iLounge

MobileTracker’s Jon Gales reports exclusively to iLounge from Motorola’s MOTONOW media event in Chicago, Illinois:

A black and gray, candybar-style phone some have suggested would be a ROKR iTunes-compatible phone is now on stage, with what looks like a gray scroll wheel by the keypad. The scroll wheel appears to be full-sized (roughly as large as the iPod mini’s), while the keypad resembles one used on Motorola’s SLVR series of phones. Gales reports that this phone is a 3G phone.

Update: In the first five minutes of the event, Motorola’s Ed Zander read a statement from Apple stating that the iTunes phones will not be unveiled today, but instead will be unveiled at a separate music event within the next 66 days, and shipped this quarter. “We’re not going to launch the iTunes phone today,” the statement read. “Steve Jobs is not going to jump out of a cake.”

Update 2: Engadget has an early photograph of the non-iTunes ROKR.

Update 3: The full text of the Apple/Motorola statement is now available at Read More below.

“I think you want to know something else,” said Zander. “Like, where’s that announcement about that company on the West Coast that I can’t mention, that we did a deal with last year, that you want to know about? And every time I talk about that, I end up putting a foot in my mouth, so I have an official thing to read tonight. Right?” (Looking at someone in audience.) “Can I have the envelope please?

Okay. Here it is. I’m going to get this out and open tonight. Are you ready - all the press?”

“We’re not going to launch the iTunes phone today. Steve Jobs is not going to jump out of a cake. And we’re not going to launch it tomorrow. But on one of the 66 days left in the quarter - we’re not saying which one yet - Apple, Motorola, and our biggest operator partners around the world will announce, and ship, the first iTunes phone. It’ll be the best music phone in the business, it’ll ship before our competitors, and as you know, we believe music will be the next big experience, the next big thing. So big, we think it deserves an event of its own.

Love, Ed & Steve - just kidding. But it’s real, and it’s happening, stay tuned for iTunes.” (Tosses letter to someone off-stage.)

“Okay. I don’t want to hear any more about it for the next day, or so, about that, we got a lot more…  more equally exciting things to announce.”