Apple Computer may finally end the rumors and announce its own cell phone on Tuesday, with wireless service from Cingular, a news report said.The device, which will combine a cell phone with Apple’s popular iPod music player, is expected to be announced at the MacWorld show in San Francisco, according to the report in The Wall Street Journal, which cited unnamed sources.Any announcement is likely to come when Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs delivers his keynote speech at the event Tuesday morning. Rather than tie itself to a single service provider, Apple is likely to introduce an “unlocked” phone that can be used on different networks.Cingular spokesman Ritch Blasi declined to comment to IDG News Service on the report, and Apple spokesman Steve Dowling did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Several analysts have predicted that Apple will launch a mobile phone with music playback capabilities, to take advantage of the strong position its iPod has in the music player market. Sales of Apple mobile phones could dwarf sales of the iPod, some analysts have said. It was rumored at one point that the phone would be called the iPhone, but that seems unlikely after Cisco Systems released a family of Internet phones under that brand name. Cingular has turned to music to retain and attract new subscribers. It introduced Cingular Music late last year, which offers subscription-based music services from leading online music services including Napster and Yahoo Music from Yahoo to the handset. Cingular said it teamed with Microsoft to incorporate Windows Media digital rights management into select handsets.-John Ribeiro, IDG News Service (Bangalore Bureau)Related Links: Apple ‘iPhone’ May Arrive Later Than Predicted Cisco’s Linksys—Not Apple—Launches iPhone VoIP Devices Apple iPhone Rumors Multiply Apple ‘iPhone’ Talked Up by Digg Founder Rose Apple ‘iPhone’ to Hit Stores in January?Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature LexisNexis rises to the generative AI challenge With generative AI, the legal information services giant faces its most formidable disruptor yet. That’s why CTO Jeff Reihl is embracing and enhancing the technology swiftly to keep in front of the competition. By Paula Rooney Dec 01, 2023 6 mins Generative AI Generative AI Generative AI feature 10 business intelligence certifications and certificates to advance your BI career From BI analysts and BI developers to BI architects and BI directors, business intelligence pros are in high demand. Here are the certifications and certificates that can give your career an edge. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 01, 2023 8 mins Certifications Business Intelligence IT Skills brandpost Sponsored by Huawei Beyond gigabit: the need for 10 Gbps in business networks Interview with Liu Jianning, Vice President of Huawei's Data Communication Marketing & Solutions Sales Dept By CIO Online Staff Nov 30, 2023 9 mins Cloud Architecture Networking brandpost Sponsored by SAP Generative AI’s ‘show me the money’ moment We’re past the hype and slick gen AI sales pitches. Business leaders want results. By Julia White Nov 30, 2023 5 mins Artificial Intelligence Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe