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March 10, 2005
Carriers hold back release of Motorola's iTunes cell phone
In a move that clearly demonstrates the power carriers hold over not only the manufacturers but the shape of the industry, Motorola has postponed the unveiling of it's much-anticipated iTunes phone at the request of said carriers. Details are sketchy, but it seems that Motorola had a few complaints from some major carriers, who are perhaps worried about iTunes eating into their ringtone downloads.
" The phone is supposed to hit the market this summer. But Motorola had planned to unveil it Thursday in conjunction with the start of CeBIT, a big technology and electronics tradeshow in Hanover, Germany.
The company killed the unveiling after discussions late Tuesday night with "our operators," said Monica Rohleder, a Motorola spokeswoman. Motorola discussed "the logistics of this product with our carriers across the globe," she said. The result: "We decided to wait to announce it when everybody is in sync with it."
The announcement will come when the phone gets closer to hitting the market, Rohleder said. Motorola hasn't said which wireless operator or operators will carry the iTunes phone. Analysts speculated the phone would be launched in Europe since it was being announced there."
This isn't a huge surprise for content providers who work with carriers often, but when a monster manufacturer like Motorola is held back from a major next-step announcement, one thing is clear: wireless carriers hold almost all the cards.
Posted by Michael Amin at March 10, 2005 02:48 PM
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