of the profits from people downloading songs from iTunes Music Store via their networks ?

aswitcher · Mar 10, 2005

Philsy said:
More info here

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?StoryId=CqI6c0eicq1bulu1pve9st0Xb

I wonder if the phone companies want a cut of the profits from people downloading songs from iTunes Music Store via their networks ?

Moto are doing a VERY good job of either creating tension or pissing us off with all this...

iJaz · Mar 10, 2005

Philsy said:
More info here

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?StoryId=CqI6c0eicq1bulu1pve9st0Xb

I wonder if the phone companies want a cut of the profits from people downloading songs from iTunes Music Store via their networks ?

As if you don't pay for data transfer already? Or maybe you mean that they want an extra iTMS fee!

ehm.. vapour ware.. ehm...
This is getting really embarrassing.
Why don't do it Apple style, show the god damn thing when you have it. Maybe you can't ship the first units until several months later, but don't go around and talk about products you don't have! What was the meaning of showing the wrong phone with iTunes recently? All Motorola has done is to create confusion!

Philsy · Mar 10, 2005

So who are these media bods to whom the phone was shown? Surely if that was the case we'd be seeing reviews and possibly pictures....

narco · Mar 10, 2005

I've read reports that it may be delayed until Christmas. I really hope not since I'm still using my Sony Ericsson T616, but it's totally falling apart. I wanted to wait until this phone comes out, but I'm probably going to be disappointed on the design. I guess it's alright since I really want to get a filp phone this time around.

Oh, and maybe by Christmas Cingular's rates will actually go down. I was one of the many who got screwed during the whole AT&T/Cingular merger.

Fishes,
narco.

brap · Mar 10, 2005

Don't care, really... it'll have to be bloody special to top the SE walkman-phone (and it's siblings in the product lineup) on looks, let alone moto's, uh, legendary build quality.

Philsy · Mar 10, 2005

brap said:
Don't care, really... it'll have to be bloody special to top the SE walkman-phone (and it's siblings in the product lineup) on looks, let alone moto's, uh, legendary build quality.

Which SE do you mean?

Chaszmyr · Mar 10, 2005

Better that we're waiting for a moto cell phone than a moto processor

denm316 · Mar 10, 2005

brap said:
Don't care, really... it'll have to be bloody special to top the SE walkman-phone (and it's siblings in the product lineup) on looks, let alone moto's, uh, legendary build quality.

I agree on thier legendary build quality, I bought thier v710 series phone when it was first released and it was buggy as hell with numerous issues, I am now on my fourth one and finally have a decent one, waited about 6-7 months for a firmware update that was needed since day one of release.

Second, I got thier 6412 Series dual tuner DVR box when it was first released, and that had huge issue, the pictures would continually freeze on analog channels, so recording something was pointless, you would have an hour recorded of a frozen picture. Once again had to wait about three months for a firmware update to fix the issue.

Motorola by far has the worst Quality Control of any company, I know there is a price to pay for being an early adopter of new technology, but when buying new motorola products it is just a disaster recently.

brap · Mar 10, 2005

Philsy said:
Which SE do you mean?

one.

Loge · Mar 10, 2005

While I don't know what the delay is here; it seems to be that networks are getting more and more unhappy with the ability to transfer files freely between computers and phones, leaving them out of the deal. The expectation is that we'll get more and more crippled handsets while the bundling of handsets and contracts continues.

shadowfax · Mar 10, 2005

Man, they ought to just release it with one of their fingers out (guess?) at vodaphone. If they have a good product, they can advise customers to bang down voda's doors till they adopt it. Why negotiate when you have a good product? People will demand it!

... oh, you must not have one. Sorry Moto...

jdawg4324 · Mar 10, 2005

The whole thing is bull

If they are goign to talk about the phonw then show it to us. And if a company is giving them a bad time about its release why not explain what is going on. I am left with no real information which just makes me mad. I am so glad apple is moving towards IBM and slowly getting rid of moto they just dont seem to have a grab on things.

JeffTL · Mar 10, 2005

Networks don't want people using USB too much to move files.

They want to be able to sell music at overinflated prices -- look at the "ringtone" "songs" and their exorbitant rates for clips.

Meaning that if someone can USB a phone to a PC and/or Mac and copy over any iTMS, CD, or free-download song in MP3 or AAC format, they are only getting to take your money for telephone service.

FWIW, I hooked my Nokia 3120 up to my Dell to copy over a Western Electric mechanical ringer tone so I could tell it's a phone, and I don't even have data services turned on and never send SMS or MMS. Cingular doesn't particularly want more people like me, because they "only" get $60 for two cellular lines and a fair amount of minutes.

JohnHummel · Mar 10, 2005

The Conversation Behind the Delay

Phone Company (insert "Verizon", "Cingular", "Evil" here) (aka "PC"): So, you've come to show us this new phone you've come up with.

Motorola: Yes, the iTunes compatible phone. It lets people transfer their songs right to the phone.

PC: Great! At a dollar a song, we'll make millions more!

Motorola: No, they can transfer the songs they already bought. Or made, I guess - somebody could just fire up Garageband, tap out a song on the keyboard, and then put it right into the phone.

PC: Yes, and we'll charge a dollar a song every time they do!

Motorola: Um, no, you don't get it - you see, they won't need your service to transfer the songs. Or the cover art either, I guess - it just works over Bluetooth.

PC: Wait - so we're not making a dollar every time someone wants to put a song onto their phone? You mean, they can do it for free? Those thieves!

Motorola: But they already bought the songs - URK!

PC: Be silent a moment while I have my hands clenched around your nether regions!

(There is a sucking sound as the phone companies tentacle covered mouth twitches in concentration.)

PC: So we won't make millions more off of our customers? We'll actually have to do something that benefits them?

Motorola: Pain.... excrutiating....

PC: Well, you're in no mood to talk. Guess we'll just have to "delay" this launch by, oh, (INSERT SINISTER LAUGHTER) forever. Bwahahahahahaha!

Anyway, that's probably kind of how it went.

Philsy · Mar 10, 2005

I don't know, I reckon the market for such a phone is going to be with kids, who will be keen to buy and download music while on the move - they may not even have their own computer.

Fix it so the charge for the songs comes off the phone's credit or contract and you'd be onto a winner - one thing kids don't have are their own credit cards, so this would be an easy way for them to buy music themselves. Similar to the drinks machines and car washes in Finland that you use your phone to pay for.

I can see this coming, maybe it's just not been sorted out yet, hence the delay.

Philsy · Mar 10, 2005

brap said:
one.

Thanks, looks good but why not 3G?

denm316 · Mar 10, 2005

JohnHummel said:
Phone Company (insert "Verizon", "Cingular", "Evil" here) (aka "PC"): So, you've come to show us this new phone you've come up with.

Motorola: Yes, the iTunes compatible phone. It lets people transfer their songs right to the phone.

PC: Great! At a dollar a song, we'll make millions more!

Motorola: No, they can transfer the songs they already bought. Or made, I guess - somebody could just fire up Garageband, tap out a song on the keyboard, and then put it right into the phone.

PC: Yes, and we'll charge a dollar a song every time they do!

Motorola: Um, no, you don't get it - you see, they won't need your service to transfer the songs. Or the cover art either, I guess - it just works over Bluetooth.

PC: Wait - so we're not making a dollar every time someone wants to put a song onto their phone? You mean, they can do it for free? Those thieves!

Motorola: But they already bought the songs - URK!

PC: Be silent a moment while I have my hands clenched around your nether regions!

(There is a sucking sound as the phone companies tentacle covered mouth twitches in concentration.)

PC: So we won't make millions more off of our customers? We'll actually have to do something that benefits them?

Motorola: Pain.... excrutiating....

PC: Well, you're in no mood to talk. Guess we'll just have to "delay" this launch by, oh, (INSERT SINISTER LAUGHTER) forever. Bwahahahahahaha!

Anyway, that's probably kind of how it went.

Very Good....Sad part is it is true.

I can see it now, I will be sitting at home on my powerbook on a Tuesday when new music comes out and I buy a new song form iTMS for $0.99 and then decide to transfer it to my phone, I will probably then have to accept a $1.99 ringtone fee as well just for the transfer. Phone companies really do get greedy, it seems they are only good to you if your contract expires or are a new customer yet to sign.

Maestro64 · Mar 10, 2005

JohnHummel said:
Phone Company (insert "Verizon", "Cingular", "Evil" here) (aka "PC"): So, you've come to show us this new phone you've come up with.

Motorola: Yes, the iTunes compatible phone. It lets people transfer their songs right to the phone.

ect.....

Yes, sad but probably true,

Do not forget they want to be able to charge for DL bandwidth, as well as charge for the ability to use your songs as a ringtone and while you are at it have the song expire after so many uses and have to buy and DL it all over again

You all might want to blame Moto for this, but the problem is Moto and other cell phone companies made a pack with the devil here. As soon as they allowed the PC to give phones away to users it took all the value out of the phone and put it on the services the PC provides. Companies like Moto have no real power here as evident with what just happen.

Motorola iTunes Phone Delayed?

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