Filed under: iTS, Rumors, iPhone
NY Post: Apple to begin selling iPhone ringtones
The New York Post is reporting that Apple will shortly begin selling iPhone ringtones through the iTunes Store by allowing users to convert any iTunes song into a ringtone for an additional fee. Perhaps even more interesting is the claim that "Apple will also allow users to convert songs they have previously purchased through iTunes into a ringtone" and that users will be able to use any part of the song. From Apple's perspective this seems like an absolute no-brainer, with ringtones being a multi-billion dollar business worldwide. From a user perspective, however, the prospect of paying even more to turn I song I already bought into a ringtone is asinine, especially considering that there are free methods for getting ringtones on your iPhone. What do you think? What (if anything) would you be willing to pay to convert your iTunes purchases into iPhone ringtones? (The image shows a Ringtone tab in iTunes that engadget captured back in January at the iPhone's debut).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
David said 1:14PM on 8-31-2007
I suppose I'm old fashioned in that I still purchase CDs quite a bit and then import them lossless to iTunes or Audion. Either way, if you are the least bit tech-savvy (even tech-weary) you should be able to get ringtones on your iPhone for free (and without much hassle - even PPC support exists now). Granted, most of the people with enough money to purchase an iPhone who aren't Apple fanboys or gadget-feinds will surely not hesitate to shell out a few extra clams so those in their general vicinity will hear the infectious "Um-burr-ella-aye-aye-aye" when they receive a call, rendering their device as officially "right out."
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Dave Knipp said 1:18PM on 8-31-2007
I think it's ridiculous that you have to pay for a ringtone in the first place.
The music has been purchased, allow us to convert a regular mp3, etc. into a ringtone and load it onto the iphone.
It's crazy that you have to pay for apply to wave their "ringtone" wand over a song for it to play on your iphone.
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Jeff said 1:21PM on 8-31-2007
Perhaps Apple will be announcing that the entire iTunes will be available DRM-free. If this is the case, then that "additional fee" would be the fee to strip the DRM from your music and upgrade to a higher sound quality (otherwise known as iTunes Plus). I can dream can't I?
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Mystic said 1:24PM on 8-31-2007
I would be willing to pay $300 to make the whining stop.
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Adrian vG said 1:25PM on 8-31-2007
Yes, please let me be able to use MP3s converted from my CDs or made by myself in GarageBand and the like...
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carson said 1:25PM on 8-31-2007
Mystic..... I will match it.
C.
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Johnny Thrash said 1:29PM on 8-31-2007
I simply won't pay to convert what I already own. It's not really even a question.
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St3phen said 1:30PM on 8-31-2007
Or you can pay $15 once and get iToner (released today by Ambrosia) and use any mp3 or AAC (including protected) as your iPhone ringtone... and have them survive software updates and not have to go through jailbreaking (which is my understanding of the process).
http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/itoner/
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Aron Trimble said 1:36PM on 8-31-2007
The idea of paying for ringtones is ludicrous! (The radar's been jammed!) I have made my own ringtones for years now, I'm not about to start paying...
But seriously, Apple is kind of smart to do this, it'll probably be like $.29 to make a ringtone vs. the $1.99 everyone else charges regularly. And if you think about it, I bet 99% of people buying ringtones for an iPhone have *probably* already purchased the song on iTunes anyways. So really, Apple is undercutting the competition by either $.71 or $1.71 depending on how you look at it.
Either way, the consumer wins.
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John Kirk said 1:39PM on 8-31-2007
Convenience is the key. If it's a seamless single button type of process - fun and easy - people will pay for it. Some of you guys are more than willing to do a lot of work to avoid paying a buck or two. But the vast majority of people would just rather push a button.
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BAR said 1:57PM on 8-31-2007
You can also get music, movies and TV shows from various sources online for free and import them onto your iPod, but last I checked, iTunes had sold billions of them for a fee. iTunes' very existence and ongoing success shows that people are willing to pay a fee for ease of use. Buying your ringtones instead of "hacking" them onto the phone will be very appealing to lots of users.
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Snaab4 said 2:00PM on 8-31-2007
Here we go again! Apple asks the developer community to plug away developing apps for the iPhone (via Safari) and Ambrosia comes up with iToner. Then Apple usurps the developer by providing the capability themselves!
As far as a surcharge in iTunes, the agreement Apple has with the music industry probably didn't cover use of their content as ringtones, so Apple probably has to charge more to provide them the additional royalties..... (I'm not defending Appple, rather suggesting an explanation for the surcharge)
In the long run, iToner absolves Apple from any infringement complaints from the music industry.
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Ted said 2:12PM on 8-31-2007
Dave Knipp sums it all up in his comment:
"It's crazy that you have to pay for apply to wave their "ringtone" wand over a song for it to play on your iphone."
It's an iPod, it's a phone, you should be able to use the songs on the iPod part as ringtones in the phone part. Making us pay extra for something that is simple, and should already exist is just...well, it's not Apple-like.
I'd completely expect this if it were Microsoft or Enron or something.
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Dylan said 2:24PM on 8-31-2007
I agree with the general consensus here. If I had to pay for a song, and then pay to have it converted into a ringtone I'd be pretty disappointed. The iPhone's UI is great and all, but it is so locked down it's ridiculous. In an ideal world I would think that someone would be able to grab a section of a song on their iPhone, and convert it into a ringtone, with no computer required.
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owossoborn said 2:31PM on 8-31-2007
I like to make my own ringtones from scratch. I currently have a mix of sound effects from the video game Galaga as my ringtone. So with their proposed charging to convert only songs that have been purchased, that leaves me out in the cold. F'ing bizarre! Isn't the two year contract and having to pay to have someone replace my battery enough??? I'm surprised I don't have to pay something extra to charge it.
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Coltrizzle said 2:33PM on 8-31-2007
I think it would be really cool if they came out with a good way to use songs as ringtones, but i wouldn't pay anything to be able to do it. there are too many free ways already.
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Johnny Thrash said 2:33PM on 8-31-2007
@12 Apple was gonna do ringtones anyway. It's not a big surprise.
I'm just not going to pay for a song twice is my only problem with it. Assuming, of course, that you will not be able to use your current music for free.
As far as ease of use, yes I will pay for convenience. In the past when I missed an episode of Eureka, I'd hop on iTunes, buy, download and watch.
Simplicity is the Apple paradigm. And it works.
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matt said 2:43PM on 8-31-2007
Am I the only one who wants a plain old fashion ringer on my phone instead of a collection of sound effects or songs?
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rkny said 2:58PM on 8-31-2007
I just downloaded iToner and it's great. That said, if Apple can come up with a way to make ringtone creation a one-click affair, maybe with automatic loop points and/or fades, they'll have a winner with the can't-be-bothered set...AKA most people.
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basscadet said 3:03PM on 8-31-2007
I am at awe. Apple charges for a conversion procedure they should have included in the iPhone anyway and people accept it as "ease of use", "convenience" and "customer profit vs other bought ringtones". No one sees how "non revolutionary" and "non innovative" and "nonsensical" this whole thing is?
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