At the start of Apple's press event today, Steve Jobs announced iTunes' new ability to cut songs into 30-second ringtones for the iPhone. Users will have to choose from only a half million songs, out of iTunes total 6 million available tracks. The iTunes program will provide an interface to choose a 30-second snippet, and set fade in and fade out points. Then, if you like what you hear, you can buy the snippet as a ringtone for an additional $0.99. We're not yet sure whether ringtones will be available separately from iTunes tracks, or whether you'll have to own the song to buy the tone. Also, whether you'll be able to snip third-party, non-DRM tracks is anyone's guess.
Of course, a few third-party options are already available, including iToner, from notable software-maker Ambrosia. The legality of these options is in question, but the effectiveness, so far, is not. Apple's option may be somewhat cheaper than other stores we've seen that sell ringtones for ridiculous prices, but nothing beats free, especially when we're talking about the freedom to choose any track you like.
Apple says the new service will be available soon. Cryptically, Jobs explained that you will know it's working when the "Ringtones" tab pops up in iTunes. We'll have a hands-on impression then.
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