Motorola CEO Zander: Apple iTunes phone due 'in the next fe...

[MacBytes]

Category: 3rd Party Hardware
Link: Motorola CEO Zander: Apple iTunes phone due 'in the next few months'

Posted on MacBytes.com
Approved by Mudbug

[Freg3000]

Available for $499 sim-free at select online retailers since the U.S. carries don't seem to want it....grrrr....

[aswitcher]

More delays it seems and complications...

[PlaceofDis]

promises, promises...... ill believe i when i see it

[puckhead193]

Originally Posted by PlaceofDis

promises, promises...... ill believe i when i see it

yea me 2, along with G5 powerbooks

[.Andy]

iTunes Mobile 1.0

Meh. That sounds highly unlikely....

[virus1]

Originally Posted by .Andy

iTunes Mobile 1.0

Meh. That sounds highly unlikely....

you're right.. to uncreative for apple.. but who knows about Motorola?

[le_coc]

And as for me: not interested! I think this won't be a succes! Why Apple did this? Apple just stay out of the mobile business and keep in to computers!

Focus on new powermacs, iMacs etc!

[Balin64]

This is my personal opinion: my mobile phone is for taking calls from work (work Phone, yuck) and my personal phone (friends and family). I don't need it to play music... and if it does, it better be an iPod replacement. If not, what's the point?

[sorryiwasdreami]

I just want a silky smooth white cell phone with a metallic back that says Apple on it. I don't even care if it's doesn't work.

[joe90]

Originally Posted by Balin64

This is my personal opinion: my mobile phone is for taking calls from work (work Phone, yuck) and my personal phone (friends and family). I don't need it to play music... and if it does, it better be an iPod replacement. If not, what's the point?

At this point in time I think Apple are getting into mobiles as part of their music strategy. They are probably going for the mp3 ringtone market and won't be spinning the phone as an iPod replacement (yet). The ringtone industry (in the UK at least) is huge and is growing:

-Baskerville/Informa Media forecast that ringtones would account for 12% of total music sales by 2008.
-in 2003 the market was worth £1.6 billion and by 2008 it will rise to £2.5 billion
source

[Abstract]

Originally Posted by Balin64

This is my personal opinion: my mobile phone is for taking calls from work (work Phone, yuck) and my personal phone (friends and family). I don't need it to play music... and if it does, it better be an iPod replacement. If not, what's the point?

There's no reason why one device can't act as a great Moto mobile phone AND an iPod Shuffle.

My problem with Moto is that since Moto can't get Bluetooth to work with Macs because of the way they implement it, this phone won't be what I'm looking for. In fact, its probably the only reason I didn't get a Moto. I got a Sony Ericsson K700i instead because at least the BT on that phone isn't wasted.

[Chappers]

If it happens and they get it right then it should be good.
Why be negative?
Are we the same people who were negative about the iPod?
1.4 billion phone users is a huge audience for Apple.

[virividox]

motorola and waiting...it's a common theme

[AmigoMac]

How long was the speculation for iTMS Canada around? and Australia? PB G5? New PM's? Hello Steve & Moto(Whatever), bring the phone... Rumors are fine, but once or twice...

[aswitcher]

Originally Posted by virividox

motorola and waiting...it's a common theme

They just canned the MPX which made me wonder if a variation of it would be the new iTunes phone...

[Orlando Furioso]

Originally Posted by sorryiwasdreami

I just want a silky smooth white cell phone with a metallic back that says Apple on it. I don't even care if it's doesn't work.

hehe...

Sarcasm aside, I believe there are some people who would love to tote around a non-functional apple phone. So long as it is "silky smooth with a metallic back" as you so aptly described.

or maybe you were being serious...

[rdas7]

There is a great gap in software for mobile devices at the moment. Manufacturers are constantly adding features to the phones, yet the software implementation of them is rudimentary at best.

In brief, what would be most inkeeping with Apple’s strategy to date would be to release a free J2ME-type app perhaps called “iTunes Mobile” which would run on any java-capable phone. This would be the “mp3 player” software for the handset. Then, update iTunes (desktop) to enable syncing to devices over USB/Bluetooth, so that your phone shows up in your Source list just like your iPod - to simplify synchronization.

This would bring mobile phone handsets (regardless of brand) into the iTunes family and bring the iTunes experience to the handset. The iTunes Mobile software would also incorporate Fairplay *decryption* to enable playback of protected AAC files to make transfers transparent.

The number of songs on your handset would be limited by your particular handset’s storage capacity (many phones are now being built with removable memory cards, expandable to over 1GB).

iTunes Mobile software could have hooks into the handset’s web-browsing capabilities to enable in-phone access to the iTunes Music Store but at the moment, purchasing songs and downloading them is severely limited by carriers’ data charges (eg. in Europe a $15/mo for 2MB of data allowance is common).

The big news of the iTunes/Motorola story is not the shop. It’s bringing a variety of handsets into the iTunes/iPod/Music Store family. All your phones are belong to iPod.

[AlmostThere]

In brief, what would be most inkeeping with Apple’s strategy to date would be to release a free J2ME-type app perhaps called “iTunes Mobile” which would run on any java-capable phone.

Would be a great idea but ...

... last time I looked, Apple's J2ME support was in the order of nothing.

OK, there are a couple of third party development toolkits (If things have changed since I last investigated, feel free to correct this) but, as far as I can see, and Apple's ability to surprise not withstanding, I really don't see much development interest in this sort of thing from Apple. Especially considering that Apple, imho, put more effort than any other company into making things easy for developers.

But otherwise, I agree, great idea.

[rdas7]

Originally Posted by AlmostThere

... last time I looked, Apple's J2ME support was in the order of nothing.

Which is where Motorola come in. Hello motocoder.

[d.perel]

Originally Posted by sorryiwasdreami

I just want a silky smooth white cell phone with a metallic back that says Apple on it. I don't even care if it's doesn't work.

Same. I don't even need the music playback, I just want a cool apple phone!

[kd0tc0m]

Is this why the next version of iTunes has been delayed so long? Are they so caught up with iTunes Mobile?

[itsa]

"As previously reported, it is felt that wireless carriers have been reluctant to support the iTunes enabled phone for fear of being cut out of the mobile-phone music-download arena."



Boy, did they miss the boat on that one or what?

[Stella]

Motorola phones suck, period.

apple should make iTunes that will work on all ( or majority of ) phones - Hello Java?!

[lokey]

This phone has been on my "waiting to get" list for some time now and I'm not sure I'll be waiting much longer. Sony Ericsson has a promising Walkman branded phone coming out this year, and if I don't see anything on this Moto-Apple phone soon I'll just have to go that route.

Poor Motorola, ...give me a reason to stay with your phones. I mean, the StarTac was great, but ever since then... down hill.