Dialog instructions buried inside version 4.9 of Apple’s iTunes
software give clear evidence that some type of “iPod Phone” does
exist and will use iTunes to synchronize not only music but contact
information as well, The Mac Observer has learned.
A resource file that is included with iTunes 4.9 contains instructions
that will be displayed to a user based on certain tasks. Among the
wordage includes “iPod Phone Prefs,” “iPod Phone iTunes Setup
Assistant ,” “The mobile phone cannot be ejected,” “Eject mobile
phone,” “iPod mobile phone,” “Mobile Phone Updating contacts,” “The
name of my mobile phone is…,” “Open iTunes when this
mobile phone is attached,” and “Display album artwork on this mobile
phone.”
Among other instructions include, “iTunes will automatically fill
your mobile phone with a random selection of songs from your library.
You may fill your mobile phone with a different selection of songs by
pressing Autofill in the mobile phone playlist.”
In addition, the instructions make it clear that iTunes 4.9 will
be used to not only synchronize with an iPod Phone to transfer music,
but also to transfer contact information, instead of transferring
music through iTunes and contacts through iSync, which Apple
previously did.
What is also not known is if synchronization will happen via USB
or via a wireless Bluetooth connection.
The wordage clearly shows that a wireless phone with the ability
to synchronize with iTunes does exist. What is not known is if the
“iPod Phone” is a product being developed solely by Apple Computer, or the much-anticipated
mobile phone offering soon-to-be-announced by Apple and Motorola. There is strong evidence that if anything, the “iPod Phone” is most likely the product being developed jointly with Motorola.
“Motorola revealed some time ago that there would be an iTunes
phone,” Jupiter analyst Joe Wilcox told The Mac Observer.
“What’s interesting about the new information is how the
synchronization will work. Microsoft also offers media player-to-
phone synch, but nothing like the autofill Apple plans for the iTunes
phone. Offering a music phone is meaningless without easy
synchronization.”
Various online Web sites are reporting that Apple has scheduled a
media event for early July. It is not know if this event is related
to an announcement connected with a wireless product or not.