iPhone

Investors and consumers of satellite radio are anxiously awaiting the Sirius XM iPhone application. Talk of a relationship with Apple has been on the minds of satellite radio fans for years. Each year as the MacWorld event approached, speculation would arise about a possible announcement of a great new partnership between Apple and either Sirius or XM, and each year, satellite radio fans would be disappointed.

Finally, Sirius XM is going to be launching an iPhone application. There is a lot of speculation about what this will mean for consumers as well as investors. With a weak OEM channel, and a sluggish economy, there is potentially a lot riding on this soon to be launched application.

Properly marketed, this application can help the bottom line in many ways. However, in this economy, even the best marketing plans are challenged when it comes to separating a consumer from their dollars. Thus, what can Sirius XM do to ensure massive exposure with this application? How can they make sure that as many people as possible get exposed to the service? Perhaps the best way is the simplest…

Give It Away For Free

I know the consumers are happy with that, but the investors may well be scratching their heads. Let’s consider the OEM model of attracting subscribers. When a consumer buys a car, they get 3 months of satellite radio free. Why not offer a free three month trial for the iPhone application?

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For those that have followed satellite radio for a long time, Apple has always been seen as a brass ring of sorts. Over the years many investors were clamoring for a deal with Apple that never came to fruition. It just seemed right and natural to combine the live aspect of satellite radio with the features of the iPod and iTunes. iPods lacked a music discovery aspect that satellite could deliver. Perhaps the fact that a deal was never done was for the best. Apple would have demanded their pound of flesh in terms of revenue share, and either Sirius or XM, competing staunchly for an advantage, would have been forced to whittle away yet again at the bottom line.

Today is a different day. We now have Sirius and XM merged, and the iPod has graduated to the iPhone. No longer will iPods need to have satellite radio chipsets installed at a cost to Sirius XM. Instead, the service can be delivered over the Internet and directly to iPhone and iPod touches.

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Back on March 17th, Apple announced the new Apple OS 3.0 for the iPhone. This upgrade to the operating system which adds over 100 features will be available for iPhone users absolutely free. First generation iPhones will not be able to receive every single feature but, they will receive most of them while the newer 3G iPhones will get all the new features. It should also be noted that users of the iPod Touch, which also uses the same operating system, will be able to purchase the update for a mere $9.95. There is no official release date yet, other than “Summer of this year.” As we already know, during the 2008 Q4 conference call, Sirius XM officially announced that they would be coming out with an iPhone application sometime during Q2. What does this new OS 3.0 mean for Sirius XM?

1. Subscription Abilities directly through the iStore – With the 3.0 update, Apple has given app producers the ability to add in a subscription service directly into the app. Let’s say that someone downloaded the Sirius XM iPhone app, but did not have a subscription. Utilizing the new subscription API, they could request payment right there through the iStore, process the payment immediately, and start the subscription instantaneously.  Not too shabby.

2. Stereo over Bluetooth -  With current phones, you can talk on your phone over Bluetooth, but you cannot listen to music unless you buy accessories (that are not technically compatible with the iPhone) or hack the phone. OS 3.0 adds in a functionality that I thought Apple was crazy for not adding before. Now, you will be able to listen to all of your music in stereo quality over your wireless Bluetooth headset… which makes it much more convenient to listen to your new Sirius XM subscription.

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Allow me to again challenge the pessimistic views of the contingent that has formed, aligning itself against Sirius XM regarding free web based applications. Sirius XM will always win out due to its content and subscription business model. The Internet offers very little in the way of real competition and there is nothing on the horizon that remotely changes that.

No matter how hard you look, you will not find the NFL, NHL, NBA, PGA, MLB, NASCAR, Premier League Soccer or the National Lacrosse League on Slacker. No where on Pandora will a user find CNBC, MSNBC, CNN, NPR, Fox News, Bloomberg, the BBC or proprietary channels such as P.O.T.U.S. (Politics Of The United States) and emergency traffic and weather. No free Internet streaming method will afford the user access to Howard Stern, Oprah Winfrey, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, Martha Stewart nor the array of stars on Sirius XM’s comedy channels.

The preceding factors are the reasons that Sirius XM subscribers and investors are excited about Sirius XM’s soon to be released iPhone and iPod applications. For iPhone users, the wait has ended.

News  broke late last night that there is now an application that allows Sirius XM to stream through the iPhone. Honestly, at first I thought it  could be an April Fools joke, however iPhone users across the Internet this morning are reporting that it is in fact working. Credit was given to Todd of Nicemac for providing the information.

Yesterday I surmised that Sirius might be working with Nicemac on such applications. The news broke last night and just this morning,  Sirius XM began running ads that target iPhone users. While listening to CNBC on Sirius, Sirius ran a commercial for LogMeIn, an iPhone application that allows the user to log into their home or office computer.

Position: Long Sirius XM

When it was rumored that the NiceMac application to allow iPhone users to listen to Sirius XM radio was not approved people began to wonder. Then the rumor of Sirius XM getting ready to launch an application of their own came out, and the writing was on the wall. The StarPlayer Project would be shelved. Today, the folks at NiceMac confirmed the news with this note:

Sunday, 08 March 2009 04:01
To all of our fans and customers:

“NiceMac has decided it is in our best interests to discontinue the StarPlayr project. NiceMac will be issuing refunds for purchasers of StarPlayr for Windows Mobile on a first come first serve basis until corporate funds have been exhausted.

To request a refund simply copy and paste your StarPlayr for Windows Mobile PayPal receipt via the Contact us Email form.

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Today it was announced that the uSirius, Sirius XM application for the iPhone, had been rejected by the app. reviewers at Apple. The guys at Nicemac put up a release on their website earlier today that paints a pretty clear picture of what has recently happened.

Sirius XM has clearly moved to take action with Apple to block the release of arguably the most eagerly anticipated iPhone application ever. Now why would they do such a thing? The only possible answer is they have a free application which they developed in-house, that is most likely days away from being approved.

With the 4th quarter earnings and the March 11th price increase only days away, the excitement is so thick that you could cut it with a knife. The sly dog that is Sirius XM has had this in their back pocket all along but, one has to wonder why they have sat on such great news for so long now? Surely this company could not be so incompetent that they would move to block an application which could do nothing but add to their own bottom line without a plan of their own. Could they?

Is it possible that the management at Sirius is so frighteningly ignorant that they would get down on their knees and beg for a $530 million loan one day, only to block the only decent piece of new technology that could allow them to repay that loan the next?

For once, the answer is no. Sources very close to the situation have verified that an official Sirius XM iPhone application is in the works and will be released “very shortly.”

After weeks of waiting, it was announced today that Nicemac’s uSirius iPhone application has been delayed for the time being. Several things came to mind as I read the latest news updates. It seems to me that if there was a problem with the technology of some sort, Apple would have denied the application outright. With age comes wisdom, and I am getting that feeling of deja vu. The delay that was mentioned in the press release reeks of attorney wranglings.

“As fans, we are committed to continuing to work with all parties involved as necessary in any capacity required to see this product to market. It is our goal, as it has always been, to release this application at as low of a price point as possible, if not free of charge.”

Years ago, there was a Yahoo message board poster named Tulane Jeff, who went on to create the mother of all Sirius fan websites, SiriusBackstage.com. It wasn’t long until Sirius issued Jeff a court order to cease and desist and the idea created by Jeff  stalled. Luckily for all of us, the two sides came to an agreement of some sort, and Sirius Backstage grew to be the biggest Satellite radio fan site on the web.

It would not surprise me to learn that Sirius XM has now decided, after years of doing absolutely nothing with Apple no matter how loud their customers screamed, that they have decided they want in on the application that they did absolutely nothing to help produce. If this is in fact the case, and keep in mind this is purely speculative, I would expect a deal with Sirius XM, Nicemac, and Apple. Sirius has sought a partnership of sorts with Apple for many years and the company may see this new application as its proverbial foot in the door.

Position: Long Sirius XM

Nicemac LLC has officially submitted uSirius, their Sirius XM streaming iPhone application for review by Apple today. All there is to do now is sit back and wait for this gem of an application, that has been long overdue in the eyes of Sirius XM fans and shareholders alike, to be approved by the powers that be at Apple.

Various reports around the net show the iPhone App Store review process has been taking anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks to approve and officially list new applications. The guys over at Nicemac seem confident with their product and the rigorous testing that has been done but, only time will tell if it makes the cut.

The one time price tag of $12.99 has been confirmed by Nicemac co-founder Todd “Goodtime” Bruss, who notes that all minor upgrades will be free of charge but, any major future upgrades might cost a couple of bucks.

Stayed tuned for continuing coverage as we will do our best to cover the momentous occasion of the official release for all of you iPhone obsessed Sirius XM fans.