iTunes phone on the way

Friday, April 22, 2005

iTunes phone on the way

You are sending an email that contains the article
and a private message for your recipient(s).

Your Name:

Your e-mail:

* Required!

Recipient (e-mail):

*

Subject:

*

Introductory Message:

HTML/Text
(Photo: Yes/No)

(At the moment, only Text is allowed...)

Message Text:

Motorola CEO Ed Zander promised that the long-awaited iTunes phone will debut in the near future.

Although Zander may be excited about the prospect, rumour has it mobile network operators are shunning the handset in droves.

The company's first quarter results saw Motorola shipping 28.7 million handsets worldwide ? a year-on-year increase of 13 per cent. Its market share also grew, now standing at just over 17 per cent.

Zander confirmed the iTunes phone "will be coming out in the next few months". The device was first demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics trade show earlier this year, but despite repeated promises a concrete commercial launch date has not been forthcoming.

A Motorola spokeswoman confirmed that the phone will be available in the first half of this year.

The delays in the launch of the phone have prompted rumours that major US carriers, including Verizon and Sprint, are unwilling to stock the phones in an effort to drive users onto their proprietary phone download services and bolster revenue.

The Motorola spokeswoman denied the rumours, however.