Possibly...

Jun 29, 2007 14:48 GMT  ·  By

The next version of iTunes is just around the corner and everyone is expecting it to add ringtone support. While there has been no official word out of Apple on this one, various screenshots shown by Apple have hinted strongly at the possibility.

Custom ringtone support is conspicuously missing from the iPhone, as noted by several of the people that reviewed it. Many were expecting it to be present, considering that syncing is done though iTunes and everything, but it seems that the matter is a bit more complicated. According to the iTunes Store agreement, songs purchased cannot be used as ringtones and while that does not exactly cover music you rip from CDs yourself, it is quite likely that the labels had a small talk with Apple on the subject. Ringtones are a big business, after all.

However, Screenshots of iTunes syncing for the iPhone, seen at Macworld San Francisco showed a Ringtones tab, while recently a section of Apple's Question/Answer list showed an image of iTunes with 8 tabs. While Apple has since replaced the image with another one that only has six tabs, this is proof that Apple is working on it behind the curtains.

Currently, iTunes 7.3 is listed as a requirement for the iPhone but has not yet been released by Apple. It is rumored that this new version will allow the conversion of any song into a ringtone via a "Make into Ringtone" feature. This would cost $0.99 and would be done through a "garageband like" interface that comes up to allow you to pick the 30-second clip you want.

It won't be long before we know what's what, but if Apple does offer this service, it will be big, not only because of the ease of use of the service and its integration right into iTunes, but also because currently, such ringtones cost $1.99 and Apple would be asking significantly less.