Get Ready to Call iTunes

[XForge]

Not Motorola again. I hope they do better with phones than with the PPC. Given their previous performance against Nokia, I hope they are turning things around or that Apple has significant design/engineering control. ;-)

It has a ton of potential, I just hope Apple ensures that Motorola gets it right!

The last Motorola phone I had was great; the Nokia phone I got from Verizon is a screaming piece of crud. So, YMMV I guess. If the price is right I would totally love to own an iPhone, even though I'm not really a gadget junkie.

 

[freddiecable]

don't think apple will exclude themselves from other manufacturers by making a "real phone" - but rather include and develop their technology for different manufacturers. living in sweden, having some contact with sonyericsson - I know apple have something going on with them. I can see different brands with apple "content"...

sonyericssons phones has really become useful and enjoyable! there is much difference from only a few years ago...and they are more "appleinspired". the se-ceo is very "pro-apple" and they got more machines from apple at the office...etc

thus - i hope iTMS branded with lots of cellphone-makers...

 

[Object-X]

I assumed when I read about the new Motorola RAZR V3 and how much marketing strength Motorola is going to put behind it that this IS the iTunes phone. It has Bluetooth and MPEG4 playback capability, and I could swear I read on Motorola's web site that it would play MP3; now I can't find that anywhere.

Is the iPhone going to be the RAZR?

The price is right...$600!! That sounds about right for Apple. It is a sweet phone though. But rest assured, whatever it is it will be expensive.

 

[Object-X]

Does anyone else think this i crap needs to go? Its so played out its not even cool or even funny anymore. Sure iPod. But come on. Someone at Apple can think up something other then iPhone. ICK.

I agree, but given how much money they are making on the iPod, iThink it is going to stay.

 

[Object-X]

Please stop calling it iPhone. That name is just too darn corny for me.

Besides, it's not going to be an Apple-branded phone...

I think you're right. Somehow I don't think it will have a little Apple logo on it. Remember the developer's conferrence? They were showing of the new H.264 codec and stated that it can scale down all the way to size of a phone. I think we will see a phone showing off that codec with video capability, or perhaps they will release a phone with iTunes support first and then iMovie when Tiger is released.

 

[sinisterdesign]

wow

a phone that plays itunes??!? wow! now if only i could get a 60GB HD in there, a great navigation tool....oooo, and a color screen. oh, wait.

i'm very excited about the possibility of an Apple branded mobile, but lukewarm to a motorola w/ AAC support & iTMS download ability. who cares? my DSL at home is much faster than a cell download & it's easier to get onto my iPod from there.

BUT, i don't think apple would do that to us. they know better (right?) hope so.

 

[toughboy]

I assumed when I read about the new Motorola RAZR V3 and how much marketing strength Motorola is going to put behind it that this IS the iTunes phone. It has Bluetooth and MPEG4 playback capability, and I could swear I read on Motorola's web site that it would play MP3; now I can't find that anywhere.

Is the iPhone going to be the RAZR?

I was going to say the same thing...

Look at the description "sleek and sexy" "with iTunes support" "bluetooth integrated"... These all are telling us little clues about the Razr V3.. Razr is the new iPhone, probably they will put a Apple mark on it and make it Razor V3i or something like that..

 

[testnull]

Motorola phones

I work for Motorola, and I have a few things to say to all of those people who say that "Motorola phones suck". Yes, quality has been a huge issue on Mot phones in the past. I think a lot of this was due to the lack of concern about quality from the top, our previous bozo CEO Chris Galvin. Our new CEO is Ed Zander (formerly from Sun), and he's done a lot to focus on quality. Yes, it's still an issue, but it's one that's being addressed. The build quality of the RAZR is very, very high. I know nothing about any potential Apple / Motorola phone but if it's a reasonably high-end phone like the others we have been producing, it should be a great product.

As for those of you who say that nothing Motorola is allowed in your house: get a life. For the record, we make the softmodem that Apple uses in (AFAIK) all Apple computers, so be sure to order your G5 without a modem. For the rest of you, I hope you evaluate whatever product we come up with on its strengths and then make a reasonable decision. Ed Z and Steve Jobs are big buddies and I'm sure they've worked hard to come up with something that will satisfy both the mac users and the fans of high-end phones.

 

[cr2sh]

I'm glad to see that (if it is true) Apple is acknowledging the future of personal computers. It may not compete with the iPod now... but it will one day replace it.

 

[lmalave]

iTunes support does NOT necessarily mean iTMS support

i dont care about itunes support. so far, ive probably downloaded 50 songs. ive never been in a situation where i needed to have a song or cd so badly i'd pull over on the side of the road or stop in my tracks on a walk and downloaded the newest hit.

i just want an apple quality cell phone with a elegant interface that makes syncing that much easier. oh ya, i wont buy anything over $250. and even that is pushing it.

I think you're missing the point. The main point is not to let people buy songs with their phone. The main point is simply to let people play MP3 and AAC files on their phone. In just a couple of years, Apple is going to be facing a huge threat from mobile phones that come equipped with built-in MP3 player and an SD card slot, not to mention a camera. It makes sense for Apple to partner up with a mobile phone company. Apple would provide software (iTunes) and perhaps design expertise. Ideally Apple would be able to work out a co-branding agreement a la Sony Ericsson. Can you say MoPod?

 

[toughboy]

I work for Motorola, and I have a few things to say to all of those people who say that "Motorola phones suck". Yes, quality has been a huge issue on Mot phones in the past. I think a lot of this was due to the lack of concern about quality from the top, our previous bozo CEO Chris Galvin. Our new CEO is Ed Zander (formerly from Sun), and he's done a lot to focus on quality. Yes, it's still an issue, but it's one that's being addressed. The build quality of the RAZR is very, very high. I know nothing about any potential Apple / Motorola phone but if it's a reasonably high-end phone like the others we have been producing, it should be a great product.

As for those of you who say that nothing Motorola is allowed in your house: get a life. For the record, we make the softmodem that Apple uses in (AFAIK) all Apple computers, so be sure to order your G5 without a modem. For the rest of you, I hope you evaluate whatever product we come up with on its strengths and then make a reasonable decision. Ed Z and Steve Jobs are big buddies and I'm sure they've worked hard to come up with something that will satisfy both the mac users and the fans of high-end phones.

Everyone who says "motorola sucks" should listen this guy.. I've seen low quality phones of Moto too, but things change, destinies change.. Just like Apple did with iMac and iPod.. I saw and tried Razr and V600.. I was a big fan of 7110 once, but my new "god" is Razr.. Motorola will change things, and I hope they will be walking together with Apple..

 

[virividox]

not really into moto phones but if rumor is true and gets good reviews then imma get one

 

[silvergunuk]

Mi Theory

I doubt apple will make a phone with motorola. Maybe a product that you can attach to any phone that will give you atleast 5 gigs of hardrive that you can store your tunes and will be able to play songs bought from the itunes music store or ripped from CD. It will have an itunes built in and even buy songs from the music store and downloaded using the phone line provider. It would have a larger user base than just 1 phone.

 

[shamino]

you can sync with itunes? then why carry an ipod? sounds like a bad move for apple.

I doubt they're going to put a hard drive in the phone. It's going to store the songs in the phone's flash memory, which won't be able to store more than a very small number.

And even if they did slap in a hard drive (like the 0.85" 4G hard drive from Toshiba), it would add several hundred dollars to the price, and still wouldn't have a click-wheel.

This device won't ever compete against an iPod.

 

[johnpaul191]

RTFA!

i dont care about itunes support. so far, ive probably downloaded 50 songs. ive never been in a situation where i needed to have a song or cd so badly i'd pull over on the side of the road or stop in my tracks on a walk and downloaded the newest hit.

i just want an apple quality cell phone with a elegant interface that makes syncing that much easier. oh ya, i wont buy anything over $250. and even that is pushing it.

RTFA! it specifically says the phone would be able to connect to a windows/mac desktop machine via cable or bluetooth to transfer files. this makes it sound like they are not (at least for now) pushing it as a mobile way to buy music, just a way to always have some songs with you. it makes it sound like you will use iTunes to transfer some songs or playlists. i'm sure it will support iSync (as Moto phones generally do) so you will also be able to sync iCal and Address Book.

 

[shamino]

First off, cool! This would be an awesome feature - to be able to play purchased iTMS songs on a phone without jumping through hoops (like burn and re-rip) to convert them to a standard format.

Nobody here has yet pointed out that this venture, if true, will be Apple's first effort to license FairPlay to third parties. It may well be a sign of things to come. (And I'm very glad that Real has absolutely nothing to do with this )

But I don't think most of us will ever see this feature. As the Forbes Article says:

That fact has raised concerns among some industry observers that carriers, eager to convince consumers to boost their usage of expensive data networks, might object to phones that don't need a network connection to download music. Those carriers, who are generally very picky about the phones they sell in their retail stores and what features they support, can easily veto a feature they don't like.

One recent and much criticized example is Motorola's V710 mobile phone (see: "A Great Phone, Tied Down"), carried by Verizon Wireless. The carrier required Motorola to disable certain features, such as the ability to sync with a PC via Bluetooth.

Verizon is one of the biggest carriers, and they have a long history of forcing phone manufacturers to cripple their devices.

For instance, my Audiovox 8600 is supposed to be able to receive ring-tones, screen-savers and games via EMS text-messages. Verizon's version of this phone, however, has the entire EMS feature disabled, in order to force you to buy them from their expensive "get it now" service.

I can absolutely guarantee you that if this hypothetical iTunes-phone ever gets built, Verizon will force Motorola to hack the firmware in some way that will force users to load the songs over the air for an additional fee. And if anybody at Motorola or Apple dares object, Verizon will refuse to sell the phone at any price, and may even refuse to activate one you buy on your own.

 

[testnull]

I can absolutely guarantee you that if this hypothetical iTunes-phone ever gets built, Verizon will force Motorola to hack the firmware in some way that will force users to load the songs over the air for an additional fee. And if anybody at Motorola or Apple dares object, Verizon will refuse to sell the phone at any price, and may even refuse to activate one you buy on your own.

The most likey reason for Verizon to refuse to sell the phone is that it's likely to be a GSM phone. Apple sells to a worldwide market (as does Motorola), and GSM is a multicarrier standard that's easy to support worldwide. While it's not impossible, I highly doubt that this will be a CDMA phone.

 

[johnpaul191]

I doubt they're going to put a hard drive in the phone. It's going to store the songs in the phone's flash memory, which won't be able to store more than a very small number.

And even if they did slap in a hard drive (like the 0.85" 4G hard drive from Toshiba), it would add several hundred dollars to the price, and still wouldn't have a click-wheel.

This device won't ever compete against an iPod.

i think you are right. cameraphones didn't destroy the digital camera market. in the article Job says how it would be nice to always have a dozen of your favorite songs with you. i'm sure it will hold more than a dozen, but probably not 2,000 songs.

the Moto V720 now lets you put MP3 files on the flash card and listen to them via speakerphone or use them as ringtones. i am guessing this phone will take it a step farther (speculate away), and support Apple's DRM?

it will be interesting to see how much effect Apple has on the phone overall... if anything. Phones have been able to carry and play MP3 files for a while. some even have stereo headphones so they are a dual purpose device. maybe this will be like that? maybe it will link into a car to listen to songs and that would be the driving hands free model as an accessory kit. who knows. you could guess and dream all day, but at the very least we can probably assume the phone will support songs bought at iTMS?

 

[johnpaul191]

...... Ideally Apple would be able to work out a co-branding agreement a la Sony Ericsson. Can you say MoPod?

that's funny you mention that since their bluetooth phones seem to be the most fun with OS X.

remember a few months ago when Apple had a job posting looking for someone to hire to the iPod division that has wireless experience? maybe this is related to that? iPod + bluetooth syncing + cell phone

makes more sense than trying to sync a 40 gig iPod over bluetooth.

 

[wdlove]

Does anyone else think this i crap needs to go? Its so played out its not even cool or even funny anymore. Sure iPod. But come on. Someone at Apple can think up something other then iPhone. ICK.

I happen to like the i designation that Apple uses. We still have the iPod, iPhoto, and iBook. So the more the merrier.

 

[shamino]

The most likey reason for Verizon to refuse to sell the phone is that it's likely to be a GSM phone. Apple sells to a worldwide market (as does Motorola), and GSM is a multicarrier standard that's easy to support worldwide. While it's not impossible, I highly doubt that this will be a CDMA phone.

Motorola makes all kinds of phones, including CDMA.

What makes you think they would not put this feature into a CDMA phone? It's not like the wireless technology has anything to do with it, since the songs would be loaded via USB cable or BlueTooth.

It's more likely that they'll test market the feature in one model, using one carrier, and the wireless tech used will be whatever that one carrier uses. If it sells well, they'll likely incorporate it into several subsequent models, using a wide variety of technologies.

But if a Verizon customer wants to use it, he's going to have to buy it on his own, at full price. Because Verizon is a bunch of money-grubbing pigs.

 

[dongmin]

Just to be clear, Apple's original partnership with Motorola was to involve software, NOT HARDWARE. So everyone expecting an 'iphone' will be disappointed. This guy Eddy Cue is in charge of applications at Apple. If Apple was making a new gadget, you'd expect it to come out of the iPod group. Apple may have some input on how Moto is designing this new iTunes-enabled phone, but I don't think Apple is actually doing the design.

Also, if you look at the original announcement, Apple is explicitly saying that they are writing 'a new iTunes mobile music player.' What I'm reading from this is that iTunes Mobile was do more than just play music. Apple doesn't call the iPod software 'iTunes' lite because all it does is play music. So if they're calling this app iTunes, I'm thinking it'll have some feature that allows you to connect to the music store. A bit of speculation on my part.

 

[SiliconAddict]

I also find it somewhat telling:

In true Apple style, Cue declined to say whether Jobs will indeed address the phone at that event. "What we've talked about is a something that is valuable for the mass market," Cue says. "It has to be a phone in the middle-tier of the market, not a $500-tier phone. It has to be very seamless to use. And we're very happy with the results."

So we could be seeing a relatively cheap Apple phone on the horizon. All I ask is please for the love of all that is good no shiny metal.

 

[jmsait19]

And I actually know two people just like that: both my parents. My dad has an extensive music collection, and loves to ride his bycicle to keep fit. Just imagine: he's actually thinking of getting *A CD PLAYER* to listen to music while riding his bike! Sure, I could tell him "WTF? Go buy a Rio instead!", but I'd rather tell him "WTF? Go buy an iPod flash instead!". He doesn't like dealing with cumbersome configuration processess, so I guess iTunes would be the right choice for him . And I could easily imagine him lusting over a 60GB iPod, which wouldn't probably hold his 100+ CD collection, but would be a great way for him to listen to it on vacation, for instance... I already told him about the iPod, I even showed off my 3G 20GB, but I'm not insisting, as I didn't get much feedback, and I don't want to become tiresome and too much of an "iPod evangelist"... However, I think an iPod flash would be the deal clincher!

And my mom... Oh, I know she would go crazy if she had a mini. But she thinks they're too expensive. Not anymore, if there were three iPods in the house

See I don't understand why you can't ride your bike with a normal iPod. I do it with my 3G. i just clip it on my pants and it works great.

 

[maya]

I have developed mobile phone software for several big names in the industry and I can tell you the margins are pretty tight!
A new phone is a major project involving hundreds of people. Phones don't get smaller or develop new features by themselves you know. Companies put a lot of resources into development of hardware and software plus all the testing and type aproval that is involved.
Even a trivial development of adding a new camera to an existing phone (and restyling the case) was a 6 month project and at it's peek involved 8 software engineers.
I'm currently working on a new platform that has been in development for the past year and it's going to be at least 6 months to a year before our customers release phones based upon it.

You are forgetting about licensing the hardware technology to other companies. I know QualComm licenses it technology hardware to many companies such as LG, AudioVox, etc....