XM Satellite Radio is working on a native iPhone client for XM Radio Mobile, reports Ars Technica.According to the reports, XM's plans were unveiled today to attendees by Executive VP and CMO Vernon Irvin at the Federated Media Conversation Marketing Summit in New York City.
Ars Technica reports that the XM Radio Moble service will be available for $9/month, which coincides with the current rates that AT&T (which is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone) charges through MobiTV.
Keep in mind, though, that both the BlackBerry and AllTel offerings go for the slightly-more-modest $7.99 a month rate. More than likely, this is either developed by a 3rd party (like QuickPlay was for BlackBerry), or it's a custom app through the iPhone SDK. Let's not get all crazy declaring that there's some special partnership between Apple and XM, because this doesn't appear to be that (though, Apple employees do enjoy XM on their ride up to Cupertino).
Ars is also reporting that the music "will pause automatically" when you take a call. No details are available about exactly when the XM Radio Mobile for iPhone service will be made available, or how the billings system will work either.
I'm beating some drums to find out any additional information. Check back soon...
[Ars Technica]
Now all XM needs is Sirius content so people will sign up. Come on merger, XM needs Sirius content to survive.
I want to know how you got that image. If thats the interface, then thats better then XM's regular radios.
or is that photoshop? if so your quick with that mouse Ryan!!
"XM needs Sirius content to survive."
Yeah... right.. Sirius needs XM.
Whoa somebody better get Nate on the horn and warm him to cease and desist this madness. Ryan Saghir thinks the iPhone is competition.
"I think it poses as legit competition to satellite radio.
Posted by: Ryan Saghir | June 9, 2008 3:33 PM
Smart move. The IPhone brought genuine convergence to the market. Now, this piece can fit right in. And no one has to subsidize any hardware.
"No FM radio in the second-generation iPhone? No surprise."
"Putting FM receivers in everything mobile is the goal of folks like Jeff Smulyan at Emmis – but Steve Jobs at Apple is really only interested in applications that can be used worldwide, and he’s pretty ruthless about applying that test. A U.S.-style FM radio wouldn’t do much good in places where they use different standards, as they do in Europe and Japan. And the current HD chip wouldn’t begin to fit in there. So the new 3G-capable phone that Jobs previewed yesterday may be a disappointment to Smulyan – but you look at Jobs' history and you’re not surprised."
http://www.radio-info.com/newsletter/pdf/TRI06102008.pdf
Too bad, no shitty HD Radio on any Apple products - the iPhone and iPod use iRadio and FlyTunes. LOL!
Why dosen't Apple just buy XM, that would solve some problems, but wait maybe Apple is smart enough not to take on such debt.
Like it or not, the iPhone is the gadget that many people are talking about & consider to be the current 'cool' thing. It is very good news that XM is getting in on this.
This story tells me, that XM has written off the merger idea. Possibly, it's now just a matter of weeks when they bow out, and Apple buys them.
This XM integration is the only thing that could make me love my iPhone even more. If I can get MLB on it, then I'd die happy.
"This story tells me, that XM has written off the merger idea. Possibly, it's now just a matter of weeks when they bow out, and Apple buys them."
If that happens Sirius is left up stream without a paddle
What kind of nags at me is the fact that even if you are an XM subscriber with mult. radios, There's not even a partial discount if you want the mobile service.
Wow, so this means that soon XM Radio Online will be available to AT&Ts customers with an iPhone (and lets not forget it was one of the most popular downloads on AT&T last month for the non-iPhone shmucks) while the Verizon Wireless buyout of Alltel could potentially expand the XM Radio Online offering to 80 million cellular subscribers on their side. I'm just surprised that Sirius has not jumped on something like this. This is a great way to expose the companies to other people and get them hooked, as well as generate some additional revenue with little to no cost in product development or manufacturing. I have convinced several coworkers to buy the service just by installing the XM widget on their work PCs. I am very glad to see XM jumping onto this, and to be honest, I am intrigued at the thought of XM being bought by Apple. Integrate XM into your next iPhone, as well as pulling off the 3G network or WiFi indoors for ultimate portability and replayability, in your home, car, or office.
XM may just have to go online and to phone carriers to survive as the current business model just isn't profitable at all with the extreme overhead, and idiotic management spending the company right into the ground.
It's gonna be the BS version of XM most likely. You're not getting baseball, NHL, etc... You'll end up with 20 on 20 at which case you may as well listen to FM
It will likely be the same 20-25 channels that everyone else is already getting on their phones... 20on20, Flight 26, Highway 16, Hitlist, Top Tracks, Big Tracks, Lucy... what they'd do good to do is bring XMX to it, if they haven't (I haven't had a mobile version of XM for a while)... expose the mobile listeners to the great EXCLUSIVE programming, which may make them want to go out and get a regular receiver so they can listen all the time.
I'm happy to see XM getting the work done to bring XM Mobile to the 3G iPhone! Now I just need the rumored SlingPlayer client as well, and I'll be content in bringing my media content with me wherever I roam. :)
"Now all XM needs is Sirius content so people will sign up."
Only if its free. Thats how a huge percentage of people here Sirius.
Is this a rusult of the last RIAA law suit being settled. XM had the Tech lead big time for a long time then... nothing new when the RIAA took a shot at them.
XM on the I phone? Sounds good to me. ... I still want nothing more than a cell phone to make calls with.. but I understand this is a big market place.
Sorry, but I am alittle bafold. Is there anyone working in the Marketing Department over at Sirius?
Can you imagine how great this app would be if we could get this blasted merger through? Howard 100 on the Iphone....I'd buy one the next day.
No matter which you prefer (I have both) - XM has led the way on almost every tech advance in Sat Radio. Why the 'XM Ready' platform hasn't take off is a shame.
"Now all XM needs is Sirius content so people will sign up."
This is exactly the reason why there should be no merger. XM is the #1 SDARS company. They have about 2 million more subs than Sirius so obviously their content is indeed compelling. I much prefer XM's content to Sirius. Most Sirius subs prefer Sirius content. At least right now you have a choice. These companies want to take that choice away.
"Now all XM needs is Sirius content so people will sign up."
This is exactly the reason why there should be no merger. XM is the #1 SDARS company. They have about 2 million more subs than Sirius so obviously their content is indeed compelling. I much prefer XM's content to Sirius. Most Sirius subs prefer Sirius content. At least right now you have a choice. These companies want to take that choice away.
Ask and there will be a way for Sirius
http://www.millardsoftware.com/content/usirius-iphone
uSirius, just like uXM, requires a jailbroken iPhone or iPod Touch. To my knowledge, the new iPhone software has not been jailbroken yet (though it probably won't take long), so the only ones that will be able to use uSirius/uXM are those that have taken that step first.
I, on the other hand, have already upgraded iTunes and my iPhone to the new versions of the software... only to find... no XM yet. Hopefully they don't take forever to make it happen...
Check it out meng
If you're already an XM subscriber, can't you listen to XM's online radio stream through the iphone's internet browser just like on a computer??????
In response to caveman's question. You can't stream XM through the iphone's internet browser because it uses Safari and XM only let's you use Firefox or Windows Exploder.