Colin Dunstan
04-22-2005, 11:55 AM
Here's a very cool development from Apple. Think Secret reports (http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0504itunes.html) that iTunes Mobile 1.0, the first version of iTunes for mobile devices, is on track for release by June 2005. iTunes Mobile is a joint-venture product of Apple and Motorola. The required Motorola phone (yes you need one of these to take advantage of iTunes) is scheduled for release in the second-half of the year. The main problem until now was finding a mobile carrier who would be willing or capable of providing the iTunes service:
Cell phone companies, including Verizon, Cingular, and Sprint, are planning on rolling out music download services later this year, according to a recent BusinessWeek story, and want to charge $2 to $3 a song, justifying the premium over Apple's normal 99-cent price by the convenience of grabbing a tune whenever one pleases. Apple instead wants customers to copy purchased songs from their computer to the phone for playback, and does not favor direct purchases over a cell phone provider's network.
Cell phone companies, including Verizon, Cingular, and Sprint, are planning on rolling out music download services later this year, according to a recent BusinessWeek story, and want to charge $2 to $3 a song, justifying the premium over Apple's normal 99-cent price by the convenience of grabbing a tune whenever one pleases. Apple instead wants customers to copy purchased songs from their computer to the phone for playback, and does not favor direct purchases over a cell phone provider's network.