Nokia today denied claims that it has done a deal with Apple to put iTunes on its N91 media phone.

According to Finnish newspaper Taloussanomat, today (http://www.taloussanomat.fi/doris/doriswww_62329.asp) Nokia is to embrace Apple's online music service.

"I've seen already a phone like that," said Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia's multimedia chief, the paper reports.

His comment was supported by Nokia spokesman Kari Tuutti, cited (http://go.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=9408008&section=news&src=rss/uk/technologyNews) by Reuters. Tuutti claimed Nokia had seen iTunes-like applications running on phones unnamed research labs.

However, he scotched the newspaper's central claim that Apple and Nokia are partners.

"There is no commercial agreement between Nokia and Apple to integrate iTunes into the N-series devices," he said.

The N91, due to ship around the world in Q4, contains a 4GB hard drive. Nokia is pitching the 3G handset specifically as a music phone - the device will support a broad array of formats, including MP3; the iTunes' favoured AAC; AAC+, which is the likely format for future carrier-operated music download services; WMA; WAV; and Real Audio 8.

The handset is based on the Symbian OS and Nokia's Series 60 user interface. As Tuutti noted, that makes it easy for any company, "including Apple if they wish", to develop music software for the phone. Apple has extensive experience of the Series 60 platform, for which it has long supported with its iSync data-synchronisation software.

Motorola is preparing to ship its iTunes-enabled phone in September, but it could launch this month, it says. ®

Related stories

Nokia's iPod-killer phone slips to 2006 (22 September 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/22/nokia_n91_slips/
Nokia unveils low-cost 'emerging markets' phone (21 September 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/21/nokia_2652/
Nokia sells Nigerian its one billionth phone (21 September 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/21/nokia_one_billion_nigeria/
Apple unveils iTunes phone, Flash iPod (7 September 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/07/itunes_phone_nano_launch/
Germans to get iTunes phone for Christmas (5 September 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/05/tmobile_itunes/
Apple, Moto, Cingular lined up to launch iTunes phone (31 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/31/itunes_phone_debut/
Nokia dominates 3G (24 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/24/nokia_3g/
Warner plans download music label (24 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/24/warner_download_label/
Yahoo! to keep music prices low (19 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/19/yahoo_maintains_music_pricing/
Apple reshuffles China chiefs (19 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/19/apple_china_reshuffle/
RIAA admits CD-R more a threat than P2P (15 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/15/riaa_cdr_p2p/
iTunes to yield 5% of Apple's revenues in 2006 (12 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/12/apple_itunes_2006/
iTunes-friendly artists rebel against laggard labels (10 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/10/itunes_japan_artists/
Microsoft, Apple 'spar over iPod patent' (10 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/10/microsoft_apple_patent/
Apple pledges to refund punters hit by Canada iPod tax (9 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/09/apple_ipod_tax_refund/
iTunes Japan shifts 1m songs in four days (8 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/08/itunes_japan/
Oz legit downloads fail, and fail again (8 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/08/oz_legit_downloads_fail/
Nokia and Ollila's legacy (8 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/08/nokia_ollila_legacy/
Apple launches iTunes Japan (4 August 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/04/apple_itunes_japan/
HP and Apple end iPod affair (29 July 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/29/hp_apple_ipodend/
iTunes emasculates Crazy Frog (27 July 2005)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/27/itunes_emasculates_crazy_frog/