Iphone goes for Sideloading
Just about everywhere is reporting that the only option for getting ringtones onto the soon to be released Apple Iphone is via sideloading with Itunes.
I love it.
I’m conjecturing that Apple’s idea is to push more business through it’s Itunes store. That’s not a bad thing. Itunes store charges $0.99 for most tracks where as the carriers and other ringtone providers are charging $2.50 or more to get a single tune as a ringtone. (don’t get me started on the services that charge five bucks plus a week to subscribe)
The hype surrounding the Iphone is going to make a major impact on the phone market in the US where it is due to be released on 29th June. The carry through from that is the industry is going to realise people will be saving themselves a fortune by not being ripped off every time they want to put a new ringtone on their phone so more phones will be released with sideloading features.
I figure that by the time we have gone through the product cycle another 1-2 times there won’t be a cell phone that doesn’t offer sideloading and it will kill the ringtone market as we know it.