Apple has canned a software project that was guaranteed to prove controversial, just weeks ahead of its slated announcement at MacWorld Expo next month. The project would have seen Apple move into the ringtone retail business in direct confrontation with cellular carriers, with whom Apple already has a stormy relationship.
"iRingTones", as we'll call it, integrated ringtone downloads into the iTunes Music Store, and would have allowed users to remix ringtones before beaming them to the phone via Bluetooth. It was to be a headline feature of iLife '06, the annual upgrade to Apple's digital media consumer suite that receives its annual refresh at the San Francisco show.
Apple has added audio books, podcasts and videos to the iTunes Music Store since it launched in 2003, and is expected to unveil satellite radio integration in the future.
News source: The Register
