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With two iTunes phones on the market, the style-challenged ROKR E1 and the more fashionably-sleek SLVR V7 - both from Motorola - it was only a matter of time before the griping about the artificial 100 song limit placed on those handsets would turn into full-fledged roar. And it seemed, for a little while, that someone finally heard those grumblings.

After Apple updated the iTunes music service to version 6.0.3 this week, users saw a page that said, "Want more music on your mobile phone with iTunes?" "Upgrade now." At last, you could now load as many different tracks as you wanted on your ROKR E1 or SLVR V7 music phones. Or so it seemed.

It appears some iTunes phones - outside the U.S. - shipped with even less than a 100 song limit, as low as 25, believe it or not. According to an Apple rep, who spoke to the Blog Engadget, the upgrade-screen wasn't meant for most iTune phone users or American eyes, after all, but for those even more unfortunate iTune music phone owners overseas.

So while news of an upgrade system is good, that it isn't being used to bring the ROKR E1 or SLVR V7 in line with nearly every other music phone on the market in terms of song capacity - as much as the user wants or the phone can handle – is not.

Apple's fears of cannibalizing iPod music player sales with these handsets are a little too much at this point. Isn't it earning revenue licensing the iPod interface to Motorola and wouldn't money come in from new users arriving at iTunes when they purchase a ROKR E1 or SLVR V7?

Or maybe the rumors of Apple holding its own handset up its sleeve are true after all. It did register the trademark phrase “Mobile Me” last month, covering a range of mobile devices and services. And then there's this concept-image of what’s supposed to be an Apple phone circulating around the Internet rumor mill.

Whether it’s got its own music phone or iPhone in the works, Apple is going to have to lift the artificial song limit on these handsets eventually to keep Motorola, who wants to attract mobile operators to its products, happy.

In addition to its iTunes phones, Motorola recently inked a deal with Microsoft to come to market with Windows Media Player-compatible handsets. Windows Media files can be used with most other download music services and support Microsoft's digital rights management (DRM) system. While carriers aren't opposed to setting limits on subscribers - DUN Verizon? - as a rule they prefer to be the ones to set them.

Meanwhile, although the SLVR is an iTunes phone, the world's number two handset maker's second ROKR music phone, the E2, wasn't.