iTunes phone will only hold 100 songs

Even more iTunes phone details, if you can believe it: a source involved with making the commercials for the new handset has confirmed for us that it will only hold 100 songs because Apple is worried about cannibalizing iPod shuffle sales. Our source also says that these first iTunes phone ads will be "music-based spots with people calmly walking down the street on the phone with their shadows and reflections dancing wildly beside them."

[Thanks, Ron]

[Dave Zatz @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Makes ya wonder what exactly they are referring to when they say 1,000 songs in regards to the 9/7 media circus. Should they be taken literally (1,000 iTunes) or metaphorically (iPod changed the world, now watch our limited storage phone offering do the same).

[Aaron @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

The battery life of cellphones is already poor, how long will it last when you're playing music?

[Dave Zatz @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I'd like to *see* 1,000 songs on an iPod Shuffle sporting an LCD. And give me an FM tuner for the gym. Oh yeah, I'm tired of white.

Back to the iTunes phone - wonder how many defectors Cingular is going to pick up when they release the iTunes phone(s)... could be a marketing coup. They'll probably also get a kickback on song sales initiated through the device.

[DM @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Probably talking about their stoopid video ipod....

BTW, 100 songs, so that ipoo shuffle doesn't stop selling (like it should)?? Morons... Greed will be the end of Apple, hopefully...

[subrandom @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

see i have no interest in the shuffle and 100 songs on a phone kind of makes me not want the phone either... it was starting to sound so neat too... sigh

[strayan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I own both a 40GB iPod and a Nokia N-gage with 512MB mmc. My iPod never sees the light of day. You don't actually need high capacity in a mobile phone to make it more practical. Once you use this thing, you'll forget you even owned one of the current generation iPod's.

[Miles @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

so can you download music straight to the phone or simply synch this phone to your iTunes on your computer? downloading direct is obviously way hipper. i use a Treo now and listen to as much music as my SD card will hold (512 till I buy a new one). . . this seems like a non-event to me. what else do they have up their sleeve besides iTunes phone and flash iPod Minis

[Jacob Varghese @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

This isn't necessarily a substitute for a full iPod. Remember the days when you would walk around with a disc-man and a few cds. 100 songs is about 8-10 CDs. While you're out walking, riding the subway/driving to work, shopping, you can listen to some music. I see this as a great way to bring people to iTunes and iPods. A lot of people don't want to carry around a phone and an iPod and would like to just leave the iPod at home/car. There are also many people out there who don't use digital music at all, so I think allowing them to carry around even 100 songs will turn them on to the idea of digital music libraries. It's a good move on Apple's part, but it isn't the answer for everyone.

[gurion @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I can personally confirm that the ROKR will have an iTunes client on it...and it will be on Orange in the UK...and it will be available by Christmas ;)

I know because I'm playing with one now :0

[Topmounter @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Music is soooo last year, what I really want to know is how many PodCasts will this phone hold!!!

[fnj @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Is anybody really going to care about this thing when it finally comes out? Don't get me wrong...I'm a koolaid drinking Apple guy. I just can't help but think that this phone is going to end up costing hundreds of dollars and offer nothing terribly exciting.

[Jakob @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

hahahaha...

Why would anyone want a Moto with 100 songs.. I�ve got a smt5600 with 1gb card ~ 400 songs. It syncs perfectly with WMP and I don�t have to have iTunes..

Cheaper, smaller and better..

/J

[Jonathan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

ROTFLMFAO

I don't care about anything ipods anymore. My battery wants to crap out on me after only 5 months so I'm getting that mobiblu tiniest mp3 player in the world as a replacement.

The concept for the video sounds cool. But that's dumb, worrying that a cellphone will take sales away from a dedicated flash player that no one even buys for it's features in the first place. You buy a shuffle because you want a shuffle...not really for the value, as there are a ton of flash players at cheaper or equal price with more features(starting with radios and a screen).

It's a disappointing handicap to learn about but then again, it's Apple!

[Jonathan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Oh I was laughing @ the podcast comment, btw.

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Does anyone know if you can only use songs from iTunes? Can you use ripped or stolen mp3 files?

[Geo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

"You buy a shuffle because you want a shuffle...not really for the value, as there are a ton of flash players at cheaper or equal price with more features(starting with radios and a screen)."
Except that only the iPod works with iTunes, so you have to use a crappy software to use with your soooooo cool flash player with useless things on it. And you also have to buy a PC.

[Jacob Varghese @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

stolen mp3s???
Noooooo! Stay away you demon-seed.

[narco @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I doubt this is true. People who want a shuffle do so either because of size or because of price. An actual phone with iTunes capabilities is going to cost significantly more than what a shuffle costs, so it's doubtful that these "iPhones" will eat up any iPod sales.

Fishes,
narco.

[Jimmy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I'd still rather have a Sony Ericsson W800i or Nokia N91.

[Jonathan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

"Except that only the iPod works with iTunes, so you have to use a crappy software to use with your soooooo cool flash player with useless things on it. And you also have to buy a PC."

1.Who doesn't own a pc...wtf?

2.Most flash players are drag and drop. I can use itunes with a flash player if you were smart enough to rip your songs into mp3s and not their stupid format.

3.Fm radio and a screen? Yeah...so useless.

[tennis guy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

.
Sounds like it has 256MB of flash. Too bad at the bit rate I encode my music, it would only hold about 50 songs. It's only value might be for listening to my podcasts. I knew Apple would cripple this thing to avoid taking sales from iPods. I'll bet there's no memory expansion capability either.
.
.

[grovberg @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Well if this report is true, they certainly aren't going to be making any more commercials for Apple.

[Jayson Elliot @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

"100 songs" is a pretty arbitrary figure. Since there's no exact size that "one song" occupies, the best way to guess the storage space is to compare to Apple's current advertising.

Since they call the 1gb Shuffle "240 songs" and the 512mb "120 songs," I'd guess that this is a 512mb device. And 512mb would be just about what I'd expect in a music phone.

If I'm comparing to anything, it would be the Walkman phone W800i - which is the same amount of storage, but the advantage is that you can swap out the Memory Stick. I'd be pretty disappointed if this just had 512mb of flash built in, and not even swappable cards. Still, at least the "100 songs" comment probably refers to a reasonable 512mb.

[Mr. Obliviously Obnoxious Star Trek Potato Chip Machine Computer User @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

too bad the Japanese has had this for years now.. except they don't have to worry about the exclusive price setting Apple is known for such an "innovative" fusion of two products. GO USA!!

[Inside Man @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

This is all false. I was the camera man for the iPod Phone commerical. The phone will have a 4GB Microdrive, Wi-Fi for automatic song transfer and sync up, EV-DO data, MPEG4 Video Support, and a holographic projector system that will actually project Steve Jobs in a black turtle neck and black jeans onto your ceiling at night so he can tell you bed time stories.

[Adamz @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I've been using a converged phone, media player, pocket PC for over 4 years. I've got 300 songs and a half dozen videos on the SD card that syncs with Media Center 2005 to refresh my media as my tastes change. The Mobiblu also syncs with Media Player 10 which will give you access to dozens more music download providers. Using iPods that are only compatible with iTunes is becoming increasingly limiting as Media Center PCs are becoming more widely used and more varied content providers are surfacing.

[Michael @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I can't wait to get one. I can just see myself now. Cruising around town in my car, listening to rocking tunes when I'm not chatting to my pals.

[HILTER @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Can you be any Gayer Apple? Everyone should just buy a Sony K750i or W800. Plays AAC and can store as many songs as you can fit on the memory stick, up to 4GB...But that size duo pro costs a small fortune

[Scott @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I have a Nokia 6620, with a 512 mmc card and i find it enough, although i dont go for days wandering around to need all that music of multiple gig cellphone, except for when i go off backpacking in Europe, but thats not for another year and a half. Til then a 512 MB card is good enough for me, so this itunes phone will be adaquete i am sure, but sadly just more money for apple because i doubt it will come at a cheap price, as anything apple (other then the shuffle, it seems to have a resonable price for its size for a name brand flash player) seems to demand a premium.

[Steamboat @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

100 tunes to protect the shuffle is foolish on Apple's part. If they want another big hit they can't pull that big of punch

[Pat L. @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

All you people saying you can do this, and do that.... so what. Apple doesn't have to be first, they just have to have the simplest, easiest and most elegant user experience for those of us who care about it. A complete solution of both hardware, software and content that is a pleasure to use. That's all I want and will gladly pay money for it.

[Jiri @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

You don't need iTunes to use iPod. There is pretty good iPod plugin for Winamp (http://www.mlipod.com/index.php) and also a plugin that let you play songs bought with iTunes Music Store. (Or you can download small program that removes DRM from your files completely)

[Zeke @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Who doesn't own a PC? Me! The last PC I used has been a doorstop for about 18 months now. The iPod/iTunes experience on my G5 PowerMac is a good example of the reason why. It just works...without reconfiguring, rebooting, loading drivers, or BSODs. Apple Fairplay DRM is so tailored to the average user's needs that the average user never notices it's there. The PC music experience is lacking several things, one being OSX/iTunes, and that makes it unusable by comparison.

[tf @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I agree with narco.

"I doubt this is true. People who want a shuffle do so either because of size or because of price. An actual phone with iTunes capabilities is going to cost significantly more than what a shuffle costs, so it's doubtful that these "iPhones" will eat up any iPod sales.

Fishes,
narco."

Furthermore, no Apple execs or engineers stand around the filming of a commercial, they don't give product specs to film crews, etc... Your source may be right about a limit on a phone, but his rationale is completely of his own making.

As narco said, this will either cost much more or be a part of a phone contract... Also, there is no way someone involved in the making of a commercial would be told such a specific feature (unless it is featured in the commercial, i.e. 100 tunes in your pocket...) and they certainly would not be told: that feature is there because of x belief about the market. And, finally, this does not jive with what I'm hearing about Apple's mobile plans: i.e. a premier phone, a whole line of lesser Moto phones (not the focus on Apple design and UI), and the application being installable on other devices after launching the service initially with a key carrier in key markets.

[Frank Z @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

If it's only going to hold 100 songs then they shouldn't even bother releasing it or associating their name with it. This is not the Apple standard that we've grown accostomed to and are willing to pay for. It would seem out of character to put out something less than grandoise. Some would argue that the Shuffle was just that but I would disagree as the thing is PERFECT for the gym and jogging without having to worry about breaking an expensive device. Cellphone devices represent the FUTURE and releasing something no better than the crappy cellphone music phones is a waste of time, money and effort.

[Frank Z @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

If it's only going to hold 100 songs then they shouldn't even bother releasing it or associating their name with it. This is not the Apple standard that we've grown accostomed to and are willing to pay for. It would seem out of character to put out something less than grandoise. Some would argue that the Shuffle was just that but I would disagree as the thing is PERFECT for the gym and jogging without having to worry about breaking an expensive device. Cellphone devices represent the FUTURE and releasing something no better than the crappy cellphone music phones is a waste of time, money and effort.

[Frank Z @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

Another thing. Why would they use 1000 in their marketing literature to show off a phone that holds 100? That would be amatuerish for a company known for its superior marketing capabilities.

[Tim @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

An iTunes phone? Who cares. I don't until you can squeeze at least 20GB in that phone. It's a pain to have switch out music all the time in a small flash-based device. I hope this "event" is more than that. If it's not a video-capable iPod, I would be happy with a new case material and storage bump for the standard iPod. If Apple would just give us more variation in the casing material (ie. aluminum, brushed stainless, gunmetal, carbon-black, etc.) they would sell many more iPods to people sick of the white white white of it all. Does anyone else feel silly wearing the white earbuds at this point? The subway looks silly. A video-capable iPod would be cool, but a new case variation is what would re-sell iPods to some people that already have one.

[informed @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

In #20, Jonathan wrote:
"I can use itunes with a flash player if you were smart enough to rip your songs into mp3s and not their stupid format."

AAC encoding is not Apple-proprietary. Do your homework before sticking foot in mouth.

[lotech @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

If you already own a Motorolla e398 - you can download a modded firmware using the yet-to-be-released phone.
Love the russians, this popped up a month ago.
Currently there is a 25 song limit to syncing, the word is they will offer more transfers for an extra fee - payable to apple. There are hacks of the itunes program to try and defeat that though. I've modded my phone and it synchs just like a shuffle with itunes on PC (Macs seem to need a new version of itunes, no doubt in the works).
Check this forum -
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=689425

[xaulo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I don't expect great things from motorola, their design of the phones are terrible. When we're gonna have Talby!!.

[xaulo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I don't expect great things from motorola, their design of the phones are terrible. When we're gonna have Talby!!.

[castro @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I am living in china,so i'm not sure if i can get it when it will be launched!Actually i've owned one iop mini,that's easy to use,friendly operation system.i'm lovin it really.As far as the cell phone,SE still is my love all along.fashionalbe design and good finishing with attractive muti-function,that's great!

[I phone? @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

I don't understand whats new about this phone. It can have a hundred songs? I can sync with itunes? 1st my A800 can already store 100 songs and the Treo650 can do twice that and any phone with an mp3 player and 512 memory or more can do so as well which there is plenty. So thats not new. Itunes, how is that any advantage over just pulling songs off my computer. I don't know Ive never used Itunes but I still manage to get songs.
Also for those of you who think shouldnt bother with music phones if it can't hold 20GB. At what point in your life do you need to listen to 280 hours of continuous music? 7 hours is plenty for me and if I need more Ill take the 5 minutes to transfer the songs.

[Jahlaune Hunt @ Dec 19th 2005 12:19AM]

This is crap. Who needs a phone and mp3 player combined? That is just too much and when the next thing comes out then what? I have a 39.99 rca lyra and my 1gb card gives me all the music I can stand on my subway ride to work and back. I use to want an I-pod then they became just another fad that was going to take my money...