Could the new iPhone change music?

Could the new iPhone change music?
The new iPhone's web connectivity pushes the possibilities for buying and storing music - it could prove to be a musical milestone

Of course it'll be one among many music phones but the iPhone will still lead the way. Photograph: AP

The biggest US music retailer is expected to introduce a new mobile phone tonight, so, is it time to dump your iPod? Possibly.

We're talking about Apple's much-hyped iPhone launch, of course. And it doesn't take a dose of Geek Potion Number Nine to make a few guesses at its impact on music sales, because it will support a fast mobile data transfer standard called 3G, which, twinned with the iTunes Music Store, raises lots of possibilities. Here are five of them...

· Unlimited music. The number of tracks in your iPod is limited by how many it holds. The iPhone is the same, but because it's internet-connected, there's already ways to stream music you don't have with you using the internet (Remote Buddy, for example). All your music, all the time.

· While other mobile stores exist, they suffer dropped connections, failed downloads and aren't as flexible; iPhones can carry music from your existing collection and will eventually let you buy music over-the-air. You'll be watching an act at one of this summer's festivals, buying their music on your phone as soon as they leave the stage. All your new tracks jump straight into your computer when you connect (sync) your iPhone. And work with your iPod also.

· All the latest info says Apple plans to introduce its mobile internationally this year, so it's pretty clear part of the plan includes launching iTunes in more countries to boost that launch. iTunes only sells music in 22 countries right now.

· Under the banner of access, not ownership, subscription is the great future music hope. The iPod was the most successful portable music player. Now it's internet-savvy, what's to stop Apple launching a subscription service using its iPod phone? U2 manager Paul McGuinness tipped us off about this at Midem this year, when he predicted "a wireless iPod that connects to an iTunes 'all of the music, wherever you are' subscription service".

· It's not just about music consumption. 1999's iMac computer had less processing power and capacity than the iPhone does now. Add a dose of wireless connectivity, and you have a band - albeit a virtual one - in your pocket. Take a look at the iBand video for an idea of what this could mean.

I don't expect all these things to happen now, but it will soon be easier to find, share and listen to the music you want when and where you want it than ever. Some would say that's as important a moment in musical history as the invention of the gramophone.
source-http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/06/could_the_new_iphone_change_mu.html