Motorola Inc. corrected press reports on its planned iTunes-capable mobile phone, explaining that the Motorola E1060 handset is in fact not the company’s long-anticipated iPod-style device. A company spokeswoman said Motorola was showing off its forthcoming iTunes application running on the E1060, but the phone will not ship with the software.
Motorola spokeswoman Monica Rohleder said Motorola executives were using the E1060 to demonstrate the iTunes application for attendees of the 3GSM trade show. She said company executives were also using a demonstration phone during Motorola’s presentation at the recent Consumer Electronics Show, and the device used during the company’s CES presentation was not the company’s forthcoming iTunes-capable phone.
Motorola signed an agreement last year with Apple Corp. to license the company’s popular iTunes music download service. Details on the deal were sparse, which led to frenzied industry speculation on Motorola’s iTunes plans. However, Motorola’s clarification on reports about the E1060 offers somewhat of a glimpse into the company’s plans for iTunes.
It appears Motorola is focusing on the software side of the equation, developing an iTunes application that can be installed on a variety of Motorola devices. This could even mean that Motorola has plans to sell the iTunes application as an over-the-air download to existing phone owners. The capabilities of the iTunes application are unclear-the software may allow users to wirelessly download iTunes songs or simply move iTunes songs that are already stored on their computers onto their iTunes-capable mobile phones.
That Motorola is developing an iTunes application does not preclude the company from developing an iPod-style device, however. Indeed, a variety of mobile-phone makers are planning music-focused handsets.
