Motorola mulling NYC venue for early Sept. iTunes phone launch

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Exclusive -- Motorola is planning to introduce the first of its much anticipated ROKR iTunes music phones in New York City early next month, AppleInsider has learned.



According to sources familiar with the wireless company's plans, Motorola is preparing to unveil the phones at a special media event currently scheduled to take place Wednesday, September 7th at a venue on Manhattan's West Side.



The phones will be the first product of Motorola's strategic partnership with Apple Computer, announced last July and aimed at enabling music aficionados to transfer their favorite songs from Apple's iTunes jukebox software to Motorola?s next-generation mobile handsets.



Although representatives from Apple are expected to be in attendance, information suggests that Motorola is handling the majority of the preparatory measures for the product launch.



Through one of its production affiliates, Mack Industries, sources say Motorola is arranging for the launch and after-party to take place at Splashlight Studios on West 35th Street in Manhattan.



The 23,000 square-foot location can accommodate up to 1,500 people, but as of Tuesday evening neither Motorola nor its affiliates had completed and signed the necessary paperwork to secure the venue.



In addition to seeing the new music phones up close, sources said attendees will also be treated to live music from a band that will perform at the event. Sources say the event will be invite only for media and analyst.



A spokesperson for Motorola declined to comment on an iTunes phone launch in early September, saying only that the company had yet to make any official announcements on the subject.



Though it's unclear whether Apple's Steve Jobs will fly cross-country for the launch, Motorola chief executive Ed Zander is already scheduled to be in Manhattan on the morning of the 7th to deliver a keynote speech at the Eighth Annual Kaufman Bros. Investment Conference.



According to sources, Motorola plans to hold a similar event to launch a versions of its iTunes phones in Europe, but details of that event are unknown.



In prior comments to the media, Motorola said its ROKR line of iTunes phones would be unveiled during a special event dedicated to the phones on or before September 30th.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    Quote:

    The phones will be the first product of Motorola's strategic partnership with Apple Computer



    Keyword: "Phones"
  • Reply 2 of 15
    bdkennedy1bdkennedy1 Posts: 1,459member
    Yawn
  • Reply 3 of 15
    No wonder Motorola phones suck. Nokia, baby.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    Motorola: "You want us to have a whole media event to unveil these things?"

    Apple: "Well, YEAH."

    Motorola: "But...why? It's a phone that can play music."

    Apple: "We know that, but the Mac zealots will settle for nothing less."

    Motorola: "But...it's JUST a phone...that can play music."

    Apple: "Yeah, we know. We know."
  • Reply 5 of 15
    I'm getting really sick of this...
  • Reply 6 of 15
    sunilramansunilraman Posts: 8,133member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ThinkDifferent

    I'm getting really sick of this...



    totally. will SuckyMoto please just release this piece of shite already and we can get on with our lives. the sony w800i is at my local Malaysistan SonyStyle store already.
  • Reply 7 of 15
    Quote:

    Originally posted by bdkennedy1

    Yawn



    Yawn, indeed. I was excited with the first mention. Now, I just don't care.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    Isn't that the day The Boy Who Cried Wolf Festival opens up?
  • Reply 9 of 15
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Arg!
  • Reply 10 of 15
    See guys, this is what happens when you hear a rumor to early. The novelty wears off.
  • Reply 11 of 15
    louzerlouzer Posts: 1,054member
    Here's an idea. How about all the news and rumor sites just stop reporting the continuous rumors of how the motorola phone is 'on the verge of being announced' and just report about it when, I don't know, it actually is announced.
  • Reply 12 of 15
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Louzer

    How about all the news and rumor sites just...report about it when, I don't know, it actually is announced.



    Because there are nerds all over the internet who read everything into the smallest information, and Kasper knows he can make money off of it. Right, K?
  • Reply 13 of 15
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by CosmoNut

    Because there are nerds all over the internet who read everything into the smallest information, and Kasper knows he can make money off of it. Right, K?



    Of course, that's why they are "rumors" sites. If they have nothing to report then they have no reason to be.



    Take a look at macosrumors.com for example. He used to be interesting, though his site was always the most unreliable in so far as publishing went. That is, he'd be off line for days or even weeks at a time. He wouldn't report for long times either.



    But now the site is worthless. After the last series of lawsuits (though not against him), he published a statement that anything he published was from publicly available data.



    Ever since then he has said almost nothing of interest, and pretty much never publishes updates when he says he will. He will state "massive updates on new Powermacs this week" - and then nothing.



    So, rumors sites have to produce rumors, and real news to fill in the times when rumors aren't available.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Glamingo

    See guys, this is what happens when you hear a rumor to early. The novelty wears off.



    Yeah, but I think the excitement was that there was going to be an Apple branded phone. Not some lame Motorola dumbed down phone.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by satchmo

    Yeah, but I think the excitement was that there was going to be an Apple branded phone. Not some lame Motorola dumbed down phone.



    But it looks as though it might be a Motorola dumbed *up* phone.
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