iTunes Coming To Motorola Cell Phones: What About iPod?

iTunes Music Player is coming to a Motorola cell phone near you. Not soon. But coming. Apple and Motorola have announced that iTunes will come to the next generation of Motorola mobile phones via USB or Bluetooth. What’s the advantage? What happens to iPod?

In a surprise announcement, Apple teams with computer chip giant, cell phone giant Motorola (a former Mac maker) to bring iTunes to the cell phone.

Apple will produce a special version of the iTunes Music Player, and Motorola will develop a new generation cell phone which will sport USB 2.0, higher capacity memory, and the ability to play your iTunes playlists-- right inside the mobile phone.

The new version mobile phone is expected to hold a large number of songs, although neither Apple or Motorola would provide details. Bluetooth is also expected to become a feature for moving songs from your Mac or PC to the Motorola new generation cell phone music players.

Both Apple and Motorola declined to provide additional details. For example, will Bluetooth provide the connection between the cell phone and ear plugs?

What will happen to the iPod, already as small as most cell phones? Will future iPods have Bluetooth to be able to connect to the Motorola cell phones.

Apple’s joint announcement caught industry watchers by surprise, although many concede that some sort of connection between the two-- iTunes and cell phones-- is natural and inevitable.

Motorola is the #2 cell phone maker behind Nokia. Apple would not comment on a relationship with Nokia. Apple is expected to provide a new version of iTunes Music Player which will allow Mac or PC users to download music to the Motorola cell phones.

The downloads would include songs from the iTunes Music Store. Motorola says the new version of iTUnes will become the standard music application on all Motorola music phones.

Industry observers now speculate on potentially new iPods which may be capable of transfering music from the iPod directly to the next generation Motorola music phones.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has long stated that the Personal Digital Assistant market would eventually merge into cell phones. Many cell phones now carry PDA capability.

What about the iPod?

How long before large capacity hard drives show up in cell phones? One industry analyst says it may just be a matter of time, perhaps one year, and Apple is getting ready with the new Motorola agreement.

Apple’s Announcement can be read in full, Here.

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