Reports cite new date for iTunes phone unveiling
AppleInsider StaffMotorola and Apple next month will unveil the much anticipated iTunes enabled cell phone at the V Festival of music in the United Kingdom, according to a couple of reports.
The precise date and location for the iTunes phone launch has been a moving target of sorts. According to published reports, Motorola had originally hoped to introduce the phone at CeBIT in March, but a last minute fall-out with wireless providers was rumored to have hampered plans. Since then, countless reports have surfaced, each vouching a new and later date.
This latest reports puts the iTunes phone at the V Festival, which takes place the weekend of August 20th. Adding fuel to the fire are rumors that Virgin Mobile, which sponsors the event, may have decided to support the phone. However, it's now believed that there may be two separate versions of the iTunes phone: one that will debut in the UK and the other in the US.
In the US, Apple is rumored to have negotiated a deal with Cingular, the nations No. 1 wireless carrier, to sell a version of the iTunes phone dubbed by Motorola as the "ROKR." A verified authentic image this phone surfaced in recent weeks. Meanwhile, it's been reported that Motorola has developed an iTunes-capable E790 phone for the European market.
It remains unclear if the announcements in the UK will coincide with an announcement of the ROKR iTunes phone in the US.
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In the US, Apple is rumored to have negotiated a deal with Cingular, the nations No. 1 wireless carrier, to sell a version of the iTunes phone dubbed by Motorola as the "ROKR." A verified authentic image this phone surfaced in recent weeks. Meanwhile, it's been reported that Motorola has developed an iTunes-capable E790 phone for the European market.
It remains unclear if the announcements in the UK will coincide with an announcement of the ROKR iTunes phone in the US.
I'm just not going to rush out and get one. I'll wait for the bugs to be worked out first. I hope it is bug free and has an easily changeable battery. BTW, Since when was the ROKR verified? The E790 is a much better design but I still would want it on a Razor phone.
I'm just not going to rush out and get one. I'll wait for the bugs to be worked out first. I hope it is bug free and has an easily changeable battery. BTW, Since when was the ROKR verified? The E790 is a much better design but I still would want it on a Razor phone.
Ed Zander -- the CEO of Motorola -- has called the US iTunes phone the ROKR...
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1082
There has also been reliable confirmation that the black xbox looking phone we showed is a version of the ROKR... There are Motorola docks that show the same phone and identify it as the ROKR and as part of the collab. with Apple
That's what that is based on. Hope this helps.
-K
someone I know is looking at cell phones, they have decided on cingular, thus the story begins, the lady at the Cingular store told my friend that "some new stuff is coming in Aug. for back to school, and if a nice, cool phone was what we wanted, we should wait" then tonight I went to bestbuy and the Cingular person tehre told me that the Razor V3 was to be replaced in Aug with a version that is thinner and a little narrower. and a new lower end version of the razor was to be introed then too...she said that there could be new features too, I mentioned iTunes and she said "as far as that goes, I dont know, it could be but all I know about that is what I see on the net"
Apple and Motorola should just sell an UNLOCKED version of the iTunes Phone. THEN, you can use the SIM card from your existing GSM phone, from any wireless carrier, to use the new phone! You don't need the wireless carrier's approval.
Wireless carriers add a password to their GSM phones which prevent their phones from being reused in a competitor's network. However, there are services, available via eBay, which can unlock your GSM phone, allowing you to place any active SIM card in the phone.
SIM cards carry all the specific user information for a user's GSM wireless account. No user specific information is in the phone itself. Thus, it is easy to upgrade phones by just moving the SIM card to a new phone. If the phone is UNLOCKED, you can move between different wireless services by just inserting the SIM of that wireless service - so long as you are using a GSM phone.
With an UNLOCKED Apple iTunes Phone, you can then use iTunes to download music and use bluetooth (or USB - if it is an option) to upload music into your phone.
UNLOCKED phones are often sold on eBay at full price (since the carrier is not subsidizing the price by giving you a discount with a 1-2 year service contract).
Apple and Motorola should just sell an UNLOCKED version of the iTunes Phone. THEN, you can use the SIM card from your existing GSM phone, from any wireless carrier, to use the new phone! You don't need the wireless carrier's approval.
Oh, they probably will. But you're not going to sell a lot of them if you have to charge full price. People just aren't that interested in paying $400 for a bunch of features on cell phones when you can get other phones from the carrier for $50. Most people buy their phone from the carrier because its so cheaper. I know I certainly wouldn't waste $400-$600 on a phone just because it had iTunes integration (i.e. can play AAC files, not that it could integrate with the iTMS), just as I wouldn't pay big money for one with PDA capabilities and the such. Its just not worth the money.
And, no, neither I nor most people care about the fact that if we switch cell phone companies we can't take our phone, since (a) it was so cheap, and (b) you can get one from the other company cheap as well, such that you still pay less then buying an unlocked phone.