On July 31, 2006 I wrote Why Apple Will Release a Cell Phone to share my thoughts for the business case behind what we now know as the iPhone. (At the time there was a fair amount of people saying that the cellular market was not a market Apple would want to enter). I think that post is the most accurate set of predictions I have ever made. Today, Apple made those predictions more accurate.
Today, Apple released iTunes and Ringtones for the iPhone (and iPod Touch). Here is what I had said:
Of course your Apple phone won’t just be about creating content. You will be able to download music from iTunes Music Store. Of course, that means you will also be able to subscribe to podcasts and TV shows to listen to and watch on your phone. Ringtones will be added to the iTunes Music Store and will be available at a lower price than anywhere else (I am guessing $0.25 per ringtone). Of course the phone will only be available through Cingular (though it may be under a re-branded Apple-centric name)
In reality, the ringtones cost $0.99.
