AT&T may have just inadvertently let the cat out of the bag regarding a possible upcoming "iTunes radio" service coming to the iPhone.
Here's the story -- apparently some iPhone folks were going nuts with their data plans while overseas, and were returning home to phone bills ranging into the thousands of dollars. So AT&T has decided to appease the international-surfing-masses by creating an "iPhone International Data" package.
Now here's where it gets interesting.
On AT&T's site, it explains a bit about the new data plan:
While using data on iPhone is free within the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, International data roaming can get expensive quickly. Consider that just 20 minutes of iTunes® radio takes 20MB of data. That's why AT&T has created two iPhone International packages with more reasonable rates in 29 countries*. (emphasis added)
Hmmm... iTunes radio?
Engadget super-sleuth Ryan Block is quick to point out that this can't be the iTunes WiFi store, because that's, well, over WiFi.
Smells like something is cookin' over there in Cupertino.
[Engadget]
Thanks Luke!
Maybe they're just rerouting the XM feed from their company bus.
iTunes HAS a radio button, which has internet radio stations. That could be what it is.
Did you know it is also a satellite radio stay tuned and we will see if that is true.
@Jon
iTunes for the Mac and Windows has a radio button, but the iPhone/iTouch version does not at this point have a radio button. This would be a new development if true. I would have to doubt the accuracy of this given the fact that AT&T really doesn't know it's own business.
Why would Apple even need to share with AT&T a coming iPhone radio service? The AT&T data plan comes with unlimited Internet, so if it were something Apple wanted to add they could do it even if AT&T objected.
I doubt it. Internet radio doesn't do anything at all to help Apple. They don't even make a deal out of the fact that iTunes has hundreds of stations built in. Sure, they mention it, but they don't care about it at all. We'll see I guess.
I aggree with the last comment. Service markets in the contract initially with Cingular and the iPhone did not create the same demographics of coverage for users that have roaming expenses on data plans. The aggrements after consolidation process with the aggreement that at&t puchased in meeker focus of service structured contracts with reciprocol aggreement between both exuctive leadership of at&t and apple. The questions people should have are has the iPhone and at&t fostered a bundled package argument with services by a former company that was broken apart by judge green in a anti-trust case in the 80's with at&t. If so to what degree of litigation can a data plan effect a Internet service- for instance instant text messaging from Internet web-pages that allow transmission of text messaging that does not require per message expenses by service plan. The safari browser on iPhone allows such financial transaction since a estimates service fee is .05$ a transmission- if at&t can charge for it they probably would- however in most service aggreement where estimated usage of data transmitted and recieved allow investment revenue to speculate on market demographics for investment strategy one can cite the mCi worldcomm case as a backdrop to service aggrements and promises with expected data transmission by bits at a ratio of investment capital- does at&t promise radio features or more precisly does the reciprocol aggrements with at allow that Internet web-pages with radio features as the same functionality to a service appropriation of a consumer desire effect rights to control market dynamic by web-page rating that effects parsimg of streaming data. If at&t can appropriate a web-so specific to iPod functions on iPhone with a service expense feature for radio then the market control dynamic of software hardware and reciprocol service aggrements between at&t and iPhone will require a service appropriation filter on iPhone safari browser.