Cell-iPod "Mobile Me" combo appears likely

ZDNet staff | Jan 18, 2006

It appears quite likely that Apple is getting ready to release a cellular-enabled iPod. Either that, or an iPod-enabled cell phone. If not, then why did Apple, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Ryan Kim, file four trademark applications earlier this month, covering such terms as "digital music", "cellular" and "communications"?

In a blog posted on ZDNet by Russell Shaw, he notes that the four trademark applications in question are Word Marks Apple has filed for the term "Mobile Me".

Additionally, Shaw notes that lots of people are speculating. Albert Lin and Shaw Wu of American Technology Research think an iTunes phone in the mold of the Motorola ROKR could be in the offing. So could a cellular-enabled iPod where Apple would act as a cellular reseller, buying bulk minutes from an established carrier and then reselling them to users.

With such technology, iPod users could download tunes over the air, from the iTunes store. That would mean an iPod phone would need to have enough browsing functionality to process secure micropayments.

Shaw adds that not everyone agrees Apple is necessarily headed toward making itself a cell phone reseller. Julie Ask, senior analyst for Jupiter Research, told the Chron's Kim that "Apple sells hardware and software. They don't have an existing subscriber base like cable companies, and they don't have content like ESPN that people have an affinity to."

But what if Apple were to launch streaming music channels that an iPod cell phone could offer access to? Now that would be the crunch.

Filed under: Mobile Phones
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cross

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cross says...
would it be expensive? coz if its not its going to spread quickly like forest fire.. ipod cell pix vid blue tooth infra edge whoooa! i think just thinking about is kinda turning me on. hehehe

Jan 27, 2006 17:02

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bedokian

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bedokian says...
Since PDA-Phones or Smart Phones are the rage, how about we see a combination of Apple's defunct Newton merge with the iPod and in turn merge with a mobile? Now that's a thought.....

Feb 03, 2006 22:30

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