Business Week is running an overview of the existing and imminent mobile music services, in anticipation of Apple/Motorola's launch of the iTunes phone on September 7. The article notes that even as a side-loading device (that is, connecting to a PC for music transfers but not to an online service, thereby bypassing the phone carrier when loading music), Apple/Motorola is not the first mover: Napster To Go works with a few phone models. Nobody knows yet whether the Motorola phone will connect to the iTMS and work as a purchasing client. Cell companies are moving toward that space in hope of driving network use, and in further hope of gouging consumers with high per-track prices.

The big question is whether there is silent demand for mobile song purchasing. The entire promised land might be chimerical, and a huge disappointment to cell companies. The smart move by Apple/Motorola might be to wait on the iTMS connection until a market is established.