No 3G music downloads for iPhone

Looks like iTunes Wi-Fi music store will remain...well, Wi-Fi. Why couldn't Apple enable 3G music downloads for their new phone?

(Credit: CNET Networks)

According to Apple's iPhone 3G product page, the mobile version of the iTunes music store will remain accessible only over the phone's Wi-Fi connection, and will not take advantage of the new 3G capability. I guess it shouldn't come as a shock that the wireless version of iTunes (dubbed "iTunes Wi-Fi") should remain a strictly Wi-Fi service. Still, it does seem like Apple has missed an obvious opportunity to allow users more ways to purchase music.

With services such as Napster Mobile and Rhapsody already allowing wireless music downloads over 3G networks for many iPhone competitors, Apple's reluctance to jump on board likely comes down to an unwillingness to share per-track revenues with AT&T. After all, when you own the music service and the hardware, why concede any profit to a wireless carrier if you can help it?

Only Apple knows for sure why music downloads have been locked out of the iPhone's 3G capability, but personally I'm disappointed to not see it included. The iPhone is so close to becoming a great music discovery tool, but limitations such as this and lack of Flash audio support are big barriers for online music fans. Oh, and don't get me started about the lack of streaming Bluetooth audio.

[coolasbluefire]

Hi Donald. Just a quick note, but an article has been circulated on the New York Times website, as well as several other reputable tech blogs regarding Apple's willingness to bring over-the-air music downloads to the iPhone. It appears the recording industry is the bad-guy in this one (imagine that). :-) But personal bias aside, here is the link to the Times article:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/19/apple-wants-more-mobile-music-from-labels/

[GolgothaBlack]

I am so disappointed that there is no flash support on this. Apparently though, barely anyone does support flash on their mobile phones, so there are no real alternatives to consider. I'd like to actually stream Leo Laporte and live C-Net shows over the phone's browser while at work, but the lack of flash support denies any of it. It would also be great to have iTunes on the phone so i can download my daily podcasts directly to it, but alas...... I just may go Blackberry after all. I'll at least have a video camera with the Curve.

[3rdalbum]

"I keep bleeding, I keep keep bleeding <duuuuuh da-da-da da-da-da DUUUUUH>" (then whatever your SMS tone is)

Why would Apple continue to put money into iTunes Music Store on the iPhone, when there are huge disadvantages to having music playback in the same device as a mobile phone? :-D

P.S. Coolasbluefire, if the record companies are willing to allow DRM-free downloads of their music, then they certainly haven't objected to iTunes over 3G.

[coolasbluefire]

Hi 3rdAlbum. I respect your comment. For me, personally, I prefer the way the iPhone only slightly dims the audio level during music playback while it simultaneously plays the SMS or e-mail receipt tones. None of my Windows Mobile phones before this (the last was the PPC-6700 from HTC) were so gracious. Whether or not a phone should be used for purposes such as music playback is a personal choice to be made by the developers and consumers. The consumer market has made it clear that this is a function they desire since music playback capability has become a key feature in all smartphones and a burgeoning array of "dumb"-phones.

Apple of course is a business, and in specific response to your post, it would interest them to enable OTA music downloads because it would increase revenue and add yet another feature to an already growing list of what the iPhone is capable of, thus enabling them to expand their market.

It interest me as to what the disadvantages of having music playback in a phone are. The iPod icon can even be taken out of the main dock of the iPhone now, so if you don't want it in your way you could simply move it. 3rd party software (allbeit not sanctioned by Apple) even allows you to remove it completely. I consider that problem solved.

But the real problem here is choosing what features you want in a phone. Outside of special orders, you would be hard pressed to find a phone which 'only' completes calls, so you must otherwise submit to the multiplicitous world of choices in cell phone features. Thus one is only left to list their required features, and purchase a phone based on that list, disregarding anything the phone may do which does not interest them.

Also, on the comment regarding the record companies, the article I have posted from the New York Times, a reputable source, does state that the recording industry wants more money for the feature of wireless downloads, which is part of the reason OTA downloads were not announced at WWDC. Add to that the fact that AT&T thinks they should receive a premium for iTunes song downloads over their network (also in the article), and one can easily see why it may still be some time before an agreement is reached, if ever, on this subject.

Now this information can be found on several tech blogs, but I only included the most reliable source so that the facts could not be disputed. However, should you find anything of the contrary from a notable news outlet in regards to these points on the OTA downloads, I will happily read it.

[Bro.Bob]

Whats up C-NET with your fascination With Apple anything! I'm tried of hearing about Apple this and Apple iphone, ipods,itunes who cares anyway???are you getting kick backs in money from Jobs! How about talking about the new HP laptop that blew power book out the water with its built in web cam,dual 500gig hard drives and runs 64 bit Vista with out hitch!!! despite there corny propaganda in there TV adds, you never talk about all the false claims they make about PC's like the one about PC's not having built in web cams! and how about HP giving us built in Blue Ray with high Def. players,there lot more to talk about then Apples 2 percent of the market value in computer sells,with PC's selling the 98 percent!!!

[JBARJ]

I'm trying to find an MP3 player that will let me slow down the play speed so I can hear study the notes and sounds better. Windows Media player has the feature on my PC. Some flash players say they use Windows Media player, but I can't tell if that feature exists on the portable device. Are there any portable players that will let me play songs at slower speeds?

Sorry if this comment is wrong for this site..this is my first blog..

[ronniewilliams]

The idea that music purchased over a cell network should cost more for a consumer is completely arbitrary. It will be interesting to see how long consumers put up with the current cell based music prices.

That said as consumers we have put up with paying more when convenience is involved in many other cases. I thought Apple already had an iPhone iTunes store. Or is that only available on Wi-Fi? And maybe this is also about the phone companies not wanting their precious networks to be clogged with people downloading the latest hit song or something.

Regards,
Ronnie Williams
http://www.wirelessphonegallery.com

[ronniewilliams]

The idea that music purchased over a cell network should cost more for a consumer is completely arbitrary. It will be interesting to see how long consumers put up with the current cell based music prices.

That said as consumers we have put up with paying more when convenience is involved in many other cases. I thought Apple already had an iPhone iTunes store. Or is that only available on Wi-Fi? And maybe this is also about the phone companies not wanting their precious networks to be clogged with people downloading the latest hit song or something.

Regards,
Ronnie Williams

http://www.wirelessphonegallery.com/