Apple & Motorola Bring iTunes To Cell Phones (UPDATED)
TMO Reports - Apple & Motorola Bring iTunes To Cell Phones (UPDATED)
by , 11:00 PM EDT, July 26th, 2004
[Update: This article was updated from TMO's original report at 2:15 AM]
Apple announced late on Monday a new partnership with Motorola that will allow Mac and Windows users to transfer songs from iTunes to Motorola's next generation "always with you" mobile handset phones. As part of the deal, Apple will create a mobile version of iTunes that runs on Motorola's cell phones, allowing users to transfer and play songs from one's iTunes catalog, including downloads from the iTunes Music Store (iTMS).
Motorola told the Wall Street Journal that the new phones would be available in the first half of 2005, and that they would store between a half-dozen and a dozen songs. Transfer of the songs will be available through USB or Bluetooth, depending on the phone. Pricing for the phones has not been announced.
Not mentioned in the joint press release is the fact that the deal effectively places QuickTime on those same phones, giving Apple a stronger position in the ongoing platform war with Microsoft's Windows Media platform. Apple developed a more advanced version of QuickTime for cell phone networks in December of 2003.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Motorola sold some 24 million mobile phones last quarter, greatly increasing Apple's reach for both iTunes and QuickTime. "We're bringing the iTunes music player to millions" of potential users, Ed Zander, chairman and CEO of Motorola told the Journal.
Today's announcement was made during a Motorola event in Chicago held Monday evening, the day before Motorola's annual analyst meeting. Both Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Motorola's Mr. Zander put in an appearance for the announcement, with Apple's CEO appearing by video conference. By way of introducing Mr. Jobs, Mr. Zander showed an iPod and a Motorola phone, and said "It would be great if we could just figure out a way to bring these two devices together."
For his part, Steve Jobs said, "Wouldn't it be great if you could take a dozen of your favorite songs with you on your phone. We thought it would be great if together Motorola and Apple could give [consumers] a small taste of what this digital music revolution is about."
Also attending the event was Apple VP Eddy Cue, who called in sick for his keynote address at the Jupiter Plug.IN Conference & Expo earlier on Monday. MacCentral reports that Mr. Cue described the deal as being a way for Apple to promote the iPod.
"This isn't meant to be a replacement for the iPod," Mr. Cue told MacCentral in Chicago. "This partnership is a complement to the iPod and iPod mini."
This sentiment was also stressed by Apple CEO, who told the Wall Street Journal that he thinks the deal will "whet people's appetites for iPods."
Monday's announcement occurred on the same day that RealNetworks announced new software that would allow its customers to play their downloads from Real's online music store on Apple's iPod. At the same time, rumors are heating up once again that Microsoft will be making a more serious foray into the online music business.
Apple's deal with Motorola significantly broadens Apple's reach with iTunes in the face of this new competition, and marks the first time Apple has licensed out its iTunes software and the FairPlay codec that governs iTunes Music Store downloads. Apple has also licensed the protocol that allows iTunes to stream music, the Digital Audio Access Protocol, to a company called Roku. That license is being used in Roku's SoundBridge product line that gives iTunes users a standalone iTunes controller for use with a stereo.
In January, Apple also announced a licensing deal with HP that allows that company to sell an HP-branded version of the iPod. That unit is expected to be available this September.
Observer Comments
Tue Jul 27, 2004 3:02 am Subject: Interesting indeed...
Been urging this sort of move for ages along with integration with stereo systems, seems both options are now being developed. The phone option is very imp[ortant simply because in the future much of the music market will be in phone and similar devices, not to mention the importance of tying phones in to Quicktime.
What's interesting about all of these recent licensing deals is that Apple is NOT doing what many predicted: that they'd bring out an Apple-branded cellphone and home media player. Instead, with carefully selected partners, Apple spreads their brand awareness further into the mainstream without the risk of investing millions in already-crowded fields such as mobile phones.
Eventually there WILL be a "halo" effect as customers get more and larger tastes of the Apple experience. With these second-hand flirtations with Apple, the idea of buying a Mac will become less alien to the average customer. They might even actually walk into an Apple store to see what ELSE they have to offer!
-Ken P
This is a major step for Apple.
1) They licensed FairPlay. This will allow other companies such as Nokia to license Fairplay to work on their phones. Nokia is the major supporter of AAC.
2) This is another blow to REAL. Say goodbye to Harmony.
Jobs is making some smart moves...He just needs to make some moves in the Mac market as well.
Tue Jul 27, 2004 10:48 am Subject: Wow Up To 12 Songs!
so what do you need to control iTunes over an Airport Express? ... a machine running iTunes.
what are the new phone running? ... a mobile version of iTunes.
what will the phones be available with? ... Bluetooth.
it all makes sense to me.
browse 'shared' playlists on mobile iTunes on the phone... but then 'play' them via the shared machine over Airport Express.
it would be stupid if it *didn't* offer this functionality.
Tue Jul 27, 2004 2:41 pm Subject: Phone as a remove (re: ummm...)
That would be a spiffy idea, but the problem is that Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology; it works over a couple of feet or yards, maybe. If you've got your Mac in one room, and your Airport Express and stereo in another, even a Bluetooth phone won't be able to serve as a remote.
Incidentally, there is a program called Salling Clicker that does let you control iTunes from Bluetooth phones.
http://homepage.mac.com/jonassalling/Shareware/Clicker/
Tue Jul 27, 2004 3:24 pm Subject: What this announcement could also imply
I believe this announcement signifies a couple of important things beyond just getting phones to play music. For one it will successfully launch Apple's 3G codec onto cell phones and hurt Microsoft's efforts to dominate an important market (although I'm one of those people who just wants my phone to make quality calls and receive them), PLUS, the biggie, is that it appears that the two old partners are speaking again. This to me increases the chance to see significant upgrades in a portable processor from Freescale. I just don't think the G5 will be a portable processor for several years. Apple needs Moto now.
Actually I have heard pretty bad things about recent Moto phones (bugs, bad build quality)... as well as problems just manufacturing the darn things
QuoteMav wrote:
It'll make for some really nice ringtones, if the mobile version of iTunes works that way. Not so sure how it'll mesh with the existing iPod crowd, but it'll definitely get the word out about Apple, given Motorola's actually decent ability to make cel phones. Good stuff.
Tue Jul 27, 2004 11:51 pm Subject: Re: Wow Up To 12 Songs!
QuoteRealityCheck wrote:
Apple technology is truly amazing, of course it's only 6 songs if they're a little longer. Remember Steve Jobs RDF telling everyone that a device needs at least a 1000 songs to be useful, can you say iPod mini, now suddenly 6-12 is OK.
Uhhh...yeah...
What?
When, exactly, did Steve Jobs say this?
RC inanity is truly amazing, of course he's barely coherent when he's off his meds.
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