Motorola's iPod phone coming along nicely
Latest reports on The Register suggest that a Motorola-built iPod phone is well on its way. Apple is apparently "very happy" with Moto’s decision to build an iPod-style mobile that will be able to play music downloaded from iTunes. Apple is developing a version of the iTunes jukebox for Motorola phones and the rumour mill has been working over time on when a handset will actually appear. Some time during the first half of 2005 seems to be the official line, but hints that the phone might be flashed about a bit sooner than that is causing speculation that Steve Jobs might produce one from his pocket at the Macworld Expo in January. The Register has also pointed out that Motorola is set to make some sort of announcement on 6th January at CES in Las Vegas so there’s a chance the phone might get a mention then as well.
The likelihood of rival Napster producing a service for Windows Smartphone devices (such as the Orange SPV C500) means that Apple will need to get cracking if it wants to beat the company to market. Meanwhile, The Register is speculating that the rumoured Flash iPod and the Moto phone could actually be one and the same – especially since the companies seem to be viewing this as an actual music player and not a GPRS music download service.
