This morning a somewhat enigmatic email from Apple appeared in my inbox. "1,000 songs in your pocket changed everything," it said. "Here we go again". On September 7, it told me, Apple would be making an announcement in San Francisco.
Then I spotted the first leak: the New York Times is reporting that this is the date for the launch of the long-awaited iTunes compatible phone that's being made in conjunction with Motorola.
Apple Computer and Motorola plan to unveil a long-awaited mobile phone and music player next week that will incorporate Apple's iTunes software, a telecommunications industry analyst who has been briefed on the announcement said on Monday.
Roger Entner, a telecommunications analyst with Ovum, a market research firm, said he had been told by an industry executive that the new phone, to be made by Motorola, would be marketed by Cingular Wireless. Mr. Entner said it would include iTunes software, which helps power the iPod.
As rumors go, this one looks fairly strong; but we're unlikely to know the exact details until the launch. I should be there in spirit, if not in person (satellite link-ups are a great thing) and will let you know what's happening next week.
Update: There's a brief story on the rumours here- money quote: "people might be disappointed, because I don't think it will be much more than a phone that can play music"
