Nokia: Deal with Apple has been Somewhat Exaggerated


Cell phone manufacturer Nokia says it has no deal with Apple for an iTunes music service on its forthcoming multimedia phones, The Washington Post reports.

Nokia denied that there was "any commercial agreement" in existence between Nokia and Apple concerning iTunes. But a Nokia spokesman quoted in the article confirmed that developers or Apple could offer software applications which could "easily" give access to such services, which could be integrated with the phone. Development versions of such applications reportedly exist.

Nokia added that they had not inked a deal with any company or music provider, arguing that consumers should have the right to choose which music package they wanted to sign up for. Nokia's M91 phone includes a 4GB hard drive, 3G capabilities and supports wireless LANs.

Analysis: Moto's iTunes phone is likely to provide the litmus test: will cell phones succeed in challenging iPod? If so, Apple can respond to the demand, if it so chooses, either by partnering with Moto or Nokia, or on its own.